Los Angeles Fire Station 15, where Kludjian voted. (Aaron Liu/ Neon Tommy)

“He’s not only a Republican but also gay and libertarian,” Kludjian in his definition of moderate.

James also wants more transparency for government officials and to balance the state budget.

In 2011, James told the L.A. Weekly he wanted to be the first gay mayor of Los Angeles. 

Kludjian voted at Los Angeles Station 15, just across Jefferson from USC. One room was converted into a polling station. He was one of a trickle of voters that showed up throughout the afternoon.

Kludjian said James was fiscally conservative as a businessman who strove to keep bureaucracy in check and to reduce city taxes.

In addition, Kludjian said James was committed to using his radio background to reach his constituents. James formerly was a Los Angeles political commentator on KRLA AM 870. But he has appeared on well-known shows like Chris Matthew’s Hardball.

Kludjian, a native of Sacramento, doesn't come from a Republican background. In fact, his parents are both liberals. In high school, he was a Democrat in his work on youth commissions and grant boards. But he had a bad experience working for Democratic legislators both at the federal and state level — including as an aide in the U.S. Congress — details which he said he was uncomfortable discussing.

“I got fed up with their wasteful spending,” Kludjian said.

James, he said, is committed to stopping sales tax increases in California where sales taxes are already high. The combined California tax rate is 7.5 percent.

Reach Aaron Hagstrom here.