Shaw was defeated by Fletcher Bowron in the election, making him the first recalled mayor in American history.

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

[2] Shaw had been accosted with corruption in City Hall which led to a recall movement against him and his close associates.

Reformers who opposed Shaw and the Los Angeles Times both agreed that Shaw was "building the largest machine in the city's history," choosing Fletcher Bowron, a Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, to run against Shaw.

[5] The recall was approved by voters by a large margin, and Bowron defeated Shaw by a landslide.