Timothy Gaspar and Jose Ugarte opened up comfortable leads Tuesday evening in races to represent communities in the southwest San Fernando Valley and South Los Angeles, respectively, on the Los Angeles City Council.
Voters in the city’s odd-numbered council districts cast ballots Tuesday to elect incumbents or new representatives for their neighborhoods. Council Districts 3 and 9 are guaranteed to get new council members because Councilman Bob Blumenfield and Councilman Curren Price are termed out after serving 12 years.
In the remaining odd-numbered district races, incumbents generally held comfortable leads over their challengers.
In the race to succeed Blumenfield in the 3rd District, businessman Timothy Gaspar received 11,598 votes, or 49.67%, of the early ballots counted by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.
Barri Worth Girvan, a former district director for L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, was second with 9,155 votes, or 39.42%, followed by Christopher Celona, a self-described “compassionate capitalist,” with 2,642 votes, or 11.08%.
Blumenfield endorsed Gaspar in the race to represent the district, which includes Woodland Hills, Canoga Park, Reseda, Winnetka, Tarzana and Warner Center.
In the race for the open 9th District seat, Jose Ugarte, a top deputy to Price, led a field of six Latino candidates with 3,352 votes, or 44.57%. Estuardo Mazariegos, co-director of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, was second with 1,482 votes, or 19.70%.
Candidates Elmer Roldon, executive director of Communities in Schools of Los Angeles; Martha Sánchez, a professor at Los Angeles Mission College and therapist; and educator and therapist Jorge Hernandez Rosas each received fewer than 1,000 votes in the early tally.
One of them will be the first non-Black council member to represent the district since 1963, a reflection of the shifting demographics of the city.
The district encompasses downtown and South L.A. neighborhoods, including landmarks such as L.A. Live and the Los Angeles Convention Center, Exposition Park, USC, Vermont Square, Central-Alameda and Green Meadows.
Incumbents Eunisses Hernandez and Hugo Soto-Martinez, who represent the 1st and 13th Council Districts, respectively, were facing tough battles for re-election. Both were elected in 2022, with support from the LA chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.
As of Tuesday night, early returns showed the progressive candidates holding the top spots in their respective bids for re-election.
In the 1st District, Hernandez received 7,771 votes, or 52.06%.
Maria Lou Calanche, a former member of the Los Angeles Police Commission and founder of the nonprofit Legacy LA, held second place with 2,630 votes, or 17.62%, and Raul Claros, chief executive of UNO Partners, a government relations consulting firm, in third with 1,706 votes, or 11.43%.
The district stretches from Highland Park to University Park, and covers parts of Mount Washington, Montecito Heights, Lincoln Heights, Chinatown, Solano Canyon, Echo Park, Historic Filipinotown, Koreantown, Westlake, MacArthur Park and Pico-Union.
Soto-Martinez pulled ahead from his three challengers. He received 14,639 votes, or 63.72%.
Dylan Kendall, founder of Dylan Kendall Home, held second place with 3,137 votes, or 13.65%. Rich Sarian, vice president of downtown’s South Park Social District, was third with 2,983 votes, or 12.98%, followed by Colter Carlisle, a freelance legal sales professional and vice president of the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council, with 2,215 votes, or 9.64%.
The 13th District, which encompasses Hollywood, East Hollywood and Silver Lake.
On the westside of L.A., City Councilwoman Traci Park held a substantial early lead over lone challenger Faizah Malik.
Park received 27,809 votes, or 66.16%, while Malik received 14,225 votes, or 33.90%.
In 2011, District 11 voters elected Park to represent Venice, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, Del Mar, Playa Vista, among other coastal neighborhoods. She’s now seeking a second term, and has been endorsed by the Los Angeles Police Protective League and the United Firefighters of Los Angeles.
Malik has been endorsed by the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, who supported the election of sitting-council members Eunisses Hernandez, Hugo Soto-Martinez and Ysabel Jurado, as well as Nithya Raman. Her campaign is also backed by several labor unions.
In the neighboring 5th Council District, City Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky also led against two challengers in her bid for re-election to represent neighborhoods such as Bel-Air, Westwood, Palms, Pico-Robertson, Beverly Grove, Miracle Mile, and the Fairfax district, among others.
Yaroslavsky received 23,040 votes, or 68.02%, with Henry Mantel, a political consultant, trailing behind with 6,852 votes, or 20.23%. Morgan Oyler, an accountant, received 3,978 votes, or 11.74%.
Yaroslavsky is the daughter-in-law of former 5th District City Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky, who also served on the county Board of Supervisors. Voters in the 5th District elected the councilwoman in 2022, who replaced then-Councilman Paul Koretz.
Councilman Tim McOsker, who represents the 15th Council District, held a substantial lead over 22-year-old community organizer Jordan Rivers. The district, which encompasses Wilmington, San Pedro, Harbor City, Harbor Gateway and Watts.
McOsker received 13,808 votes, or 78.75%, while Rivers received 3,725 votes, or 21.25%.
In the 7th Council District, which encompasses northeast San Fernando Valley neighborhoods such as Pacoima, Sun Valley, Mission Hills, Sunland-Tujunga, Lake View Terrace, Shadow Hills, and La Tuna Canyon, Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez ran unopposed for a third and final term.