Measure B defeated; Guerra advances (UPDATED)

UPDATE: Story has been updated with final numbers and a statement from the Downey Firemen's Association. Measure B, the controversial charter amendment that would have deleted a requirement that Downey provide its own police and fire services, was soundly defeated by Downey voters Tuesday.

With all precincts reporting, the ballot measure lost by more than 4,600 votes. Here are the final numbers:

NO: 5,823 YES: 1,197

Measure B's defeat means Downey must continue to provide its own police and fire personnel, and contracting those services -- such as to the L.A. County Sheriff's Department or L.A. County Fire Department -- cannot happen without a two-thirds advisory vote from Downey voters.

"Thank you to the citizens of Downey who took the time to understand the complete picture of what Measure B meant," the Downey Firemen's Association posted on Facebook. "Thank you to our membership and their families for their tireless efforts trying to get our message out through the negativity."

Councilman Mario Guerra's said Measure B's defeat was a victory for Downey.

"Downey voters are not for sale," said Guerra. "Our residents were smart enough to see right through it. The right to vote is still in the residents' hands where it should be."

Guerra had other reasons to celebrate as well, having collected the most votes among candidates for the 32nd state Senate district. With 100% of precincts reporting, Guerra had 21,249 votes, or 43.7 percent of the total vote.

Guerra was trailed by Tony Mendoza (15,561), Sally Havice (5,588), Irella Perez (5,166) and Carlos Arvizu (986). Guerra and Mendoza advance to a November runoff.

Regarding his success at the polls, Guerra said he is "excited, honored and humbled."

"Our values and our issues resonated with voters," he said. "People want a change. They're tired of corruption in state government.

"I didn't get into this for the wrong reasons. Let's start with ethics, character, jobs and public safety. Let's start there."