Los Angeles primary election season is marked with calls for change. But when the votes are counted, the power is there.
Two City Hall buildings – Mayor Karen Bass and City Council Member Nithya Raman – will receive it compete in the Nov. 3 after casting Spencer Pratt, a former TV star who campaigned as an outsider to make things right.
And in a break from recent history, every City Council member running for re-election has gone on to win. Since the 2020 election, at least one council member has lost his seat every two years to a well-funded, well-organized challenger.
Fernando Guerra, director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University, said voters sometimes favor their local representative even if they have problems with city government as a whole.
“When voters are frustrated, they often say: 'The system is not working, the only person working for me is my council member,'” Guerra said. “Voters were fed up with the city, fed up with the way things were going, but they were able to identify their council member as one of their few lawyers, who is fighting the system with them.”
One exception to this trend was City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto, who became the first city attorney to miss a run since 1933. Feldstein Soto found himself under attack from two sides – State Deputy Atty. Gen. Marissa Roy, a union-backed democratic socialist, and John McKinney, a lawmaker-backed deputy district attorney and rental giant Airbnb.
City Administrator Kenneth Mejia, meanwhile, managed to defeat challenger Zach Sokoloff even though Sokoloff's mother spent $7.5 million on her son's behalf, while Mejia recently contributed $146,000 and $500,000 in matching funds.
Many members of the council were also facing tough campaigns. For many, that never happened. City Council member Monica Rodriguez was unopposed, while Council members Hugo Soto-Martínez, Katy Yaroslavsky and Tim McOsker swept, winning by double-digit margins.
Council members Eunisses Hernandez for District 1 and Traci Park for District 11 both defeated well-funded opponents to secure new four-year terms.
City Council member Eunisses Hernandez attended the City Council meeting at City Hall after the primary election.
(Etienne Laurent / For the Times)
“People see who their representatives are, they support the fight they are facing, and that they feel the difference in leadership,” said Hernandez, himself. Hernandez, who is among the youngest members of the council, abruptly resigned from the post of Gil Cedillo, who was seeking a third term in 2022.
While campaigning for a second term, Hernandez faced a field of four opponents, including Maria Lou Calanche, director of the nonprofit Expand LA, which raised nearly $200,000 in donations, opened matching funds and saw another $300,000 from private expenses, which are outside groups not affiliated with the campaign, used on his behalf.
Hernandez touted his win in his primary campaign game and met with voters at the door to fight dark money-funded mailers, as well as his record in office, such as advocating for a reduction in the rent cap.
“One of my colleagues told me that what we did was not easy,” he said. “I see it in the way people see what we are doing, they want us to continue fighting for them.”
Los Angeles City Councilman Tim McOsker at City Hall.
(Etienne Laurent / For the Times)
McOsker, who is seeking a second term, said that incumbents have done well in LA's history, but in recent years have tested them to stay true to the needs of their communities.
“We see how people react to taking office, so that's a big reason you're connected to your community and accountable to the community,” he said. “He has a group of candidates [on June 2] who just removed their tails from the first day to the last day of the fourth year.”
City council member Traci Irene Park reacts as she attended the meeting following the primary election.
(Etienne Laurent / For the Times)
Guerra pointed to Park, who represents the 11th District on the Westside and has become a local hero to the many victims of the Palisades fire, as an example of how voters have stood by him.
Park faced off against Faizah Malik, a public interest attorney endorsed by the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America — a group that has successfully ousted incumbent council members in recent years. The contest was the most expensive alderman race this year, nearly breaking the $2 million mark in donations. Most of the donations went to the Park, which raised $1.3 million.
Sue Kohl, a Palisades resident who lost her home in the fire, said the areas burned by the fire were “covered” with Park yard signs. In Westchester, where he moved, Park signs dotted the front lawn.
Despite frustrations with the rebuilding process and the day-to-day news, Kohl, who volunteered on Park's campaign, said he and others in the 11th District feel Park has been an advocate every step of the way.
“You look [government officials] to get help, and if you see them doing other things that are the opposite of what you as a community need the most, you can be frustrated and angry and ready to make a change,” said Kohl.” But with Traci, everybody looks at what she's accomplished in the last four years and says 'Thank God for having this woman willing to do this for us.'”
Although the council's incumbents won, City Hall will see at least two new faces after the Nov. 3 general election due to term limits.
Estuardo Mazariegos and Jose Ugarte will contest the District 9 council seat currently held by Curren Price, while Tim Gaspar and Barry Worth Girvan will contest the District 3 seat held by incumbent Bob Blumenfield.
