The Long Beach Press-Telegram

...Gautam Dutta, deputy director of the Political Reform Program for the non-profit New America Foundation, who was invited by Herrera to speak at the committee meeting, told the council that voter turnout increased 168 percent in San Francisco after initiating instant runoff voting.

Dutta said the voting system helps avoid the Ralph Nader or Ross Perot effect, when voters may support a third-party candidate, but don't vote for the candidate because that person is unlikely to win. Similarly, voters who support a long-shot candidate wouldn't be… more

Even as he burnished his image as an international political figure, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa faced heightened challenges at home last year over his aggressive efforts to consolidate and assert his authority.One of just two officials nationally to offer the Democratic response to President George W. Bush's State of the Union address last January, Villaraigosa also hosted Mexican President Vicente Fox and British Prime Minister Tony Blair and was feted during a trade mission to Asia

But on… more