Heather Hutt was appointed as caretaker City Councilwoman for District 10 last year following the indictment and conviction of Mark Ridley-Thomas on federal corruption charges — and now Hutt is seeking a full four-term term, facing four challengers in Tuesday’s primary election.
Looking to stop Hutt are pastor and community organizer Eddie Anderson; former Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer; environmental activist and small-business owner Aura Vásquez; and attorney Grace Yoo.
The 10th District encompasses the Central L.A. neighborhoods of Arlington Heights, Koreatown, Mid-City, Palms, South Robertson, West Adams and Wilshire Center.
If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in the primary, the top two vote-getters will face each other in a runoff in the general election on Nov. 5.
Hutt previously served as chief of staff to former City Councilman Herb Wesson and is the first woman to represent the District 10.
Her appointment by the City Council following Ridley-Thomas’ ouster drew criticism from some in the district who had pushed instead for a special election. City officials said at the time that would be too costly — though voters in District 6 did get a special election following the resignation of former Council President Nury Martinez in 2022.
But Tuesday, District 10 voters will get their chance to cast ballots on Hutt and her four challengers.
Hutt, who chairs the council’s Transportation Committee, has used her brief time on the body to push for street safety improvements, as well advocate for more bike lanes.
She said her priorities, if elected, will be addressing homelessness with a housing-first strategy, moving Angelenos on the streets quickly into interim housing and eventually into permanent housing. She also wants to create more jobs by fostering skill development for residents, and focusing on infrastructure improvements from potholes to adding more trees and creating more parks.
Recently, she came under fire for a political mailer sent to voters in January. The mailer showed a picture of Hutt and Mayor Karen Bass and a list of endorsements. It also included a list of official city resources and a logo that identified Hutt as a City Council member.
According to the L.A. City Ethics Commission, it is a violation of ethics regulations for city officials to use their city title or position to support a candidate for office, including themselves.
Mike Shimpock, Hutt’s campaign consultant, told the Los Angeles Times that the campaign was not responsible for the mailing, adding someone had altered a flier and sent it out to voters.
Vásquez, a former member of the L.A. Department of Water and Power’s Board of Commissioners, has called for more affordable housing, bolstering renter protections, improving homeless services and zoning reform.
She said she plans to address public safety by pushing for upgrading streets and lighting and investing in community-based policing strategies and preventative policing. Vásquez also backs public banking efforts that support small businesses and street vendors.
Jones-Sawyer, a former state Assemblyman and chair of the Assembly Public Safety Committee, helped raise the minimum wage across the state and pushed to make community college free for all. In his council campaign, he touts securing billions of dollars for new affordable housing, leading efforts to protect renters and in programs to combat homelessness.
He also advocates City Charter and ethics reforms to hold city officials accountable and, on public safety, wants to target the proliferation of drugs and sex trafficking and bolster youth violence prevention programs.
Anderson, senior pastor of the McCarty Memorial Church in West Adams and a member of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s Committee on Black People Experiencing Homelessness, has called homelessness the “moral crisis of our time.”
He said his other focuses would be to support legacy small businesses and small businesses run by women, immigrants and people of color.
On public safety, Anderson said he would prioritize mental health services, and wants to add community safety ambassadors, more youth and senior programs, and create more parks and green spaces.
Yoo said her priorities would focus on bolstering public safety by investing in resources for social work, mental health clinicians and community outreach teams to allow the Los Angeles Police Department to focus its resources and manpower more on crime.
In addition, she wants to build new housing and rehabilitate old buildings, supports improving public transportation and advocates for City Hall reform.
Yoo was leading in campaign contributions, as she raised more than $253,000. Hutt has raised some $252,000, followed by Jones-Sawyer ($229,000-plus), Vásquez (more than $137,000) and Anderson ($83,000-plus).
Non-campaign-affiliated groups have added more than $360,000 in support of Hutt, while outside efforts also supported Jones-Sawyer’s campaign to the tune of more than $263,000.
Meanwhile, Jones-Sawyer’s campaign has faced opposition from groups that have spent more than $91,000 against him. One group that donated funds against him was the San Francisco Police Officer PAC, as well as the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union representing the rank-and-file of LAPD officers.
Vote centers will open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The nearest official drop box or vote center can be found at locator.lavote.gov.