PADILLA TO FACE SANCHEZ IN RUNOFF.

Byline: Yvette Cabrera Daily News Staff Writer

Legislative aide and engineer Alex Padilla was the clear front-runner in the 7th City Council district elections, but failed to capture a majority and will face opponent Corinne Sanchez in a June 8 runoff, according to semi-official results Wednesday.

Padilla, 26, lead the field of six candidates throughout election night Tuesday, and eventually garnered 47.96 percent of the vote, while Sanchez came in a distant second with 24.78 percent.

Since none of the candidates captured a majority of the vote, only the top two will face each other in runoff. Padilla said he was encouraged by the election results and surprised by his leading margin.

``We worked as hard as we could and talked to as many voters as we could and I'm proud of my campaign staff,'' Padilla said. ``I think people recognized the significant differences that set me apart from rest of field and that's that this is the community that I was born and raised in. I have the knowledge to make the best decisions possible in City Hall.''

According to semi-final results, which do not include late absentee ballots, close to 22 percent of the 7th District's approximately 62,700 registered voters went to the polls on Tuesday.

Trailing by a wide margin behind Padilla, Sanchez said Wednesday she plans to launch an expansive get-out-the-vote campaign to win the runoff.

``I'm not at all discouraged,'' said Sanchez, 52. ``I am disappointed I didn't get a higher percentage, but I think it's just a matter of getting more people out and reaching out more to the voters.''

Despite Padilla's overwhelming lead, Sanchez said the votes cast were not truly representative of the district because of the voter turnout.

``People have to get mad and find a common-ground issue to get involved and that is something that I'll achieve this go-around,'' Sanchez said. ``I'm looking at the bigger picture in trying to get more of the voters to come out. I don't think it's insurmountable.''

Padilla likewise said voter turnout should have been higher.

``As long as we don't achieve 100 percent voter turnout I'm never satisfied,'' Padilla said. ``The more people that vote the better, regardless of how they vote.''

Candidate Raul Godinez II, who came in fourth with 8.87 percent of the vote, also blamed voter turnout for his showing.

``We were expecting 30 percent turnout and we were shocked to be honest with you,'' said Godinez, who doesn't plan to run for office in the near future. ``Low voter turnout hurt us a hell of a lot more than we expected.''

Godinez said he didn't regret running for office or leaving his post as mayor of San Fernando to run, but now wants to focus on his career as an engineer and his upcoming marriage.

``There are no regrets, but there's no desire to run for office again,'' Godinez said.

Sanchez faces an uphill battle in the runoff, according to political consultant Richard Lichtenstein, because the race was not a close one and Padilla almost won outright.

``I think it's going to be an interesting, interesting race in the sense that you've got someone who is clearly the front-runner here,'' Lichtenstein said. ``It's not to say (Sanchez) is without promise. It's just a very steep hill.''

Because Padilla will now be considered a strong favorite, Lichtenstein predicted financial supporters would quickly rally around the Pacoima native, but added that his commanding lead should not make Padilla complacent.

``If he's picking out furniture for the (council) office, that's a big mistake. . . . He's got to do everything he did in the primary all over again,'' said Lichtenstein.

Sanchez, meanwhile, must reassess her message to determine why she did not strike a chord with 7th District voters, Lichtenstein said.

``Simply contrasting her years of experience vs. his youth is inadequate,'' Lichtenstein said.

Key will be whether Sanchez can capture the vote of the disenfranchised in the 7th District, Lichtenstein said.