The 2023 Los Angeles special election was held on April 4, 2023, with a runoff occurring on June 27, 2023.[1] Voters will elect a candidate in a nonpartisan primary, with runoff elections potentially scheduled. One of the fifteen seats on the Los Angeles City Council was up for election due to the vacancy of one member, councilwoman Nury Martinez of District 6, who resigned in the wake of the 2022 Los Angeles City Council scandal.[2] Sharon Tso was installed as a caretaker to the district, but no formal appointment was made.[3] There was potential for a recall over Kevin de León's statements made during the 2022 Los Angeles City Council scandal as well, though due to the lack of signatures turned in by the deadline on April 1, 2023, the petition to recall de León failed.[4][5] Former City Attorney Mike Feuer also proposed that a special election be held on a referendum to replace the council's ability to redraw the City Council districts with an independent commission before the 2024 elections.[6]
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1 out of 15 seats in the City Council 8 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Municipal elections in California are officially nonpartisan, and candidates' party affiliations do not appear on the ballot.
District 6
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The 6th district includes the neighborhoods of Lake Balboa, Van Nuys, Panorama City, Arleta, North Hills, North Hollywood, and Sun Valley, as well as Van Nuys Airport and the Sepulveda Basin.[7]
Although the election was officially nonpartisan, all qualified candidates were members of the Democratic Party except Rose Grigoryan, who was registered as "no party preference."[7]
Candidates
editDeclared
edit- Marisa Alcaraz, deputy chief of staff to city councilor Curren Price from Lake Balboa[8][7]
- Rose Grigoryan, marketing company founder from North Hollywood[9]
- Isaac Kim, skin care business owner from Van Nuys[9][7]
- Imelda Padilla, community relations manager and candidate for Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education in 2017 from Sun Valley[8][7]
- Marco Santana, housing nonprofit director and former Controller of the San Fernando Valley Democratic Party from Van Nuys[7][10]
- Antoinette Scully, community organizer from Van Nuys[9][7]
- Douglas Sierra, community center facilities coordinator from Sun Valley[9][7]
Qualified write-in candidates
edit- Wendy Goodman Thum, president of the Sun Valley Neighborhood Council[11]
- Carmelina Minasova, respiratory therapist[11]
- Richard Serrano, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power employee[11]
Disqualified
edit- Lanira Murphy, treasurer of the Panorama City Neighborhood Council and runner-up for California State Assembly District 46 in 2020[8]
- James Thomas, president of the San Fernando Valley NAACP[12]
Declined
edit- Angélica Dueñas, member of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party Central Committee, former president of the Sun Valley Neighborhood Council, and candidate for California's 29th congressional district in 2018, 2020, and 2022[13]
- Kelly Gonez, president of the Los Angeles Board of Education[13] (endorsed Santana)[10]
- Cindy Montañez, San Fernando city councilor, former state assemblywoman from the 39th district, and candidate for this district in 2013 and 2015[13]
- Luz Rivas, state assemblywoman from the 39th district[13][14]
- Sharon Tso, Los Angeles Chief Legislative Analyst and nonvoting placeholder for this seat[3]
Endorsements
editImelda Padilla
Federal politicians
- Tony Cárdenas, U.S. representative for California's 29th congressional district[15]
Local politicians
- George McKenna, member of the Los Angeles Board of Education[7]
- Rocio Rivas, member of the Los Angeles Board of Education[7]
- Joy Picus, former Los Angeles city councilor[16]
- Monica Rodriguez, Los Angeles city councilor[17]
- Scott Schmerelson, member of the Los Angeles Board of Education[7]
Labor unions
- Laborers' Union Local 300[7]
Marisa Alcaraz
State legislators
Local politicians
- Heather Hutt, Los Angeles city councilor[7]
- Curren Price, Los Angeles city councilor (Alcaraz currently works for Price)[19]
Labor unions
Marco Santana
Local politicians
- Kelly Gonez, president of the Los Angeles Board of Education[10]
- Nithya Raman, Los Angeles city councilor[16]
Newspapers
Labor unions
- International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 36[7]
Organizations
- Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters[7]
- San Fernando Valley Democratic Party[7]
Isaac Kim
Organizations
- Sunrise Movement Occidental[7]
Antoinette Scully
Organizations
- Indivisible East Valley[7]
Douglas Sierra
Newspapers
Declined to endorse
Organizations
- Ground Game Los Angeles[23]
- Los Angeles Democratic Socialists of America[23]
- Sunrise Movement Los Angeles[23]
Fundraising
edit| Campaign finance reports as of February 18, 2023[24] | |
|---|---|
| Candidate | Contributions |
| Marisa Alcaraz | $100,606 |
| Rose Grigoryan | $23,379 |
| Isaac Kim | $13,275 |
| Imelda Padilla | $55,362 |
| Marco Santana | $53,900 |
| Antoinette Scully | $5,688 |
| Douglas Sierra | $8,113 |
Political positions
edit| Candidate | Eliminate parking minimums |
Increase upzoning[b] in District 6 |
Refuse donations from real estate and police interests |
Support Healthy Streets LA[c] |
Close Whiteman Airport[d] |
Police staffing level |
Reallocate police funding[e] |
Repeal Section 41.18[f] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marisa Alcaraz | No[29] | Yes[29] | Yes[29] | Yes[29] | Increase[17] | ?
|
No[7] | |
| Rose Grigoryan | ?
|
?
|
?
|
?
|
?
|
?
|
?
|
?
|
| Isaac Kim | No[29] | Yes[29] | Yes[29] | Yes[29] | No[17] | Status quo[17]
|
Yes[17] | Yes[7] |
| Imelda Padilla | Yes[29] | No[29] | Yes[29] | No[17] | Increase[17] | No[17] | No[7] | |
| Marco Santana | No[29] | Yes[29] | Yes[29] | Yes[29] | Yes[17] | Increase[17] | Yes[17] | Yes[7] |
| Antoinette Scully | Yes[29] | Yes[29] | Yes[29] | Yes[29] | Yes[17] | Decrease[17] | Yes[17] | Yes[7] |
| Douglas Sierra | Yes[29] | Yes[29] | Yes[29] | Yes[29] | Increase[17] | No[j][17] | Possibly[k][7] |
General election
edit| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imelda Padilla | 3,424 | 25.66 | |
| Marisa Alcaraz | 2,819 | 21.13 | |
| Marco Santana | 2,523 | 18.91 | |
| Rose Grigoryan | 1,985 | 14.88 | |
| Isaac Kim | 1,455 | 10.90 | |
| Antoinette Scully | 745 | 5.58 | |
| Douglas Sierra | 393 | 2.95 | |
| Write-in | 162 | 1.23 | |
| Total votes | 13,506 | 100.00 | |
| Imelda Padilla | 8,520 | 55.79 | |
| Marisa Alcaraz | 6,751 | 44.21 | |
| Total votes | 15,271 | 100.00 | |
District 14 recall attempt
editKevin de León's recall was first introduced in October 2022, in the midst of the 2022 Los Angeles City Council scandal. The recall petition was approved by the city clerk office on December 6, 2022.[30] The petition failed on April 1, 2023, as only 21,006 of the required 25,000 valid signatures were turned in.[4]
Polling
editHypothetical polling
Should Kevin de León be recalled?
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Yes | No | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strategies 360[31] | January 10–16, 2023 | 400 (RV) | ± 4.9% | 58% | 25% | 17% |
Notes
edit- ^ After the resignation of Nury Martinez, Los Angeles Chief Legislative Analyst Sharon Tso acted as a nonvoting placeholder. Tso's only responsibilities were to maintain the day-to-day operations of the 6th district council office, and the seat was still considered vacant.
- ^ Altering the zoning of certain areas to allow for the construction higher-density housing
- ^ An initiative on the 2024 ballot to make Los Angeles streets safer by increasing the number of dedicated bus lanes, protected bike lanes, and pedestrian-priority areas.[25] Nury Martinez, the seat's previous incumbent, opposed Healthy Streets LA.[26]
- ^ Some have called to close Whiteman Airport due to concerns over pollution and recent plane crashes.[27]
- ^ Take funds from the police budget and use them to finance mental health and homelessness outreach programs
- ^ A section of the Los Angeles Municipal Code that "prohibits sitting, lying, sleeping, and storing property in many public areas," functioning to limit public homeless camping.[28]
- ^ "If the community seriously feels the airport needs to be closed, that's something we should seriously consider."
- ^ Would eliminate parking minimums for housing built "near public transit"
- ^ Would convene neighborhood councils of nearby areas to decide whether or not to close the airport.
- ^ Would audit LAPD to find ways to save money, but would not cut police funding
- ^ Would not enforce 41.18 without adequate housing
References
edit- ^ "LA City Council to hold special election for Nury Martinez's District 6 replacement". CBS News. October 25, 2022.
- ^ Cowan, Jill; Hubler, Shawn (October 12, 2022). "Los Angeles City Councilwoman Resigns Amid Uproar Over Racist Remarks". The New York Times. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
- ^ a b "Caretaker appointed after Nury Martinez resigns, special election considered". KTTV. October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
- ^ a b c Wick, Julia (April 1, 2023). "L.A. on the Record: Effort to recall Councilmember Kevin de León fails". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
- ^ Arellano, Gustavo (February 1, 2023). "Column: Voters in Kevin de León's district support recalling him. Now comes the hard part". Retrieved February 1, 2023.
- ^ "LA city attorney proposes ballot measure in 2023 creating new City Council maps". KABC-TV. October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z "Your guide to the L.A. City Council District 6 election to replace Nury Martinez".
- ^ a b c Zahniser, David; Wick, Julia (December 17, 2022). "L.A. on the Record: KDL, absurdist theater and a trick play". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b c d Stoltze, Frank (January 13, 2023). "Meet The Candidates For Nury Martinez's LA City Council Seat". Laist.
- ^ a b c "Non-Profit Housing Director Marco Santana announces run to fill vacant LA Council District 6 seat". 2UrbanGirls. November 16, 2022.
- ^ a b c "LA City Council District 6 Special Election".
- ^ "Meet The Candidates For Nury Martinez's LA City Council Seat".
- ^ a b c d Smith, Dakota (October 17, 2022). "Martinez's resignation sets off scramble for mid-San Fernando Valley seat". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "LA Council Members to Explore Special Election To Fill Nury Ramirez Seat". NBC Los Angeles. October 18, 2022.
- ^ Arellano, Gustavo (March 11, 2023). "Column: A fading mural offers a warning to candidates seeking to replace Nury Martinez". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b "L.A. on the Record: Who are council members supporting in the Valley race?".
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "CD6 Candidate Forum - 2-18-2023".
- ^ "Outside money, donations shape Valley race for L.A. City Council seat".
- ^ "Price Endorses Marisa Alcaraz for L.A. Council District 6".
- ^ "Carpenters union endorses Marisa Alcaraz for vacant San Fernando Valley City Council seat". MarisaForLA. April 5, 2023.
- ^ "Endorsement: Marco Santana for Council District 6". Los Angeles Times. March 5, 2023.
- ^ "Endorsement: Elect Douglas Sierra in Los Angeles Council District 6". Los Angeles Daily News. February 27, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Why some progressive groups are staying out of this L.A. City Council race".
- ^ "Public Data Portal".
- ^ Gee, Kristopher (September 27, 2022). "Healthy Streets LA ballot measure will go before voters in 2024". spectrumnews1.com.
- ^ Stoltze, Frank (February 3, 2023). "Ex-Councilmember Martinez Opposed Healthy Streets LA Plan. Candidates To Replace Her Say She Was Wrong". laist.com.
- ^ Uranga, Rachel (May 16, 2022). "After plane crashes and close calls, pressure mounts to close this L.A. airport". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "LA City Council votes to expand encampment ban amid active protest".
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "Council District 6 Mobility Debate - Special Election 2023".
- ^ "Kevin de León recall, Los Angeles, California (2021-2023)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ Strategies 360
External links
editOfficial campaign websites