Los Angeles will make history when voters elect a new mayor on Tuesday but the runoff race between two Democratic candidates isn’t drawing much interest as turnout could reach a record low despite the more than $33 million that’s been spent on the nearly two year-long contest to succeed outgoing Mayor Anthony Villagarosa. 

The race pits City Controller Wendy Greuel, who would be the city’s first woman elected to the post, against City Councilman Eric Garcetti, who would be the first elected Jewish mayor.   

Garcetti, the son of former Los Angeles County District Attorney Gil Garcetti, has maintained a lead in the polls throughout the race, but most expected the runoff contest between the two to tighten. 

Greuel has racked up the most high-profile endorsements in the race, including ones from former President Bill Clinton, Sen. Barbara Boxer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and six members of the state’s congressional delegation.  Garcetti has been endorsed by former DNC Chairman Howard Dean and two California members of Congress. 

Greuel has also been the biggest beneficiary of outside money in the race, with groups combining to spend $7.7 million on her behalf, compared to juts $2.7 million for Garcetti. $5.6 million of that cash for Greuel has come from unions, with just $1 million from labor groups for Garcetti. 

Despite the high-spending contest, few people in Los Angeles seem to be paying very close attention. In the March primary, only 21% of 1.8 million registered voters went to the polls, and runoff turnout is typically much lower than that. According to a Los Angeles Times review, the winner may not even exceed the vote totals of the city’s 1938 contest. 

Los Angeles County Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman  said based on early absentee returns, he believes runoff turnout will actually exceed the primary.

But that doesn't mean that voter turnout won't still be low. 

"Voters in Los Angeles have voter fatigue," said Bauman, pointing to a string of not just statewide and congressional elections, but also numerous ballot measures and city and county elections. 

But as Los Angeles has also found itself in financial straits in recent years, Bauman said the race has dealt more with how to just maintain city services, instead of big ideas Villagarosa campaigned on during the last open seat race twelve years ago. 

"You don't have that dramatic flair to drive people to the polls," said Bauman. 

Still, Greuel hasn’t been able to overtake the city councilman in the race, and a USC Price/Los Angeles Times poll released this weekend showed her still trailing seven points, 48%-41%. Garcetti also leads among several critical constituencies – women, Latinos and Democrats, though Greuel has made small gains with each. In the race’s waning days, Greuel has said she remains optimistic the remaining undecided voters will break her way. With African-American voters still breaking nearly even, both candidates spent the weekend visiting black churches in the city’s South side to get voters to the polls.

One of the main reasons Greuel hasn’t been able to overtake the lead – her main labor backer, the city-controlled Department of Water and Power is highly unpopular in the area, especially in the crucial San Fernando Valley, even though she represented the area for seven years on the city council. Garcetti has painted her as a puppet of the city’s public works sector, while Greuel has hit back that Garcetti supported raises for the DWP.  

This story was originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 7:41 AM EDT

The U.S. Supreme Court has set aside two days in late March to hear oral argument on the same-sex marriage cases.

On Tuesday, March 26, it will take up the fight over California's Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in the state.

The next day, Wednesday, March 27, it will hear the challenge to the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which bars the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages in the states where they're legal.

Gov. Jerry Brown's office says the California governor is undergoing radiation treatment for prostate cancer.

In an announcement Wednesday, his office said the 74-year-old is being treated for "localized prostate cancer."

University of California San Francisco oncologist Eric Small said in a statement released by the governor's office that the cancer was in its early stages.

He said it is being treated with a short course of conventional radiotherapy. He called the governor's prognosis excellent. 

SAN FRANCISCO - President Barack Obama encouraged supporters on Monday to be "obsessive" about working for his re-election in the final weeks of the campaign, declaring himself confident that he would win on November 6.

Polls have narrowed in the race between the Democratic incumbent and Republican rival Mitt Romney since their debate last week, which most observers said the former Massachusetts governor won handily.

Recommended: Romney revives unemployment rate attack in rain-soaked Virginia

During a fundraising trip in California, the president sought to reassure his supporters about his chances, despite his debate performance.

"I am pretty competitive, and I very much intend to win this election," he said at a fundraising dinner that roughly 100 people paid $20,000 a ticket to attend.

"We're only going to do it if everybody is almost obsessive for the next 29 days," Obama said, noting that even though those in the room had donated money, there was more they could do to help the campaign.

At another fundraiser later in the evening with roughly 6,000 people, Obama ripped Romney for his promise during the debate to cut funding for public television and the popular children's program character Big Bird.

In an apparent reference to disgraced former sports start O.J. Simpson, who infamously fled police in a white Bronco after his ex-wife and a friend were found murdered, Obama said another popular children's character was making an escape as well.

"Elmo ... has been seen in a white ... suburban. He's driving for the border," Obama said to some laughter from the crowd.

Simpson was acquitted in the double murder trial in a case that was a flashpoint for race relations in the United States. A civil jury in 1997 found him liable for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million in damages to the murder victims' families.

Obama, the first black president, rarely discusses race or makes reference to racially-sensitive topics.

During the fundraiser, for which ticket prices started at $200, Obama also took aim at Romney's tax proposals and mocked the Republican for suggesting his proposals would not increase the U.S. deficit or hurt the middle class.

After finishing his western fundraising swing, Obama heads to Ohio on Tuesday to shore up support in a political battleground state that could be crucial for a second White House win. 

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- With a touch of humor and at one point admonition, President Obama urged supporters at a Los Angeles fundraiser here not to lose enthusiasm for his campaign just because he had one lousy debate performance.

The president kicked off his remarks with an allusion to last Wednesday night that the whole crowd seemed to pick up on. Praising his opening acts at the Nokia Theater here, which included Stevie Wonder, Jon Bon Jovi and Katy Perry, Obama said, “These guys perform flawlessly night after night.”

“I can’t always say the same,” he continued, waiting a beat for comic timing.

And later he reminded his audience that he had some imperfect moments during the last campaign as well.

“Everybody always remembers the victory but they don’t always remember the bumps in the road; things always look good in retrospect.

“But in the middle of it, we were – we made all kinds of mistakes. We goofed up, I goofed up, but the American people carried us forward,” urging his supporters not to forget that they stuck by him even when he hiccupped in 2008 – something he hopes they do over the next 30 days.

COSTA MESA, Calif. — Mitt Romney said Monday evening that his comments about voters who don't pay income taxes were "not elegantly stated," but did not distance himself from the substance of his surreptitiously recorded remarks at a closed-door fundraiser in May.

The Republican presidential nominee hastily arranged a press conference to do damage control related to comments he made at a private fundraiser, which were secretly recorded and first brought to light by the liberal magazine Mother Jones.

"Of course individuals are going to take responsibility for their life, and my campaign is about helping people take more responsibility and becoming employed again — particularly those who don't have work," Romney said at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, Calif.

At the fundraiser, held at the home of a supporter in Florida, Romney was captured responding to a questioner who asked what he would do to ensure Americans take care of themselves.

"There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what," Romney said.

Romney added: "My job is is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives. What I have to do is convince the 5-10 percent of people who are independents, that are thoughtful, that look at voting one way or the other depending upon, in some cases, emotion, whether they like the guy or not."

Tonight Romney argued that those comments showcased the extent of the differences between himself and President Barack Obama on the role of government in American lives, and sought to link them to his regular stump speech remarks about what he calls the democratic vision for an "entitlement society."

"This is, of course, something I talk about a good deal in rallies and speeches and so forth, which is the president and I have very different approaches to the future of America and what it takes to ignite our economy and put people back to work," Romney said. "The president believes in what I’ve described as a government centered society where government plays a larger and larger role, provides for more and more of the needs of individuals and I happen to believe instead in a free enterprise, free individual society where people pursuing their dreams are able to employ one another, build enterprises, build the strongest economy in the world."

VIDEO: David Corn of Mother Jones discusses the Romney recording

But when he was asked whether he was distancing himself from his comments on tape, and whether he worried that he had offended a number of Americans, Romney suggested that Obama's message on taxes is, in fact, "attractive" to Americans who aren't paying any taxes, "and therefore, I'm not likely to draw them into my campaign as effectively as those who are in the middle."

Today's firestorm over the leaked fundraiser comments marked the second time Romney's overheard remarks at a finance event have generated national headlines. In April, he told a group of donors in Florida he would consider eliminating the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and dramatically reshaping the Department of Education (among other details not regularly shared on the campaign trail).

Tonight, the GOP nominee denied that he delivers two separate messages to his fundraisers and the American people at large, saying most of what he says in his remarks at finance events is the same as his stump speech. But Romney acknowledged that, in question and answer sessions, donors like to ask process questions about the campaign — issues in which Romney said Monday evening that Americans have little interest, but that donors like to have answered by the candidate.

Under increasing scrutiny, Romney campaign turns to details

"At a fundraiser you have people say governor how are you going to win this? And so I respond well, the president has his group I have my group. I want to keep my team strong and motivated and I want to get those people in the middle, that’s something which fundraising people who are parting with their monies are very interested in knowing can you win or not and that’s what this was addressing," Romney said.

Romney's comments quickly developed into more of a story after the release of the video, prompting an attack from President Barack Obama's campaign manager late Monday afternoon. 

"It's shocking that a candidate for President of the United States would go behind closed doors and declare to a group of wealthy donors that half the American people view themselves as ‘victims,’ entitled to handouts, and are unwilling to take ‘personal responsibility’ for their lives," said Jim Messina, the president's campaign manager. "It’s hard to serve as president for all Americans when you’ve disdainfully written off half the nation.”

The Romney campaign tried to act quickly to deal with the fallout from the potentially damaging story, releasing a statement early evening from communications director Gail Gitcho looking to add context to the former Bain Capital executive's remarks. 

RELATED: Romney: Senior staffers 'work extraordinarily well together'

But for the Republican's campaign, the emerging firestorm associated with these recordings couldn't have come at a worse time. 

A series of polls conducted in the week following the back-to-back party conventions found that Obama had strengthened his advantage over Romney. These polls and Romney's attack on the president's handling of a siege on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya prompted a new round of open grousing from within the GOP about the state of the Romney campaign. 

On top of that, POLITICO reported Sunday about infighting and blurry lines of authority within the Romney campaign — an ominous sign, given that this sort of finger-pointing is usually more characteristic of losing campaigns. 

Romney himself addressed those reports, telling Telemundo this afternoon that his "senior campaign people work extraordinarily well together."

The Republican's campaign also tried to regroup with a new messaging effort they said would add detail to Romney's existing proposals, an initiative which may well be consumed by the uproar associated with the fundraiser video.

Romney said he would "certainly appreciate" if the leaker — whose identity isn't publicly known — would release the entire tape to provide more context for his remarks.

The Romney campaign began to allow reporters to cover some of their finance events in early May. Typically, a small group of reporters is allowed to sit in for the candidate's formal remarks on behalf of all their colleagues, then file a report for the pool. Events where Romney does not give formal remarks, or where he speaks at a private home or business are exempted from this coverage, so many of Romney's finance events happen far away from the eyes of the press.

Coincidentally, the Romney campaign told reporters just this morning, they would begin to allow video and news photo coverage of their large finances events as well — including planned events in Utah and Dallas.

NBCNews.com's Michael O'Brien contributed to this report.

IRVINE, CA -- After a weekend in which the presidential race took a back seat to a national period of mourning for the victim's of Friday's shootings in Aurora, Colorado, the Romney and Obama campaigns resumed their attacks against one another with gusto on Monday.

At a fundraiser here in Southern California, Mitt Romney spent almost no time resuming his attack on the president's economic policies, and what he said was the president's failure to "do what's necessary," to pull the United States out of a recession.

"Instead, he pursued his liberal agenda," Romney told a crowd of some 400 donors. "He's a liberal through and through."

Romney's supporters said that the Obama campaign's top strategist David Axelrod was the first to break the campaign's weekend ceasefire, in which the two men refrained from personal attacks or aggressive campaigning, and took political ads off the air in Colorado.

"Tax returns. Bundlers. Bain. MA records & now key docs from Olympics. When it comes to secrecy, Mitt takes the gold!" Axelrod tweeted earlier this morning.

A new ad from the Obama team, which features the president speaking directly to the camera, pulls back from the campaign's dissection of Romney's tax returns and tenure at Bain Capital but offers a broad contrast between both men's economic visions

"Sometimes politics can seem very small," the president says in the ad. "But the choice you face, it couldn’t be bigger."

While Romney's fundraiser was ongoing, the Obama campaign also held a conference call with reporters, looking to undermine the presumptive GOP nominee's upcoming trip to the United Kingdom, Israel and Poland.

"He'll need to prove to the American people that he sees foreign policy issues as worthy of substantive discussion rather than just generalities and soundbites in this campaign," former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said on the call.

Meanwhile, true to form, Romney picked up where his campaign left off on Thursday by returning to the president's "You didn't build that," remark at a fundraiser one week ago Friday, calling it an "extraordinarily revealing" insight into the president's economic ideology.

"With the president's logic, by the way, that somehow everything is owed to government, would extend in some remarkable ways to the perception of an achievement nation," Romney said, adding later: "It's an ideology that somehow says its the collective and government that we need to celebrate. The truth is, we do celebrate our government and our collective goodness as a nation, but we also celebrate and extol the accomplishments of the individual."

At his only public event of the day, a roundtable with small business owners in Costa Mesa, Romney's criticisms were more muted. He mostly sat and listened, while business owners, carefully selected by the campaign, complained of onerous regulations and job-crushing tax burdens.

Romney's only direct attack on the president came in the form of a snarky bit of advice for the president, who Romney pointed out in his closing remarks, had not met with his Jobs Council, a bipartisan group of business leaders who's stated purpose is to advise the president on creating jobs, in more than six months.

"I would suggest between the fundraisers, get together with jobs council and learn from people who are working hard to create jobs," Romney said.

And while Romney did not directly refer to the "You didn't build that," controversy, behind him hung a visual reminder of the unstated message: A brand new banner sign reading: "We DID built it."

NBC's Carrie Dann contributed reporting

Updated at 10:47 p.m. ET: U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson has announced he will take a medical leave after being hospitalized following a car accident Saturday afternoon. Deputy Secretary Rebecca Blank will assume his duties, according to a statement from Bryson's office.

Bryson suffered a seizure Saturday afternoon, Commerce Department officials said Monday, but it wasn't clear whether the medical episode preceded or followed a hit-and-run collision. Bryson has not had a seizure before, said a department official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the secretary's medical history.

Bryson has a "limited recall of the events," the official told The Associated Press.

Medical records could determine whether Bryson will be charged in two weekend fender-benders that led to his hospitalization. Police found him slumped behind the wheel of his vehicle outside of Los Angeles.

The crashes drew attention because of possible health concerns involving a member of President Barack Obama's Cabinet, as well as the challenge investigators face when trying to determine if someone should be held criminally responsible because of adverse health.

Obama said Monday he has not yet spoken with Bryson about the crashes, but that he hopes “he’s doing all right.”

Speaking to NBC’s Sioux Falls, Iowa, affiliate KTIV, Obama said that he was first told about the car crashes on Monday morning.

“My hope is that he’s doing all right,” Obama told KTIV. “We’re still trying to find out, it sounds like it was health-related in some way but we’re going to make sure that obviously he gets the best care.”

Bryson, 68, was driving alone in a Lexus in San Gabriel, a community of about 40,000 northeast of Los Angeles, when he struck the rear of a vehicle that had stopped for a passing train, authorities said.

Click here for NBC Politics coverage

He spoke briefly with the three occupants and then hit their car again as he departed, investigators said. They followed him while calling police.

He was cited for felony hit-and-run, although he has not been charged.

Bryson then struck a second car in the nearby city of Rosemead, where he was found unconscious in his car, authorities said.

Bryson has returned to Washington, Commerce Department spokeswoman Jennifer Friedman said.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said the administration was gathering information about the incidents.

"We're obviously concerned about the incident, about the health-related issues that played a role in this incident," Carney said.

Officials said Bryson was not on state business and did not have a security detail at the time of the accidents. He was driving a personal car and was given medication to treat the seizure.

Bryson took a Breathalyzer test that didn't detect any alcohol, but investigators were awaiting the results from a blood test, said Los Angeles County sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker.

Two people in the first collision were treated by paramedics, authorities said. A couple involved in the second crash declined medical aid.

The case was being reviewed by sheriff's investigators and will likely be submitted to prosecutors in the coming days.

"In most cases, it is presented to the DA's office to make a decision," sheriff's Lt. Margarito Robles said.

Defense attorney Steve Meister said authorities will be examining why the crashes happened.

"It's difficult to assign criminal liability when someone was medically unconscious," Meister said. "They have to be aware what was happening."

Meister said he has represented people who have been involved in crashes while having seizures. He recalled how one woman struck another vehicle and didn't remember anything that transpired.

No one was injured, but the woman was arrested for investigation of driving under the influence because she was acting disoriented, Meister said. The woman didn't have any drugs or alcohol in her system, but she pleaded to a misdemeanor crime.

"It turns out she had a history (of seizures)," Meister said. "If I was (Bryson's) lawyer, I would try to find all the evidence there was to back up what he's already said."

The episode is consistent with someone who has suffered a series of epileptic seizures, said Dr. Jerome Engel Jr., a neurologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, who is not involved in Bryson's care.

After a seizure, a person is often confused, and that state of confusion can last for a while.

"You may even seem to be alert and awake, but you're not really behaving normally," Engel said.

Under California law, a doctor has to report a patient who complains of lapses of consciousness or whose epileptic seizures pose an impairment to driving. In those cases, a person can't drive unless he's been seizure-free for three months.

Bryson had been in California last week to deliver the commencement address Thursday at Pasadena Polytechnic School, where his four children attended. The K-12 school said in a statement that he urged students to pursue their passions, to serve their country, and to value their education and friendships.

Obama swore in the former utility executive as the head of the Commerce Department in October, after easily overcoming conservatives' objections that his pro-environmental views made him unsuited for the job.

As secretary, Bryson is a member of the president's economic team and has worked to promote job creation. He has advised on energy issues, particularly in the clean energy sector.

Bryson is the former head of Edison International, the holding company that owns Southern California Edison. Bryson has served on boards of major corporations, including the Boeing Co. and the Walt Disney Co.

He helped oversee Edison's transformation into a leading wind and solar company and launched a plan to turn 65 million square feet of unused commercial rooftops into solar power stations with enough electricity for more than 160,000 homes.

Meister believes the case will be sent to prosecutors for review.

"It will ensure a full investigation because no one will want to be accused of sweeping this under the rug," he said. "If there is a reject (of charges), the sheriff will want the DA to share in the responsibility of that decision."

NBC News' Ali Weinberg and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Updated at 5:04 pm ET In Democrats’ efforts to gain the 25 seats they need to retake control of the House, Tuesday’s primary election outcome in California was one step forward -- and one step back.

California was using a new primary system in which the two biggest vote-getters in each congressional district advance to the November ballot.

In some districts – such as the 8th Congressional district along the Nevada border – voters will pick from two Republicans in November, while in other places such as the 15th district in the Bay area, voters will have two Democrats from which to choose.

In one competitive district —the 31st in Ventura County – Democrats had run a risk that independent Linda Parks would finish second to Republican state Sen. Tony Strickland, leaving no Democrat on the November ballot.

But the Democrats averted that outcome due in part to an extraordinary $700,000 in spending – most of it for TV ads – by a Democratic super PAC, the House Majority PAC, helping boost Democrat Julia Brownley who finished second with 27 percent to Strickland’s 44 percent on Tuesday. Strickland now will face Brownley in November in a district that voted for President Barack Obama in 2008.

House Majority PAC Executive Director Ali Lapp said this “represents a prime Democratic pick-up opportunity in the fall.”

But Democrats suffered a surprising and costly defeat in the 31st District – identified by House race expert David Wasserman of the non-partisan Cook Political Report as “a must-win for Democrats.”

Their candidate Pete Aguilar won only 23 percent of the vote – leaving two Republicans, deep-pocketed seven-term incumbent Gary Miller and state Sen. Bob Dutton, to square off against each other in November.

Aguilar’s failure was a “devastating blow,” said Daniel Scarpinato, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee.

“It’s looking like House Democrats’ road to 25 just hit a dead end,” said Dan Conston, spokesman for the Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican Super PAC that has raised more than $5 million from casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and others to invest in House races. “With the California battlefield now set, House Republicans stand in a remarkably strong position in a state that was supposed to be the Democrats’ golden ticket to the majority.”

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had favored Aguilar, placing him on its Red-to-Blue list as a signal to donors. In April DCCC chairman Rep. Steve Israel said, “Pete is building a strong campaign to bring his common sense leadership to Washington and stand up for San Bernardino County's middle class and seniors, not millionaires and mega corporations."

Backed by contributions from Democratic House leaders Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and Jim Clyburn and raising more than $330,000, Aguilar also got support from a relatively small Sacramento-based Super PAC called Restoring Our Community which spent its money on phone-banking efforts and door-to-door field organizing to boost Aguilar.

In contrast, the House Majority PAC – which stayed out of the Aguilar race – waged the air war on television for Brownley and will likely do so again in the fall.

It’s worth noting that much of the funding for the House Majority PAC comes from public-sector labor unions – including the American Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees.

Those public-sector unions suffered a stinging defeat Tuesday in Wisconsin when Gov. Scott Walker overcame a recall effort. Walker had signed legislation curbing the unions’ bargaining power and impeding their dues collecting and thus their fund-raising.

Commenting Wednesday on Walker’s victory, DCCC Chairman Rep. Steve Israel said in a written statement, “The Wisconsin results should serve as a wake-up call for Democrats: on the ground organizing is critically important, but it must be coupled with an aggressive air campaign.”

Referring to Democrats’ loss of the majority in 2010, Israel added, “I’ve long said that Republicans didn’t beat Democrats in 2010, Karl Rove and (the) Koch brothers did after the Citizens United decision … Without robust air cover, the voice of the middle class will be silenced.”

Asked about Aguilar’s loss, DCCC spokeswoman Jennifer Crider said Wednesday, “It was disappointing but we have other opportunities that more than make up for that.”

Case in point: the San Diego/La Jolla based district now represented by Republican Brian Bilbray. In Tuesday’s primary Bilbray won 41 percent, compared to a combined Democratic vote of 46 percent. The DCCC has high hopes for Scott Peters who will be the Democrat on the November ballot. Crider called Bilbray “a poster child for what’s wrong with Washington,” partly due to his lobbying during the interim between his two tours of duty in the House.  Like the Ventura County district, Bilbray’s is one that Obama carried in 2008.

On the GOP side, Scarpinato pointed to what Republicans see as encouraging news from California in Rep. Mary Bono Mack’s race in her Palm Springs district. She won 58 percent to 42 percent for Democrat Dr. Raul Ruiz – they were the only two candidates on Tuesday’s ballot. “We now know that race isn’t really in play,” Scarpinato said, but Democrats say the November electorate will be much more favorable to Ruiz.

Yet here as in the other House races, money – and TV ads – will be crucial and the Congressional Leadership Fund’s $5 million is one indicator that Republicans may have the edge in resources.

Democrats will have to watch over the next several months as millions of additional dollars will be invested in the incumbent versus incumbent match between Rep. Howard Berman, the 15-term Democratic congressman who is battling rival Democrat, eight-term Rep. Brad Sherman. Redistricting put the two Democrats in the same district.

Next door in Arizona, Republicans have their own money pit, as Reps. Ben Quayle and David Schweikert battle each other. As of the end of March, Quayle had raised $1.3 million to Schweikert’s $1 million. That struggle will drag on until Arizona’s Aug. 28 primary.

Since incumbents have deep donor networks, such member vs. member races consume money that could probably be better used in competitive inter-party races elsewhere.

Note: The original version of this story said that two Democrats were the top two finishers in California's Second congressional district. In fact, the top two were Democrat Jared Huffman and Republican Daniel Roberts, according to the California Secretary of State's web site.

Voters in two major California cities overwhelmingly approved measures to cut retirement benefits for city workers Tuesday in contests being closely watched as states and local governments throughout the country struggle with mounting pension obligations.

In San Diego, 68 percent voted in favor of Proposition B while 32 percent were opposed. More than of precincts reported.

The margin in San Jose was even wider, with 71 percent in favor of Measure B and 29 percent opposed. Nearly half of precincts reported.

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed called the vote a victory for fiscal reform.

"The voters get it, they understand what needs to be done," he said in an interview.

Supporters had a straightforward pitch: Pensions for city workers are unaffordable and more generous than many private companies offer, forcing libraries to slash hours and potholes to go unfilled.

"We believe people are tired of having services cut back because of big pensions," San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, a Republican who is being forced from office by term limits, said recently.

Shrinking tax revenues during the recession are also responsible for service cuts, but pensions are an easy target. San Diego's payments to the city's retirement fund soared from $43 million in 1999 to $231.2 million this year, equal to 20 percent of the city's general fund budget, which pays for day-to-day operations.

As the pension payments grew, San Diego's 1.3 million residents saw roads deteriorate and libraries and recreation centers cut hours. For a while, some fire stations had to share engines and trucks. The city has cut its workforce 14 percent to 10,100 employees since Sanders took office in 2005.

San Jose's pension payments jumped from $73 million in 2001 to $245 million this year, equal to 27 percent of its general fund budget. Voters there approved construction bonds at the beginning of the last decade, but four new libraries and a police station have never opened because the city cannot afford to operate them. The city of 960,000 cut its workforce 27 percent to 5,400 over the last 10 years.

Opponents, led by public employee unions, say the measures deprive workers of benefits they were counting on when they got hired. Some workers decided against potentially more lucrative jobs with private companies, figuring their retirement was relatively safe.

"This is part of a broader effort to attack workers and to make their lives miserable," San Diego Councilman Todd Gloria said during a debate on the San Diego measure.

Thom Reilly, former manager of Clark County, Nev., and now a professor of social work at San Diego State University, said opponents face a difficult task. He expects the California measures may spawn similar efforts elsewhere if they pass.

"The ones who are actually paying the taxes will never see these benefits in their lifetimes, so there's not a lot of sympathy in the public," he said.

The ballot measures differ on specifics. San Diego's imposes a six-year freeze on pay levels used to determine pension benefits unless a two-thirds majority of the City Council votes to override it. It also puts new hires, except for police officers, into 401(k)-style plans.

More than 100,000 residents signed petitions to put the San Diego measure on the ballot.

Under San Jose's measure, current workers have to pay up to 16 percent of their salaries to keep their retirement plan or accept more modest benefits. New hires would get less generous benefits.

Reed, a Democrat, joined an 8-3 City Council majority to put the measure on the ballot. He said Tuesday that he expected other cities in financial binds to pursue similar measures.

"We're at the leading edge but we're not alone," he said. 

California voters turned out in low numbers on Tuesday for a primary that could pave the way for a shakeup of the state's congressional delegation following election rule changes and an overhaul of the state's political district boundaries.

While new maps and new rules may have changed the way the game of California politics is played, making some districts more competitive across party lines, early official estimates of statewide turnout hovered at just over 15 percent.

Under California's new open primary rules, the two top vote getters in each district will proceed to the general election in November regardless of party, so two Democrats or two Republicans could be competing for the same seat come Nov. 6.

Redistricting has also tossed some longtime incumbents into the ring against each other after a decade of remarkable stability in the state's majority Democratic delegation in the House of Representatives.

In one of the most closely watched races, where two Democratic incumbents appeared poised to face off against one another in the general election, just a trickle of voters cast ballots on a sunny day in California's 30th district in Los Angeles County, according to early results.

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Among those casting ballots there were 82-year-old Ester Berrenson and her husband of 64 years, 86-year-old Manny, who walked to their polling station during the breezy afternoon. Both voted for Democratic incumbent Brad Sherman against fellow Democratic incumbent Howard Berman.

"He comes out and talks to us," Manny Berrenson said, explaining why he and his wife had voted for Sherman. "He goes to the high school at least half a dozen times a year. He goes there and talks about what he's doing."

Due to the "top two" rule, both are likely to advance to a final competition in November, according to early returns. Sherman had 40.3 percent to Berman's 32.6 percent just after midnight with 18 percent of precincts reporting.

In their newly redrawn district, about 50 percent of voters there come from Sherman's old stomping ground, while just 25 percent come from Berman's prior district.

"Tonight is far from over, but we're confident about our momentum moving into the general election," a senior adviser to Berman's campaign, Brandon Hall, said in a statement.

Changes favor Democrats

The changes in California are generally seen to favor Democrats in a state that gave President Barack Obama a 24-point margin of victory over his Republican rival John McCain in 2008, analysts said.

Two incumbent Democratic congresswomen, Janice Hahn and Laura Richardson, also appeared set to face off against each other in November in the 44th district in Los Angeles County in a race in which no Republicans were running.

Shortly after midnight, Hahn was leading with 62.1 percent with 6.5 percent of precincts reporting.

For years, political stability in the nation's most populous state was a result of the deliberate creation of electoral districts to favor incumbents, a process known as gerrymandering. In 263 elections from 2002 to 2010, only one congressional seat changed political party.

But ahead of this election, a non-partisan citizen's commission was put in charge of redrawing congressional districts. The number of districts did not change, but the boundaries were adjusted to reflect population shifts since the last national census in 2000.

"With non-partisan redistricting and this new 'top two' primary system, California suddenly becomes very interesting and one of the more competitive states in the entire country," said Kyle Kondik, political analyst at the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

In their quest to win back a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, Democrats would have to gain at least four or five seats in California, which Kondik said would be difficult but not impossible.

Democrats made progress in one key U.S. House race where analysts had said they risked being frozen out of the general election should a Republican and a right-leaning independent candidate advance to the November polls.

But, as early returns trickled in, Democratic state Assemblywoman Julia Brownley appeared poised to face a Republican challenger, state Senator Tony Strickland, in November in California's coastal 26th district.

Republicans control the House with a 242-190 majority, with three seats vacant. Outside California and Illinois, Democrats are mainly playing defense, trying to hold existing seats.

Nationwide battle

Primaries were also held on Tuesday in New Jersey, New Mexico, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota and Iowa.

In Montana, the U.S. Senate battle is one of the nation's hottest with the state's only House member, Republican Denny Rehberg, challenging first-term Democratic Senator Jon Tester.

Both candidates are known across the state and are expected to easily win their respective party primaries on Tuesday.

In Iowa, State Representative Pat Grassley - the grandson of U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley - won his primary, defeating another Republican in the Iowa House in a contest forced upon him and State Representative Annette Sweeney by redistricting.

Republicans are targeting the New Mexico U.S. Senate seat of retiring Democratic Senator Jeff Bingaman in their quest for a U.S. Senate majority in 2012. Democrats hold a 51-47 majority, with two independents who usually vote with Democrats.

Republican Heather Wilson and Democrat Martin Heinrich are projected to win their respective party races and run against each other for the coveted Bingaman seat, according to Brian Sanderoff, president of Research and Polling Inc in Albuquerque.

In New Jersey, polls are closed in the vote to fill the seat of U.S. Representative Donald Payne, the state's first black congressman, who died in March. His son is among the candidates.

California voters head to the polls on Tuesday in a primary contest set to launch the biggest political scramble in the state in at least a decade following the redrawing of U.S. Congressional boundaries and election rule changes.

The changes could set the stage for head-to-head face-offs between longtime incumbents, potentially from the same party, in November after a decade of remarkable stability in the state's majority Democratic delegation in the House of Representatives.

That stability was a result of the deliberate creation of electoral districts to favor incumbents, a process known as gerrymandering. In 263 elections from 2002 to 2010, only one congressional seat changed political party.

"California was totally locked in on this gerrymandered map," said Kyle Kondik, political analyst at the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

This time the state put a non-partisan citizens commission in charge of most of the redrawing of congressional districts. The number of districts did not change, but the boundaries were adjusted to reflect population shifts since the previous national census in 2000.

California will also see the two candidates who get the most votes advance to the general election in November, regardless of party. This means that two Democrats or two Republicans could be competing for the same congressional seat on Nov. 6.

"With nonpartisan redistricting and this new 'top two' primary system, California suddenly becomes very interesting and one of the more competitive states in the entire country," Kondik said.

A dozen districts that had once been predictable are now in play, according to California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro, resulting in heavy spending as candidates, some of whom had to move into their new districts, introduce themselves to new constituents.

"This is going to be a record year for campaign spending in California," Del Beccaro said. "There's going to be a dramatic rise in spending, not only for this primary but also this fall."

For first time since 1920, slowing population growth meant California did not add any seats to its 53-member congressional delegation, adding even more uncertainty by matching incumbents against one another in some redrawn districts.

"Short term, this is off the rails; this is crazy," said Paul Mitchell, a Democratic consultant in California.

Incumbent vs. incumbent

Redistricting has created a "huge leap" in the number of districts with more than 50 percent minority voters, Mitchell said. Majority-Hispanic legislative districts have increased from 19 to 29, and California now has the only majority-Asian district in the continental United States.

Two congressional contests have attracted particular attention with two longtime Democratic incumbents running against each other.

Representatives Howard Berman and Brad Sherman are duking it out in a closely watched race in California's 30th district, in Los Angeles County. Due to the "top two" rule, both are likely to advance to a real competition in November, analysts said.

"This primary on Tuesday for them is like a pre-season NFL football game," Kondik said. "It's like a dress rehearsal for the actual election."

The same is true of two incumbent Democratic congresswomen, Janice Hahn and Laura Richardson, who are facing off in the new 44th district in Los Angeles County.

In their quest to win back a majority in the U.S. House, Democrats would have to gain four or five seats in California, which Kondik said would be difficult but not impossible.

Republicans control the House with a 242-190 majority, with three seats vacant. Outside California and Illinois, Democrats are mainly playing defense, trying to hold seats they already have.

Nationwide battle

Several other states also hold primaries on Tuesday.

In Montana, the U.S. Senate battle is one of the hottest in the nation. Montana's only member of the House, Republican Denny Rehberg, is challenging first-term Democratic Senator Jon Tester.

Both candidates are known across the state and are expected to easily win their respective party primaries on Tuesday.

Republicans are targeting a New Mexico U.S. Senate seat vacated by retiring Democratic Senator Jeff Bingaman in their quest to win a U.S. Senate majority in 2012. Democrats hold a 51-47 majority, with two independents who usually vote with Democrats.

While New Mexico leans Democratic because of its large Hispanic population, the state occasionally elects Republicans, including Governor Susana Martinez.

Former Congresswoman Heather Wilson is expected to easily win the Republican nomination over businessman Greg Sowards, said Brian Sanderoff, president of Research and Polling Inc in Albuquerque.

The Democratic Senate primary race is expected to be more competitive, with Congressman Martin Heinrich against state Auditor Hector Balderas. While Heinrich leads in the polls, Sanderoff said undecided Hispanic voters will most likely choose a Hispanic surname when they go to vote.

In New Jersey, primary voters will select a replacement for U.S. Representative Donald Payne, the state's first black congressman, who died in March.

Payne's son, Newark City Council President Donald Payne Jr., is one of six candidates. The elder Payne had represented New Jersey's 10th congressional district since 1989.

Primaries are also to be held in South Dakota, North Dakota, and Iowa, but the most competitive races in those states will be in November.