Los Angeles City Elections: A Comprehensive Overview of Candidates and Seats
While the Los Angeles mayor’s race has been garnering significant attention, numerous other seats are also up for contention in the June 2 primary. The City Clerk’s Office saw a flurry of activity last week as candidates filed paperwork to run for various positions, including city attorney, city controller, eight City Council seats, and two L.A. Unified school board seats.
Each candidate must gather 500 legitimate voter signatures by March 4 to secure a spot on the ballot. This requirement can be relatively easy to fulfill in citywide races but poses a greater challenge in council and school board districts. In the event that no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in June, the top two finishers will proceed to a November runoff.
Candidates for City Attorney and City Controller
City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto is facing three challengers: Deputy Attorney General Marissa Roy, human rights attorney Aida Ashouri, and Deputy Dist. Atty. John McKinney. Meanwhile, City Controller Kenneth Mejia has one opponent, Zach Sokoloff, senior vice president for asset management at Hackman Capital Partners, following the withdrawal of former State Sen. Isadore Hall.
City Council Seats: New Candidates Emerge
In District 3, which encompasses the southwestern San Fernando Valley, including Woodland Hills, Tarzana, and Reseda, City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield is terming out, leaving the field open. Five candidates are vying to replace him: Jon Rawlings, Timothy Gaspar, Lehi White, Barri Worth Girvan, and media executive Christopher Robert “C.R.” Celona.
City Councilmember Curren Price’s downtown and South L.A. district is also up for grabs, with twelve candidates entering the race to represent District 9. Notably, Price is facing public corruption charges and was ordered to stand trial last month. The candidates include Jose Ugarte, Estuardo Mazariegos, Jo Uraizee, Adriana Cabrera, Jorge Nuño, Martha Sánchez, Elmer Roldan, Michelle Washington, Jorge Hernandez Rosas, Chris Martin, Enrique Hernandez-Garcia, and Nathan Juarez.
Incumbent City Council Members Face Challengers
In the other five City Council races, challengers will attempt to unseat incumbents. Eight individuals are seeking to oust Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez in District 1, which spans from Glassell Park and Highland Park to Chinatown and Pico Union. The challengers include Maria Lou Calanche, Raul Claros, Jesse Rosas, Joseph Lucey, Nelson Grande, Sylvia Robledo, Rosa Requeno, and Annalee Harr.
Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky is defending her seat in District 5 against six Angelenos, while Councilmember Monica Rodriguez faces four challengers in District 7. Additionally, Councilmember Traci Park, Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, and Councilmember Tim McOsker are also up for reelection, with multiple candidates vying for their seats.
L.A. Unified School Board Elections
Three Los Angeles Unified school board members will defend their seats in the June 2 primary. In District 2, Rocío Rivas faces challenges from public school teacher Raquel Zamora and executive and education advocate Joseph Quintana. District 4 incumbent Nick Melvoin will run against Ankur Patel and Benjamin-Shalom “Bo” Rodriguez, while School Board Member Kelly Gonez faces a single challenger, retired aerospace engineer John “J.P.” Perron.
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