Mayor Joe Called Whittier a "Red City." Here's What the Data Shows
Mayor Joe called Whittier a "red city" at a Republican campaign event on Sunday. But when party labels appear on the ballot, Whittier voters have consistently chosen Democratic candidates. Here's what the numbers show.
On Sunday, the Los Angeles Young Republicans and Log Cabin Republicans hosted a door-knocking event in support of current mayor Joe Vinatieri and councilmembers Fernando Dutra and Octavio Martinez, all running for re-election in Whittier's April 14 municipal election.
At the event, Mayor Joe Vinatieri described Whittier as a "red city" while thanking his supporters. The remarks were part of a longer speech.
The appearance is notable because Whittier's city elections are officially nonpartisan — meaning a candidate's political party does not appear on the ballot next to their name. But that doesn't prevent candidates from receiving endorsements and support from political parties.
What the voting data shows
To understand how Whittier voters behave when party labels are visible, here are the November 2024 General Election results for the City of Whittier, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk:
- 39,564 ballots cast from 55,963 registered voters (70.7% turnout)
- President: Harris 22,221 vs. Trump 15,632
- U.S. Senate: Schiff (D) 21,153 vs. Garvey (R) 16,077
- U.S. Congress (CA-38): Sánchez (D) 20,790 vs. Ching (R) 14,563
- State Assembly (AD-56): Calderon (D) 20,790 vs. Martinez (R) 16,160
In each race, the Democratic candidate received more votes within Whittier.
Turnout tells a different story
Municipal elections operate under very different conditions than state and national races. Whittier's 2024 city election, held in April separately from state and national races, drew significantly fewer voters:
- Just 8,202 ballots cast from 55,188 registered voters (14.86% turnout)
- Mayor Vinatieri received 6,022 votes — a majority of ballots cast in that race and approximately 10.9% of registered voters.
That means roughly 1 in 10 registered Whittier voters determined the outcome of the mayoral race.
Far fewer voters participate in city elections. That difference in turnout can lead to very different outcomes depending on who shows up.
What's at stake on April 14
Whittier's April 14 election includes races for mayor and two city council seats. All three incumbents — Vinatieri, Dutra, and Martinez — face challengers.
Voter registration in Whittier currently stands at over 55,000. Based on historical turnout patterns, the election could be decided by fewer than 10,000 votes — possibly significantly fewer.
Sources: November 2024 General Election results, Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk; 2024 municipal election results, City of Whittier.
