Capps Holds Commanding Lead in Altadena Library District Contest

Altadena voters in the Altadena Library District’s Trustee Area 3 gave emergency nurse educator Stephanie A. Capps a 142-vote lead over her nearest challenger in Tuesday’s election, according to semifinal, unofficial results from the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk as of 3:11 a.m. Wednesday.

Capps had 608 votes, or 47.87%, in the county’s 3:11 a.m. update. Social work professor Samuel Mistrano had 466 votes, or 36.69%, and Steven M. McCall had 196 votes, or 15.43%. Of the 1,270 votes counted in the contest, Capps led Mistrano by 11.18 percentage points.

Capps’ lead grew from 93 votes to 142 as 291 more votes were counted between an earlier county update and the 3:11 a.m. update. The earlier update showed Capps with 466 votes, or 47.60%, Mistrano with 373, or 38.10%, and McCall with 140, or 14.30%.

The results are not final. The Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk said election night results “will continue to change as additional eligible ballots are processed and counted” and that it will continue publishing updates throughout the canvass until the election is certified. The office said it would conduct 24-hour, around-the-clock ballot processing through Friday, Nov. 6, with multiple results updates each day.

The contest is the first election for the seat in which only voters living in Trustee Area 3 cast ballots. The seat is now held by appointed Trustee Justin Mahramas under the district’s former at-large system, and its term expires Dec. 4. Mahramas is not on the ballot.

Mahramas was appointed in April of last year after Trustee Jason Capell resigned. When the district advertised that vacancy, it said the seat was at-large but “that in 2026 this seat will only be open to residents in the Altadena Library District Area 3.”

The district said it committed in 2019 to establishing trustee areas rather than at-large seats, in adherence with the California Voting Rights Act. The district redistricted in 2023, establishing five trustee areas, with Areas 1, 2 and 5 up for election in 2024 and Areas 3 and 4 up in 2026, according to district election materials. Under the district’s system, voters may vote only for candidates who live in their own trustee area, and each area elects one trustee.

None of the three candidates is listed by the county as an incumbent.

Capps, 53, said in her official candidate statement that she has worked as a registered nurse for the past 15 years. She wrote that she began her nursing education at L.A. General Medical Center and later earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing, a master’s degree as an acute care nurse practitioner and a post-master’s certificate as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.

“Today, I serve as the Program Coordinator and Lead Educator for the Emergency Nurse Training Program,” Capps wrote.

“My experience caring for marginalized populations has reinforced the essential role public libraries play in strengthening communities. This is especially true as Altadena recovers from the Eaton Fire,” she wrote. “I would be honored to serve as a Trustee for the Altadena Library Board. I am committed to supporting equitable access to library resources and ensuring our libraries continue to meet the evolving needs of our diverse community as we rebuild and move forward together.”

Mistrano is listed by the University of Southern California’s Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work as an associate teaching professor. His ballot designation is Social Work Professor, and his official candidate statement lists his occupation as “Clinical Assoc. Professor of S.W.” and describes him as an associate professor of social work. His 2021 curriculum vitae lists him as a clinical associate professor. The school states he joined its faculty as an adjunct in 2004 and was elected to full-time associate status in 2010. It also states he was a senior facilities project manager for the Los Angeles Unified School District from 2008 through 2010, creating affordable workforce housing for lower-income teachers and staff on district-owned land.

In his official candidate statement, Mistrano, 58, wrote that he raised his daughter in Altadena for 19 years and that they live within walking distance of the Main Library.

“Our main library is, unfortunately, closed for needed renovations. These will improve the branch, but the process needs strong oversight,” Mistrano wrote. “I am a former senior project manager for LAUSD’s facilities division, and my experience is another reason I can be a helpful Trustee.”

McCall listed no ballot designation, and his official candidate statement does not give his age or occupation. He wrote that he has lived in Altadena for 39 years and that, since retiring 10 years ago, he has served on several nonprofit boards, including the Los Angeles Conservancy, Las Angelitas del Pueblo and the Altadena Historical Society.

“I’m seeking a position on the Altadena Library District Board of Trustees because I am an ardent advocate of the importance of libraries to democratic societies and a believer in libraries’ ability to provide access to information and ongoing learning freely to all who visit,” McCall wrote. “As Altadena rebuilds and reimagines its future, I am eager to support the Library Board, in an official capacity, as that work progresses.”

After the Eaton Fire on Jan. 7 of last year, the Main Library reopened March 4 of that year following post-fire cleaning, according to Pasadena Now. The winner will join the five-member board while the Main Library at 600 E. Mariposa St. is closed for renovation. The district said the building closed for renovation Feb. 1 and that the project should take about 18 months. The Bob Lucas Memorial Library at 2659 Lincoln Ave. and the Altadena Library at Loma Alta Park at 3330 N. Lincoln Ave. remain open during the closure. The Bob Lucas Memorial Library reopened in August of last year after a renovation.