1961 Los Angeles mayoral election

The 1961 Los Angeles mayoral election took place on April 4, 1961, with a runoff election on May 31, 1961. Incumbent Norris Poulson was defeated by Sam Yorty, a former U.S. Representative.^[1]

Municipal elections in California, including Mayor of Los Angeles, are officially nonpartisan; candidates' party affiliations do not appear on the ballot.^[2]

Poulson ran for re-election for a third term after a movement to "draft" Poulson for a next term.^[3][4] In January 1961, former U.S. Representative Sam Yorty entered the race, criticizing Poulson for his handling of smog and taxes in Los Angeles.^[5] Patrick D. McGee, a member of the Los Angeles City Council, also announced his run for mayor.^[6] Both Yorty and McGee had talked about rumors surrounding Poulson that said that he had throat cancer, which Poulson denied.^[7] In the primary election, Poulson and Yorty advanced to the runoff election.^[8] In the runoff, Yorty defeated Poulson in the election, which some newspapers said was because Poulson "could not make a good public appearance."^[9][1]

• Office of the City Clerk, City of Los Angeles