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Organ donor unwittingly had rabies — and now one kidney recipient is dead and others are at risk

A Michigan grandpa was killed by the kidney donation he thought would save his life — because the organ donor was infected with rabies from a skunk in a medical nightmare that could affect other organ recipients, according to health officials.

Barney Kurowicki, of Tecumseh, Michigan, had been on dialysis for two years when he received a kidney transplant from James Martin, a 59-year-old Idaho father of three, in December 2024, Scripps News reported this week.

Martin had died the previous year of what his family believed was heart problems, his widow, Kim Martin, told the outlet.

“We had no idea,” Kim Martin said of his rabies infection.

But soon after Kurowicki got the transplant at the University of Toledo Medical Center in Ohio, the retired postal worker was struck by tremors, lower extremity weakness, confusion — and an inexplicable fear of water that tipped off doctors, according to a CDC report cited by the outlet.

He died within days, according to the report.
Testing and an investigation led researchers to determine he had contracted rabies from Martin — who had been scratched by a skunk on the left shin while rescuing his family kitten from the animal in fall 2024.

“He’s like, ‘I’m — I’ll be fine. It’s just a scratch. I’ll just put, you know, Neosporin on it, and I’ll be fine after I get it cleaned,’” Kim said.

Martin’s family believed he had died from heart-related problems, so his other organs were donated to recipients and researchers in six states.

Martin, however, soon got sick, lost consciousness and fell into a coma.

His family assumed it was in part due to a lengthy list of other health problems he’d suffered for years, Kim said.

The organs he donated were then tested for more common diseases such as HIV and hepatitis before being shipped to transplant recipients — but they were not tested for rabies, which kills about 10 people in the US annually.

“Given that there is such a need for organs and that timing in organ donation can be very critical, if we had to wait two or three days to test every organ donor for rabies … that could delay care, could delay people receiving organs that they need,” said David McCormick, a medical officer in the CDC’s Office of Blood, Organ, and Other Tissue Safety who helped investigate this case.

The last time the CDC reported someone contracting rabies through an organ or tissue transplant in the US was in 2013, and prior to that it was 2004.

“This is a very rare event,” said McCormick. “Organ transplantation in the United States is very safe.”

A committee tasked with reducing donor-derived illnesses during organ transplants has since proposed adding screening questions that will help determine if a donor has had contact with rabies, along with a system for working with an organ procurement group to help determine risk.

Stunning twist in case of doctor accused of poisoning husband with Drano

An Orange County dermatologist accused of trying to poison her husband had her case dismissed Friday by a judge, who said the district attorney’s office withheld evidence.

Yue “Emily” Yu was arrested by police in 2022 for allegedly pouring Drano, a toxic clog cleaner, into her husband’s drink. Surveillance video allegedly captured such a moment where she is seen pouring the cleaner into a container on a kitchen counter near a sink.

The husband Jack Chen said he “started noticing a chemical taste” in his lemon tea, prompting him to set up the surveillance. Consumption of the cleaner led to his diagnosis of two stomach ulcers, gastritis and esophagitis, he claimed.

FBI tests confirmed that drain cleaner was present in the drinking glass.

According to court documents, Chen has videos of three separate occasions of Yu trying to poison him with Drano.

However, Yu’s defense attorneys argued the Drano was poured in an attempt to kill ants in the kitchen at the suggestion of Chen. The two were in the midst of a divorce during that time.

“He’s falsely claiming that she’s trying to poison him,” defense attorney Scott Simmons had said. “Instead of calling 911, he calls a divorce lawyer.”

The defense also claimed Chen’s diagnoses were more likely from acid reflux and not the cleaner.

The dismissal Friday was a result of prosecutors denying the jury’s request to see evidence that supported Yu’s defense.

“We are grateful that the court closely examined the proceedings that produced this charge and recognized that the process by which the indictment was obtained was fundamentally flawed,” Simmons said. “We thank the court for its diligence and ask only that Emily Yu now be allowed to rebuild her life in peace.”

This is the second time the case has seen dismissal. In January, the district attorney’s office filed a motion to dismiss charges after a key witness was unable to appear on the first day of trial. It came after the office added an attempted poisoning charge to replace a 2023 indictment.

A spokesperson for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office told NBC4 that “we are refilling this case. We believe in the strength of the evidence in this case, and in the professional conduct of our prosecutors.”

Defense attorneys said they would immediately move to dismiss another case against Yu.

Cold-blooded NYC killer convicted of gunning down ex-girlfriend while she walked with their baby.

A cold-blooded Brooklyn man was found guilty of fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend point-blank in the head as she pushed their three-month-old baby girl in a stroller.

Isaac Argro, 26, was convicted of murder in Manhattan court on Thursday – four years after he put a bullet through 20-year-old Azsia Johnson’s temple during the Upper East Side attack on June 29, 2022.

After a weeks-long trial, the jury found Argro guilty of the heinous crime within two hours of deliberation, according to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs.
“He just sat there and lied,” Johnson’s grief-stricken mother Lisa DeSort told The Post Saturday.

“I can’t believe the lies that came out of his mouth just to protect himself, knowing what he did.”

DeSort was stunned by the killer’s pompous courtroom attitude and blatant lack of remorse.

Johnson’s older sister, Destiny Johnson, even caught the creep laughing “as if he was going to get away with it,” she said.

Argro tried to pawn the murder off on what he described as a rocky childhood and even friends he claims he lost from gun violence, DeSort said.

“We’re supposed to feel bad?” she passionately recalled.

“How dare you come up there and say that’s the reason you did what you did?”

DeSort stared Argro down when she took the stand – but he refused to look her in the eye.

In spite of the heartache of the last four years without her daughter – an aspiring pediatric nurse who adored her family and children – DeSort is over the moon that justice has finally been served.

“I’m very satisfied with the jury. They were fair, they had an open mind. DA [Bragg] did an awesome job,” she reflected.

“[Argro] deserves every bit of what he gets.”

Johnson was terrified of Argro and had been living in an East Harlem domestic violence shelter to protect herself, the infant and her older child — who she had in a previous relationship — from his wrath.

Argro, who DeSort once described as a rage-filled wannabe gangster, stalked and abused Johnson, who filed multiple police reports against him.

But her family said she wanted to make sure her daughter had a relationship with her dad, so she agreed to meet up with him.

It was only the second time Argro laid eyes on his young child when he murdered Johnson.

The twisted killer fled the scene and was arrested two days later.

“Argro subjected Azsia Johnson to extensive physical and emotional abuse before she finally had the immense bravery to leave him in order to protect herself and her children,” Bragg said.

“She was a loving mother who was determined to give coparenting a try, despite Argro’s ongoing campaign of harassment.”

DeSort said she never trusted Argro and did everything to pull her daughter out of his clutches.

She pointed to an incident where he came over to their home and started screaming at Johnson for no reason.

“I texted her, ‘He has to go. He can’t be here. He can’t come to my house and think he’s going to argue with you in your house,’” she said.

In another chilling incident, when Johnson was about two months pregnant, Argro joined them on a family getaway to Connecticut.

“He looks at my daughter and said “make me a f–king sandwich,” DeSort said.

“I looked at him and said ‘Make your own f–king sandwich.'”

Out of sheer terror, Johnson contemplated aborting their baby.
Johnson purchased abortion pills, but when it came time to take them, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“We both started crying. We just threw the pills out,” DeSort recalled.

DeSort, a mother of 10, has devoted her life to raising awareness about domestic violence in order to honor her daughter.

A survivor of DV herself, DeSort now works at a woman’s shelter to help other women break the horrific cycle of abuse.

“Domestic violence and abuse is not limited to one person, or one race, it’s widespread,” she warned.

“I just want to help somebody else.”

Argro is due back in court June 18 for sentencing.

His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“I think about her all the time, every day I say good morning,” Destiny Johnson said.

“I just miss her. I miss her every day.”

Family ‘shattered’ after two women and infant allegedly murdered by illegal immigrant
The family members of two women and an infant killed in a grisly murder that was allegedly carried out by an illegal immigrant broke their silence on the devastating impact they’re going through.

“Our family is experiencing a heartbreaking loss that words cannot adequately express,” wrote Marisa Jimenez in a GoFundMe raising money for funeral and memorial expenses. “The devastating circumstances surrounding this tragedy have left our family shattered.”
As of Saturday morning, more than $26,000 of the $30,000 goal had been raised from 544 donations.

Joaquin Escoto, 28, is being held without bail on three counts of murder in the knife slaying of 23-year-old “devoted mother” Fabiola Gonzalez, 54-year-old “loving grandmother” Silvia Nuñez and “innocent” infant Mateo Gonzalez. Escoto allegedly had a child with one of the woman, according to police.

Police responded to a home near Monterey and Thrasher avenues in Modesto following a 911 call reporting a domestic disturbance on Thursday morning. They found 23-year-old Gonzalez dead with with multiple stab wounds. Officers later also found Nuñez and baby Mateo dead with stab wounds, too.

A 4-year-old child found inside the home was alive and taken to the hospital for treatment.

Escoto was later found hiding inside a nearby house, and video posted on the Stockton Chronicle TikTok page showed him being taken into custody without incident. Police did not identify a motive for the murders.

In addition to the murders, Escoto was booked into county jail for using a deadly weapon and an outstanding warrant related to a prior DUI case.

The California Post exclusively reported that California’s controversial state sanctuary law obstructed federal authorities who sought to deport him after a DUI arrest in June. Prior to that, the Mexican national born in Jalisco was deported from the U.S. three times and had a previous DUI arrest already.

Jimenez described Nuñez as “a loving grandmother whose kindness and strength touched everyone around her” and who also loved her family deeply.

She remembered Gonzalez as a “devoted” mother and daughter who “brought joy and love” to friends and family and loved her children “endlessly.” While for the baby, he was “an innocent child whose life was taken far too soon.”

Pictures were shared of the victims in key life moments, such as a school graduation, pregnancy photos and what appears to be the birth of Mateo.

In addition to funeral expenses, the family is seeking money for counseling and support services and asked those unable to give to keep them in their prayers.

“They will forever remain in our hearts and will never be forgotten,” the fundraiser stated.

Trump rages over fed judge who ordered his name off Trump Kennedy Center after intimate connection to Biden revealed

President Trump slammed a federal judge Saturday who ruled that his administration must remove his name from the “Trump Kennedy Center,” after learning the judge’s wife is President Joe Biden’s personal lawyer.

Trump teed off on US District Court Judge Christopher Cooper in a lengthy Truth Social tirade a day after the Obama-appointed jurist ruled “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it” and gave the administration two weeks to remove Trump’s name from building’s facade.

“Can you imagine? A Barack Hussein Obama Judge named Christopher Cooper has stopped a magnificent structural and aesthetic rebuilding of The Trump Kennedy Center where Millions of Dollars of material, marble, furniture, steel, air conditioning, heating, and so much else was ordered, or soon to be ordered, with the end result being a structure that would no longer be in a potential state of collapse, rusted, rotted, and rat and bug infested, to one that would be the Finest anywhere in the World,” Trump posted.

The judge also ruled the administration must pause a plan to close the Kennedy Center for two years, but said it could do so if its board met and considered the necessary evidence.

Trump called the closing “necessary,” adding that the building’s marble was in “terrible shape.”

He called Cooper a “Trump Hating Judge” and a “Radical Left Democrat,” and labeled his wife, Amy Jeffress, an “anti Trump Hater” who is “currently representing Sleepy Joe Biden on the release of his audio tapes.”

That was a reference to former President Biden’s legal effort to compel the government to hold back tapes of his infamous deposition during former special counsel Robert Hur’s classified documents probe.

Jeffress also worked for the House Jan. 6 committee, and represented fired FBI employee Lisa Page,. Trump on Saturday called Page, a former FBI lawyer, a “Dirty Cop.”

And he accused Jeffress and Cooper of having a conflict of interest.

The Daily Caller reported on the judge’s marriage following the ruling Friday, after Politico flagged her work for Biden back in July.

The Kennedy Center said it would fight the ruling.

Trump also suggested he is considering a permanent closure to the arts center designated as a “living memorial” to JFK.

Italian researcher’s fatal Maldives scuba gear mystery deepens on funeral day
One of the five divers who drowned in an underwater cave in the Maldives, published multiple studies on dives at depths of 260 feet – deepening the mystery on her funeral day about why she and her daughter decided to go down without proper equipment.

Monica Montefalcone, 51, and daughter Giorgia Sommacal were two of the five Italian divers who vanished during a dive inside a Maldives cave 164 feet underwater May 14.

Their funerals were held in Genoa, Italy, in front of a crowd of some 2,000 people Saturday at San Francesco di Pegli church in Genoa, packed with Montefalcone and Sommacal’s family, friends, university students and professors.

“I feel a great emptying, a deep disbelief,” priest Don Corrado told the church. In our neighborhood Monica and Giorgia were well known and loved.”
“I don’t know if I will have the strength to caress and kiss those coffins for the last goodbye,” Carlo Sommacal the paper before entering. “I want to remember them with their radiant, sunny smile, full of life.”

The bodies, laid out in two light-colored wooden coffins covered with a sea of white roses, were brought to the church, where a photograph of the mother and daughter in front of the sapphire sea they loved so much was displayed.

Since 2003, Montefalcone had published at least four scientific papers in international journals involving the collection of sediment from the bottom of the ocean floor and other marine samples in the Maldives, at depths between 210 and 270 feet, Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera uncovered this week.

That’s even deeper than the Vaavu Atoll cave where the group lost their lives, which reaches maximum depths of 200 feet.

It comes as the Maldives government now says three of the five divers – Montefalcone and University of Genoa researchers Muriel Oddenino and Federico Gualtieri – did in fact have permits to go down to 160 feet to sample coral.

The revelation comes as the blame game between Maldives authorities, the University of Genoa and boat operator Albatros intensifies, against the backdrop of a culpable homicide investigation by Roman prosecutors.

The names of the other two divers however, Sommacal and dive instructor Gianluca Benedetti, were not on the marine research permit the scientists had submitting to the island nation back in February.

“They had submitted a specific research proposal – focusing on soft corals and the composition of the Maldivian reef systems – to the Department of Marine Research, which gave the green light,” Hussain Shareef, spokesman for Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu told the paper.

“The main problem is that it was a cave dive and their research proposal made no mention of it.”

Corals need sunlight and wouldn’t be found deep in underwater caves, though it might survive near the entrance.
Montefalcone was well-known to the Maldives government — since 2006, she had published at least 34 underwater studies on the country and applied for research permits through the University of Genoa’s Department of Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences.

“My wife certainly didn’t go there to sunbathe on the beach,” husband Carlo Sommacal told the newspaper, vindicated. “She possessed exceptional expertise.”

Radical plan to send in army of armed guards to fight out-of-control LA copper wire theft
The Los Angeles agency in charge of the city’s electricity wants to create its own armed police force to combat the the epidemic of thieves stealing valuable copper wire from streetlights.

The LA Department of Water and Power made the request in a letter sent to the City Council, pointing out that the Port of Los Angeles and Los Angeles airports have their own police authorities.
The agency already employs security guards, but “they lack the authority to detain or arrest suspects, intervene in crimes in progress, conduct searches, or carry fi****ms for enforcement purposes,” the letter said.

The department currently depends on local law enforcement to respond speedily, but that’s unreliable in remote locations where there is critical infrastructure, it added.
If such an armed force was granted, the department expects to add 20 to 50 officers, who would have the authority to carry a firearm, make arrests and investigate thefts, in addition to handling jobs like dispatch and crime analysis.

“The creation of a sworn LADWP Police Department is a critical modernization step for the nation’s largest municipal utility,” the department said.
The agency pointed to other acts of vandalism and terrorism, citing an incident early this year when an individual drove a vehicle through a perimeter fence and entered an LADWP property with explosive materials and multiple weapons.

Still, some advocates are skeptical of the proposal.
“I think we really need to be wary of creating new police departments in general, but especially without a clear case and clear constraints and accountability mechanisms,” David Levitus, executive director of advocacy group LA Forward, told The Los Angeles Times.

For the plan to proceed, it would need the support of voters and state legislative approval. Financially, it would cost $9.7 million over three years and up to $6 million annually for staffing.

Copper wire theft has plagued California for years, with thieves often targeting streetlights and plunging neighborhoods into darkness.

Los Angeles has been particularly hard hit as the value of the metal creeps upward. Most of the stolen wire turns up in scrap markets as thieves try to sell it for profit. Wire theft can cost the city more than $20 million a year.

Los Angeles had previously rejected an entrepreneur’s cheap and simple fix of a hardened cover to stop copper wire thefts, and instead opted for converting to solar lamps that will cost up to $6,000 each.

Bone-chilling details emerge in SF landlord’s alleged murder of tenant
San Francisco prosecutors have revealed a shocking murder plot allegedly hatched by a wealthy landlord determined to get rid of his longtime tenant — by any means necessary.

Retired dentist Phillippe Chagniot, who ran his family’s rental property in the sleepy Sunset beach neighborhood of San Francisco, was allegedly desperate to sell the $1.3 million single-family home and resorted to horrifying measures to get the property vacant, allegedly orchestrating an elaborate ambush plot before before murdering his 58-year-old tenant, Eric Bigone, in an early-morning ex*****on.
A neighborhood source told The Post that Bigone and Chagniot had “beefed” in recent months over a potential buyout package — as local tenants’ laws require landlords to offer money to tenants, sometimes totaling tens of thousands of dollars, in many eviction cases.

Bigone reportedly “knew his rights” and had lawyered up to hash out an exit package.

Records show the 944-square-foot home, owned by a trust tied to Chagniot’s wife, skyrocketed in value to $1.3 million in the red-hot San Francisco real estate market, where tiny homes in the residential beach district regularly sell for well over $1 million.
Rental filings with the city show a property matching the cozy home’s description fetching more than $3250 in monthly rent.

Chagniot — a familiar name in the community who attended University of San Francisco and sent children to exclusive St. Ignatius College Prep — had reportedly “lost it” over his wife’s cancer diagnosis before allegedly donning a mask to murder his tenant just after 5 AM on May 17.

The unhinged ex-dentist then allegedly donned “dark clothing and a mask” and spray-painted various surveillance cameras in the area to try to evade detection, prosecutors said, before approaching the residence at 2518 46th Ave.

Chagniot allegedly lit a fire “on top of a car” in front of Bigone’s home as he was getting ready for his job at the Public Utilities Commission, where he earned roughly $130,000 per year as a general laborer, in an attempt to lure him outside.

Chagniot then “hid off to the side,” per prosecutors, before shooting Bigone in the back of the head with a “silenced and fully automatic Mac-10” gun.

He then “casually” biked away, according to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.

Chagniot was nabbed in the alleged murder with the help of Flock Safety cameras in the area, which cops used to identify his bicycle and vehicle and track his movements.

Surveillance photos obtained by The Post show a thin figure in disguise stalking the quiet street with a long gun.

Curiously, Chagniot was involved in a separate murder case in 2006 that resulted in the conviction of Joseph Cua, a San Mateo Man, in the murder of an elderly couple whose property he managed. Cua, who has maintained his innocence, claimed in a California Court of Appeal petition that Chagniot provided false testimony during the trial.

Bigone, a neighborhood fixture who grew up in the area, had reportedly “turned his life around” after getting into trouble as a younger man once serving prison time in a 2004 DUI vehicular manslaughter case.

His devastated family and friends have shared tributes to Bigone.

“He was such a giving person. Even when I was sick, he came to my house every single weekend — sometimes spending the night just to make sure I was okay,” Bigone’s mother said at a recent memorial led by the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

“He was a wonderful father and a wonderful grandfather. He loved his family deeply, and they loved him.”

Chagniot is facing murder, laying in wait, arson, and gun charges.

Drunken chaos at SoCal party mansion as hundreds bussed in to wreak havoc at ‘rage parties’
An Encino mansion notorious for hosting unruly parties has sparked outrage among neighbors upset over the crime, noise and fights the out-of-control bashes bring to the area.

Flyers posted to social media advertising the events paint a glamorous picture of revelers swimming and wandering the expansive halls of the 7,000-plus square foot property.

But residents revealed a darker scene — with hordes of partygoers bussed in for bashes wreaking havoc on the neighborhood.
“The streets are filled with vehicles, people walking in the street, drinking and doing who knows what else, is going on in the middle of the street, so neighbors feel very unsafe and threatened by this,” local Councilmember Heather Michaels told KTLA.

Neighbors say the parties have been going on for months and police have been called multiple times. The large bashes are filled with intoxicated crowds, noisy music and sometimes fights, they said.

Police shut down the party last weekend for unclear reasons, but residents have filed complaints over fighting and noise before. Residents are concerned it could negatively influence their children.

“There is no doubt, based on the noise and situation, that there are a ton of people in there,” neighbor Oren Harel told KTLA. “I don’t know their ages. All I know is I get this big ma*****na smoke cloud coming into my backyard and I have kids. I don’t want them exposed to that.”
Promoters of the parties describe it as more than just a good time.

“We bringing out more den just the vibes, it’s a whole experience when you party with us,” one wrote on Instragram.

“We’re bringing the ultimate DAY + NIGHT experience to the hills,” another added.

The two promoters said it would have “pool party vibes” and “late night mansion energy.”

“They are advertising this,” Michaels said, as locals have noted that the bashes are sold as “rage parties.”

“It’s on TikTok, it’s on Instagram and they’re busing people in.”

The house is a four-bedroom, six-bathroom mansion constructed in 1993, according to Realtor.com. It was last sold in 2005 for $2.85 million and is valued at around $4.6 million. It was listed for rent at $19,500 a month in July last year before the listing was pulled in October.

Neighbors believe the owner should face consequences.

“If they can’t respect the neighborhood, the neighbors and the kids, then there have to be consequences, not just to the tenants, but to the owner,” Harel said.

Spencer Pratt leads Karen Bass in LA mayor’s race, California Post poll reveals
Spencer Pratt is now Karen Bass’ biggest headache.

A bombshell California Post poll conducted with McLaughlin & Associates shows the reality TV star-turned-mayoral candidate has surged to a statistical tie with the incumbent mayor.

And voters blame homelessness, affordability and the direction of Los Angeles as the reason for turning on Bass.

Pratt now leads the field with 30.1% support, compared with 29.5% for Bass, setting up a razor-thin race heading into next week’s primary.

Socialist councilwoman Nithya Raman sits in third place at 23.4%.

With a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points, the race remains statistically tight.

One of the more notable findings is Pratt’s strength among Hispanic voters, where he leads the field with 33% support, compared to 24% for Bass and 21% for Raman.

But beneath the numbers lies a much bigger warning sign for City Hall.

Voters appear deeply dissatisfied not only with the direction of Los Angeles but also with nearly every major candidate seeking to lead it.

John McLaughlin, CEO of McLaughlin & Associates, said the race is shaping up to be far more competitive than many expected.

“I think the mayor’s race is a lot more volatile,” McLaughlin told The California Post. “Normally it’s a slam dunk for the Democrats, but it’s being driven by the negatives on Bass.”

The poll found 62% of likely voters believe the city is on the wrong track.
The numbers are particularly brutal for Bass: only 32 percent approve of her job performance, while a staggering 66 percent disapprove, including 41 percent who strongly disapprove.

Her personal favorability ratings are just as bad. Just 32% view Bass favorably, while 65% hold an unfavorable opinion.

McLaughlin said those numbers are creating significant political challenges for the mayor.

“Karen Bass has a huge disapproval, and she has a significant unfavorable rating,” he said.

Yet despite those bruising numbers, Bass remains tied for first place.

This suggests voters may be unhappy with current leadership, but still uncertain about the alternatives.

Pratt’s numbers tell a similar story.

The former reality television star has electrified the race with his groundbreaking social-media focused campaign.

Pratt’s support continues to surge among voters looking for a dramatic break from traditional Los Angeles politics.

Raman, meanwhile, posts stronger personal numbers than either Bass or Pratt but still finds herself underwater overall.

The poll found 40% view the councilwoman favorably while 42% view her unfavorably.
Her support remains concentrated among progressive voters, but she trails both Bass and Pratt in the overall ballot test.

McLaughlin noted that Bass and Raman are competing for many of the same Democratic voters.

“There’s a Democrat primary within the primary, and Raman’s competing with her and has more of an upside among those voters,” he said.

The survey also sheds light on what is driving voters to the polls.

Homelessness and mental illness ranked as the top issue facing Los Angeles, cited by 26% of respondents.

Housing affordability followed at 18%, while inflation and broader affordability concerns came in at 13%.

Crime, drugs and public safety ranked fourth at 7%.
The clock is ticking for all three candidates.

Just 5% of voters remain undecided – down from a whopping 40% just three weeks ago after the first mayoral debate – meaning most Angelenos are already locked in.
With Tuesday’s primary just days away, candidates have little time left to change the trajectory of the race.

McLaughlin said the final weekend could prove decisive.

“A lot depends upon who has a good weekend this weekend,” he said.

The poll surveyed 400 likely Los Angeles voters between May 26 and May 28 through live phone calls and text-message interviews conducted in English and Spanish.

The sample included voters from every major region of the city and reflected a diverse cross-section of Los Angeles, with respondents identifying as 52% White, 27% Hispanic, 10% Black and 9% Asian. The survey was 53% female and 47% male, with an average age of 52.

Democrats accounted for 64% of respondents, while nearly two-thirds held college degrees and more than 60% had participated in all four of the last general elections.