A private chopper had a "hard landing" at an Inland Empire airport Tuesday morning, officials said.

The Robinson R22 helicopter may have been doing some low-level maneuvers when "it rolled over," San Bernardino Police Lt. Richard Lawhead said.

The FAA said the helicopter made a hard landing at San Bernardino International Airport.

While Lawhead said the pilot appeared uninjured, the FAA said details about injuries "to the only person on board" were not known.

Refresh this page for updates on this developing story.

The families of three young men stabbed to death in last year's Isla Vista massacre are suing the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department and the apartment housing company, saying they never fully investigated gunman Elliot Rodger as a threat despite a slew of red flags.

Rodger killed UC Santa Barbara students David Wang, 20, James Hong, 20, and George Chen, 19, in the apartment he shared with two of them, before he began a rampage that left three other students dead and over a dozen hurt across the seaside town of Isla Vista on May 23, 2014. All three went to high schools in either Fremont or San Jose in the Bay Area.

"Deliberate killing of innocent life is the lowest of all lows and the darkest of all evils," Wang's mother Kelly said Tuesday. "It should be crushed with no excuse."

The victims' families are suing the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department for negligence and violation of due process over several incidents, including when deputies didn't search Rodger's apartment during an April 30, 2014, wellness check after being flagged by a health worker about a series of disturbing videos he posted on YouTube.

At the time deputies showed up to the apartment, Rodger had a cache of weapons and ammunition in his room, according to the suit. After the wellness check, Rodger wrote in a manifesto that if deputies had searched his room, "that would have ended everything," the lawsuit says.

The department previously admitted last year that deputies had known about Rodger's YouTube videos but had not watched them. Deputies who responded to the check found him "shy, timid and polite" and had him call his mother to tell her he was OK before leaving him.

Deputies asked Rodger about the disturbing videos he had posted online, which Rodger said were a way for him to express himself after having trouble "fitting in socially in Isla Vista," but they did not, view the videos.

"There (were) many stages along the way that this could've been prevented," Wang's attorney Todd Becker said.

The sheriff's department said Tuesday it would not comment on the pending litigation.

The lawsuit also claims that Capri Apartments, which primarily houses UCSB and Santa Barbara Community College students, failed to warn the roommates of Rodger's dangerous tendencies, especially given that he had earlier conflicts with several others who lived with him in the complex.

The suit says that after all the "bizarre behavior," Capri didn't investigate Rodger or do a background check before assigning Hong and Wang to live with him.

"Virtually all of the content Rodger had posted online was easily discoverable with simple Google searches of his name," the lawsuit states.

According to the lawsuit, in August 2011, Rodger confronted his two Hispanic then-roommates, whom he "considered 'rowdy, inferior, pig-faced thugs,'" insulting them and telling them he was superior. Rodger went to the leasing manager and "explained everything that happened," and he later sign a lease for another, larger apartment, the suit says.

The next month, Rodger moved in with a new roommate, with whom he eventually developed a "hostile" relationship, according to the lawsuit.

In September 2012, Capri management heard Rodger throwing a "wild tantrum" and thrashing furniture with a "wooden practice sword," and the complex later assigned new roommates to live with him, according to the lawsuit.

During the time Rodger lived at the complex, he purchased weapons under his own name and posted threatening rants on the Internet, as well as complained to a Capri neighbor that he "was going to kill" himself and a group of students who upset him at a party, according to the lawsuit.

Capri declined to comment to NBC4.

On May 23, 2014, Rodger emailed his family and therapist his manifesto, and uploaded a video to YouTube titled "Elliot Rodger's Retribution" that outlined his attack plan.

Rodger then stabbed to death his two roommates and their friend, then opened fire on the busy college town of Isla Vista where he killed three more students and himself.

Hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake over a controversial oil drilling project in Hermosa Beach where residents are set to vote on whether to make the quaint seaside community an oil rich one or not Tuesday.

Residents must decide if Measure O -- which if passed would allow E&B Natural Resources Management to build and operate an 87-foot drilling tower a few blocks from a beach that normally bussles with surfers and swimmers, with the potential to pump as many as 8,000 barrels of oil a day from 34 wells -- is the right choice for them.

If the measure is turned down, the city stands to pay about $17.5 million dollars in damages to the company, more than half the city’s annual budget.

"This is a huge industry that wants to come into a very small town and a very small space, and we just want to keep our town beautiful, keep Hermosa, Hermosa," Barbara Ellman said, a 28 year resident.

Resting on the southern end of Santa Monica Bay in Los Angeles County, the family-friendly beach town of 20,000 has had a long and turbulent relationship with the oil drilling industry. Stretching back to 1984, E&B initially received the green light to recover oil following voter approved initiatives. Final approval came in 1992 and has been in legal limbo ever since.

Hoping to benefit from the initiative, proponents of Measure O say the potential for large financial gain, in the hundreds of millions of dollars, could result in new parking spaces, more police officers and funding for schools.

While opponents argued the project would push air pollution into the area and any accident related to drilling would defeat any financial gain the city would benefit from.

"You can look at the facts, E&B has a very similar facility in Huntington Beach, similar density, similar residential area, no problem, housing prices didn't drop, the residents don't complain, there are no odors, so all those problems are just fictitious from my perspective," Dave Schrader said.

Some residents couldn't conceive the idea of a large oil drilling company making home in their town.

"Just the idea of putting 34 oil and gas wells in such a densely populated community and the risks that it poses to the community, is so crazy for some people to fathom," Stacey Armato said.

E&B for its part said it understands the concerns, but said this will actually be a good thing for Hermosa Beach.

"We stand behind our project that we feel very comfortable based on the experiences in the LA basin with the thousands of wells that have operated safely for decades and with newer technology and a much smaller footprint here," Michael Finch said at a newsconference Tuesday, an E&B spokesman.  "A 1.3 acre site behind a 35 foot wall, we're very comfortable this project can be done safely," he added.

Hermosa Beach will broadcast live updates on the vote count via the city’s website.

A judge on Tuesday granted a defense motion suppressing some of the evidence in the case of a Massachusetts teenager charged with raping and killing his high school math teacher in 2013.

Among that evidence is an alleged confession Philip Chism gave to Danvers Police after the killing, as well as certain cell phone evidence police had gathered as a result of that interview.

Additional motions seeking to suppress statements made to Topsfield Police as well as evidence seized at Danvers High School and from Chism's pockets and backpack were denied by the judge.

Chism, now 16, is charged with murder as an adult in the October 2013 slaying of Danvers High School teacher Colleen Ritzer. Chism was 14 at the time.

Superior Court Judge David Lowy said in his ruling that the videotape of the Danvers interview makes it "readily apparent" that Chism's mother wanted an attorney present with her son during questioning.

"Despite this desire, the officers persisted in initiating a conversation and reminded her of a previous desire to find out what happened that night," Lowy said in his ruling. 

The judge said he isn't convinced beyond a resonable doubt that Chism was paying attention to the Miranda warnings to the extent that he could have waived his Miranda rights. While Chism's statements were made voluntarily, Lowy said they must be suppressed because she cannot find beyond a reasonable doubt that Chism "knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily waived his Miranda rights."

Lowy also ruled that Chism's cell phone and the victim's cell phone, which were found by police outside Hollywood Hits, should not be allowed at trial because they were discovered as a result of the police interview with Chism conducted at the Danvers police station.

"The police were only made aware of the location of the cell phones from their interview of the defendant," the judge wrote. "Since the defendant's statements during the interview at the Danvers interview must be suppressed and the Commonwealth has not argued an alternative theory of admissibility, the cell phones must be suppressed."

The family of Ritzer released a statement Tuesday afternoon saying in part, "We respect the court ruling and we are confident that law enforcement acted responsibly and lawfully. We are also confident in the ability of the District Attorney's Office to successfully prosecute the individual charged with this horrific crime so that justice is served for Colleen and our family."

Necn legal analyst Randy Chapman says tossing some evidence won't make or break the case. 

“There’s still substantial evidence about his culpability. They have videotape, they have him in possession of the murder weapon,” Chapman explained. “It’s not going to result in the case being crippled."

A suspect believed to be responsible for separate shooting incidents on the ICC and near the NSA at Fort Meade is in custody.

The accused man has no terror-related ties, a federal official told NBC's Pete Williams. The suspect, whose name has not been released, is also suspected in several other shootings in the D.C.-Baltimore area over the last two weeks

The suspect suffers from mental health issues, Williams reported.

The suspect's arrest follows several shooting incidents over the last two weeks. In the earliest case, a man was grazed by a bullet in Hanover, Maryland last week. Anne Arundel County Police had released surveillance video of a possible suspect vehicle.

Two shootings were reported Monday: one at a Walmart in Laurel and another near an AMC Theater in Columbia.

Around 3 p.m. Tuesday, a car with two men inside was struck by bullets on the Maryland Intercounty Connector (ICC) near Interstate 95. The shots were likely fired from nearby woods. One man was injured by shattered glass. He was taken to a local hospital and has since been released. The other man found a bullet fragment in his clothes, but was not hurt.

About two hours after the ICC shooting incident, U.S. Park Police investigated a report of shots fired near the headquarters of the National Security Agency (NSA) in Fort Meade.

A spokesperson for the police said the NSA was investigating damage to one of its buildings that appeared to be from gunshots. No one was injured. U.S. Park Police closed down sections of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway for their investigation Tuesday evening.

FBI Public Affairs Specialist Amy J. Thoreson confirmed the suspect was in custody in a statement early Wednesday.

Californians are back-sliding when it comes to saving water.

After exceeding Gov. Jerry Brown's call to reduce water use by 20 percent, California residents' water conservation has dropped from 22 percent in December to almost 9 percent in January, the State Water Resources Control Board said Tuesday.

A "very wet" December 2014 may have lowered the need for outdoor water use and probably contributed to that month's high conservation rate, officials said. Conversely, January 2015 was the driest January on record, according to the report.

"Today’s announcement is a disappointment, but not a surprise considering how dry January was," said State Water Board Chair Felicia Marcus in a statement. "Clearly state residents used their outdoor irrigation in January, which appears to account for the decline in water conservation."

A breakdown of results by hydrologic region show that some areas improved in their efforts to save water, including the Colorado River region that doubled water conservation from 6.3 percent in December to 12.3 percent a month later.

Meanwhile, two of the most heavily populated regions conserved much less water and affected the statewide average, according to survey results.

The South Coast saved two and a half times more water in December than it did in January. Similarly, the San Francisco Bay Area, which accounts for about one-fifth of residential water customers in California, had savings of 21.6 percent in December and 3.7 percent in January.

The water board survey also found a slight increase in per capita daily water use, from 67.2 gallons in December to 72.6 gallons in January.

The State Water Board will meet on March 17 to discuss renewing the Emergency Water Conservation Regulation that "restricts outdoor water use and authorizes penalties for water use."

In certain regions, outdoor watering can compose up to 80 percent of urban water use, according to the report. Ninety-five percent of water agencies had established restrictions in January.

"If 2015, and then 2016 continue to be dry, we will look back on today, and this month, let alone the last year, wishing we’d saved more water now," Marcus said. "This board is prepared to make some tough decisions in the coming months, including adopting permanent, rather than emergency water conservation measures, going forward. It is that serious."

Though these emergency regulations will be in effect until April 25, officials say they will likely be extended if current drought conditions continue.

Attorneys for Eddie Ray Routh filed a motion, on Tuesday, for a new trial after Routh was found guilty in the murders of "American Sniper" author and former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield.

Routh's attorney Wendy St. John also filed an appeal to overturn his conviction on Feb. 24.

No date has been set to hear either motion filed Tuesday.

Because the state did not seek the death penalty, Routh, 27, received an automatic life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Routh’s defense claimed he was insane at the time of the crime and unable to tell right from wrong. Experts testifying for the state said former US Marine Routh did not have post-traumatic stress as he claimed in the past because they never saw combat and did not have suffer serious trauma.

A flight passenger was found hiding inside the cockpit of a JetBlue airplane that landed in New York from the Dominican Republic early Tuesday after everyone else had gotten off the plane, authorities say.

The JetBlue ground crew found the 26-year-old New Jersey man hiding in the cockpit after the flight landed just before 2 a.m., according to the Port Authority. He was sitting by the window in the cockpit. 

The man was a passenger who failed to exit the plane after it landed, according to JetBlue. 

While he was being taken off the plane, the man opened an alarm door but he never made it through or got away from the airline workers escorting him off, authorities said. 

He was taken to Jamaica Hospital for observation, then arrested and charged with trespassing. 

It wasn't clear how the man, who lives in Atlantic City, got into the cockpit unnoticed. 

Jurors reached a guilty verdict Tuesday in the case of one of two cousins accused in the slaying of his former girlfriend more than two decades ago.

Sam Lopez, 43, faced a murder charge in the stabbing death of Cathy Torrez, a Cal State Fullerton student who disappeared in 1994 after leaving work. Lopez and his cousin, Javier Lopez, were arrested in 2007 and charged with murder after DNA evidence provided new leads in the cold case.

Experts testified they found fingerprints and DNA from Javier Lopez around and in the car where the victim's body was discovered, linking him to the crime scene. But prosecutors have said Lopez asked his cousin to help kill Torrez.

Javier Lopez is awaiting trial.

Sam Lopez was portrayed by prosecutors as a jilted lover who was still interested in a relationship with the 20-year-old Torrez, who disappeared after leaving work in February 1994. The relationship was described during the trial as on-again, off-again.

Torrez had been writing a letter, presented as evidence at the trial, to a friend after work just before she was killed, prosecutors said. That letter ended in mid-sentence, marking the point at which she was attacked, prosecutors said.

A retired Orange County forensic scientist testified that the victim was still alive when she was forced into the trunk of her car, where her body  was found a week later in Placentia. She was repeatedly stabbed, had wounds to her neck, upper chest,  head, chin, forearm, back and right thigh, along with cuts on her hands. She'd been stabbed 70 times.

The case went cold for more than a decade until DNA evidence led to the cousins' arrests.

Family members testified about the defendant's apparent  indifference to the disappearance of Torrez. On the night she went missing after leaving work for a date with Lopez,  the defendant's sisters repeatedly tried to page him on his beeper but he did  not respond, the victim's sister, Tina Mora, testified.

Mora was married at the time to Lopez's older brother, Armando, and  living with the Lopez family across the street from the Torrez residence. Mora has since divorced Aramando Lopez, who is charged with being an accessory after the fact.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy told jurors that Samuel Lopez's movements the night of the killing show he had the opportunity to  commit the crime. Jurors also saw police interviews in which prosecutors said he changed his story several times.

After the verdict was delivered, Torrez’s mother told NBC4 that God finally answered her prayers.

"Cathy was not able to get away," Mary Bennett said as she fought back tears.

"So, I ran and kept praying every day for 21 years to God and he answered my prayers. Today, he answered my prayers."

The family says over the years their faith helped push them forward.

There is now an after-school center that bears Torrez’s name and a scholarship has been set up in her honor at her alma mater.

"Cathy's life made a great impression on many people," her sister said.

The rival Little League coach whose accusations cost Chicago's Jackie Robinson West their U.S. championship title was arrested early Tuesday after police say he chased a stranger into her home.

Chris Janes, the vice president of the Evergreen Park Athletic Association, told NBC Chicago he "doesn't remember" what happened but thinks he simply went to the wrong home after having a few too many drinks.

"I did something really stupid, and I feel awful," he said.

Police say Janes chased the woman, who said she had never met him, into her home and began banging on her door after she pulled into her driveway, police said.

The woman said Janes shouted into the home asking for her husband to come out and fight him, then ran down the street, Capt. Peter Donovan said.

Janes was charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct, assault and resisting and obstructing a police officer. He was ticketed for public intoxication and using vulgar and threatening language.

His car was located on the woman’s block, police said, but he denied using it.

Janes was thrust into the spotlight of the Jackie Robinson West controversy after he filed the initial complaint that the team violated residency rules and alleged they used top suburban players to boost their roster.

Earlier this year, the team was stripped of their U.S. Champtionship Title following an investigation from Little League International. Janes later became the target of criticism, even saying he received death threats from upset fans.

"It was evident to us that there was some wrongdoing and there's rules in place," Janes said. "As tough as it must have been for Little League, they needed to hold these guys accountable for breaking the rules."

The Federal Trade Commission is warning about debt collectors who use abusive tactics to get consumers to pay debts they may not even owe.

The FTC has received more than 280,000 reports of bad behavior by collection agencies since 2014, making it one of the top complaints submitted to the government’s consumer watchdog. Federal law makes it illegal for debt collectors to "harass, oppress or abuse" consumers in the pursuit of payment.

The Better Business Bureau has posted an alert on its website about one Los Angeles collection agency, "The Lincoln Group."

For the FTC's tips on how to spot a bad debt collector, see its list here. You can also contact the agency by calling 877-FTC-HELP or visiting its website.

For the full story, please click here.

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If you have a tip on this story — or anything else — the I-Team wants to hear from you. Give us a call at 818-520-TIPS or email nbc4iteam@nbcuni.com.

The Los Angeles Lakers kicked off their three-game road trip with a 104-98 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. In a fiery game that started out as a competitive contest, the Lakers did not return for the second half with the correct level of sharpness, rallied back but ultimately threw the game away late.

For the first half, Lakers guards Jeremy Lin and Jordan Clarkson helped LA to 50 points. Lin led the team with six assists at the intermission, and Clarkson led LA in scoring with 11 points at halftime. Carlos Boozer managed 10 points and eight rebounds, which would eventually lead to the forward's 10th double-double of the season.

For the Hornets, Al Jefferson lived up to his well-earned reputation and led all scorers with 13 points at the break. Mo Williams, who has been a catalyst for the Hornets since joining the team at the trade deadline, matched fellow backcourt mate Gerald Henderson with seven points and four assists.

With the game tied at 50-50, the Lakers came out flat and fell behind by double digits. Henderson led the home side with eight points in the third quarter, but all five of the Hornets' starters made at least one basket in the period.

Down 11 points less than five minutes into the second half, the Lakers fought back to trim the lead to only four points by the end of the third quarter. Clarkson, Boozer and Lin led the rally and combined for 14 of the Lakers' 20 points in the quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Lakers earned another boost from Lin. The Lakers' backup point guard took the initiative early in the period to keep the Lakers close and even tie the game a couple times. However, Lin wasn't perfect. He committed three horrendous errors--the last of which took the air out of the Lakers' late rally.

Clarkson, who returned to the game with slightly fewer than four minutes remaining, got a couple open looks from behind the three-point line, but the rookie could not hit. Lin's late trio of turnovers combined with Clarkson's long-range misses hurt the Lakers' chances and lost the game ultimately.

Eventually, the one-point loss only looked that close due to late missed free throws by the Hornets and a futile made three-pointer by Lin at the final buzzer.

On the whole, both Lin and Clarkson played well. Clarkson finished with 19 points and four assists, while Lin led all scorers with 23 points and added eight assists and six rebounds. Boozer finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds despite not playing any of the fourth quarter.

Next, the Lakers play the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.

Scores of pot plants were seized and three people were arrested after one of them accidentally "butt-dialed" 911 and a dispatcher overheard their incriminating conversation about drugs, sheriff’s officials say.

The call came in at about 11:30 p.m. Monday when a deputy pulled over to have lunch in his marked patrol car close to an Alpine house.

When three men inside noticed the car, they started talking about drugs, about items needed to make butane honey oil and about wanting to hurt the deputy.

Unbeknownst to them, one of the three had accidentally “butt dialed” 911, according to San Diego County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Jan Caldwell. A dispatcher, trying to find out if there was an emergency, overheard their whole conversation.

Deputies found out where the call was coming from and searched the home, where they discovered 93 marijuana plants.

They arrested 35-year-old Mark Stuhr, 32-year-old Kristopher Kondly and 38-year-old Christian Feugere on suspicion of marijuana cultivation and possession, possession of a controlled substance and probation violation.

The father of a South Florida high school student is demanding the firing of a teacher who he says called his Muslim son a "rag head Taliban."

Youssef Wardani, the father of 14-year-old Deyab-Houssein Wardani, appeared before the Broward School board Tuesday to demand the firing of Maria Valdes, his son's teacher at Cypress Bay High School.

"As a parent, I should not have to deal with this," Wardani said. "I should not have to spend my time in front of them and what should have been done from day one," he said.

Wardani said his son walked into Valdes' French class on Feb. 2 wearing a hoodie after gym class. "Here comes the rag head Taliban," Valdes said, according to Wardani.

"My teacher called me a rag head Taliban," the teen told NBC 6 Tuesday. "I was a bit shocked and disappointed she called me that. But first off, she was my favorite teacher, and I would never have expected that from her."

The family is Muslim. After he found out about it a few days later, Wardani reported it to the school's principal.

Broward County Public Schools spokesperson released a statement saying the incident is under investigation.

"Broward County Public Schools respects and values the diversity of our students, families and communities," the statement read. "This situation is being taken seriously; the District launched an immediate investigation into the matter and will be bringing forward, to the next School Board in March, a recommendation for disciplinary action regarding this situation."

The teen said it has affected him in class.

"Class has been very awkward. I feel I always get a bad vibe from her as if she doesn't want me to be there anymore," he said.

"I can assure you we take it very seriously," Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie said. "I wake up every day thinking about this, it is a priority item I have to resolve."

Wardani has started a Facebook page called "Our son is NOT a "Rag Head Taliban" which has received hundreds of likes.

The Sayreville, New Jersey, board of education has moved to put its troubled 2014 high school football season behind it Tuesday night by naming a new head football coach to replace George Najjar, who last week was demoted to teaching phys ed classes at an elementary school.

Christopher Beagan, currently the head coach at Monroe New Jersey High School for the past nine years, will be paid a salary of $82,553 a year as a phys ed and health teacher, a stipend of $12,051 as coach, and a stipend of $5,573 as strength and conditioning coach.

Superintendent Dr. Richard Labbe said at the meeting Tuesday the board has found "the absolute best candidate" out of 45 candidates to lead the Sayreville Bombers next season. 

Najjar lost his two decades-long job as head coach after a hazing and sexual assault scandal last fall abruptly ended the football season.

Seven students were arrested and faced juvenile charges for sexual acts against other players in the unsupervised locker room.

After Labbe announced earlier this year that he would allow the championship football program to resume next fall, he began an immediate search for a replacement for Najjar, who was first suspended before being reassigned to Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary School.

A wrong-way driver crashed head-on with another car on the 605 Freeway, leaving three children and a woman hospitalized Tuesday night, officials said.

The collision forced the closure of three northbound lanes in Irwindale. Aerial footaged showed traffic backed up for miles.

The driver, who was in a Honda, was going southbound in the northbound lanes for about 3 minutes, beginning about 8:45 p.m., California Highway Patrol officials said.

The crash happened near Lower Azusa Road.

A woman and child were taken to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center with unknown injuries, Los Angeles County Fire Department officials said.

The two other victims, confirmed to be children by a first-responder at the scene, were also taken to hospitals. Officials did not provide details on the extent of their injuries.

Officers initially said the driver may have struck multiple cars on the freeway, but later said the Honda may have hit one other car on a surface street prior to entering the freeway.

Three people were wounded in what appeared to be a gang-related shooting in or near a CVS parking lot in Reseda on Tuesday night, officials said.

The shooting took place about 9:10 p.m. near the intersection of Reseda Boulevard and Valerio Street, Los Angeles Police Department officials said.

Officers set up a perimeter in search of six people - four males and two females - officials said.

One person was taken into custody, police said. Five others were sought.

Police initially said two people had been struck by gunfire, but later revised that number to three. None of the wounds were life-threatening, officials said.

No further information was immediately available.

It was a winning night for Los Angeles City Council incumbents Tuesday, but several LAUSD board members will have to compete in a runoff.

Jose Huizar swatted aside a challenge from former LA County Supervisor Gloria Molina to retain his 14th District seat in the evening's headline result.

His battle with Molina, billed a heavyweight bout between two Eastside political veterans, was more of a one-sided knockout.

Huizar grabbed a commanding lead when vote-by-mail ballots were tallied, and never looked back. He will return for his third and final term representing the district that stretches from Boyle Heights to downtown Los Angeles.

His victory came despite his most recent term being  marred by sexual harassment allegations.

In the eastern San Fernando Valley's 6th District, incumbent Nury Martinez emerged victorious in a rematch with former Assemblywoman Cindy Montanez, who was the top vote-getter in the 2013 primary election to complete Tony Cardenas' unexpired term, but lost in a runoff election upset.

Herb Wesson, who represents the 10th Council District, cruised to victory over Koreatown activist Grace Yoo, who had previously clashed with the council president during contentious proceedings to redraw district lines in Koreatown. 

Councilman Paul Krekorian also held onto his early lead in his bid for a second term representing the 2nd District, which includes North Hollywood, Studio City, Valley Village and Van Nuys, against challenger Eric Preven, a television writer who regularly spurs heated debate at City Council and County Board of Supervisor meetings.

Councilman Mitch Englander ran unopposed in the 12th District, which includes Reseda, North Hills, Northridge, Chatsworth and Porter Ranch.

In the 8th District, Marqueece Harris-Dawson, a former executive director of a nonprofit founded by Rep. Karen Bass to improve economic conditions in South Los Angeles communities, defeated three other candidates to replace termed-out Councilman Bernard Parks.

The race to replace termed-out Tom LaBonge in the 4th District will move to a May 19 runoff election, with 14 candidates splitting the vote and preventing any candidate from earning the more than 50 percent needed to win the seat outright.

Carolyn Ramsay, who is hoping to succeed her former boss, led the pack of hopefuls in the Fourth District, and unofficial results released by the City Clerk's Office showed David Ryu, a director at the Kedren Acute Psychiatric Hospital and Community Health Center, placing second and appearing to earn a runoff spot.

The council members elected today will serve five-and-a-half-year terms. The passage of Charter Amendment 1 will mean a one-time lengthening of the terms of city and school board officials elected in the 2015 and 2017 elections, with future elections being held in even-numbered years.

Meanwhile Los Angeles Unified School District board members Tamar Galatzan, Bennett Kayser and Richard Vladovic will have to compete in a May 19 runoff election as they fight to retain their seats, while incumbent George McKenna won re-election thanks to having no challengers.

The school board will have to tackle some tough issues in the coming months. It is still searching for a permanent superintendent, since Ramon Cortines was appointed merely on an interim basis to replace John Deasy. The district is also locked in difficult contract negotiations with the teachers' union, United Teachers Los Angeles, with the possibility of a strike looming as educators push for higher salaries and smaller class sizes.

City News Service contributed to this report