City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto is seeking a second term as voters head to the poll Tuesday to cast their ballot in support of the incumbent or three other candidates looking to serve as Los Angeles’ head lawyer and legal adviser.
If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote Tuesday, the top two vote-getters will face off in a runoff in November.
The city attorney oversees an office of more than 550 lawyers, who represent Los Angeles in court and legal matters. The city attorney oversees all lawsuits involving LA, and provides legal guidance to the mayor and the City Council.
The city attorney also prosecutes all misdemeanor crimes that happen within city limits. The office consists of five branches: municipal, civil litigation, criminal, real estate and public rights.
LA voters elected Feldstein Soto in 2022, and she took office in 2023, becoming the city’s first female city attorney.
Feldstein Soto has said she wants a second term to continue the progress she started.
She has touted her administration’s efforts to crack down on crime in the Figueroa corridor, addressing homeless and housing by working with the City Council and mayor on the Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance, and upholding the city’s anti-camping law, which prohibits residents from sleeping or camping around sensitive locations such as schools, daycares, parks, and other designated areas.
The incumbent also said she has enforced the city’s competitive bidding process, and filed lawsuits against companies and individuals that allegedly rent-gouged tenants after the January 2025 wildfires.
Her first term has come under scrutiny, with critics saying Feldstein Soto attempted to block a contract for the Stay Housed LA program, hired costly outside law firms to defend the city in various lawsuits amid budget concerns, and directed lawyers to take more civil cases against the city to trial that end in large liability payments.
She also faces a lawsuit from a former employee who has alleged misconduct and mistreatment of employees. Feldstein Soto has denied wrongdoing.
Feldstein Soto has received endorsements from L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, City Council members Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Bob Bob Blumenfield, Heather Hutt, Traci Park, Curren Price, John Lee and Tim McOsker, as well as Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California.
The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union representing Los Angeles Police Department officers ranked lieutenant and below, rescinded its endorsement after a data breach of the city attorney’s office led to thousands of LAPD records being leaked on the internet.
LAPPL’s members later announced an endorsement for John McKinney, a Los Angeles County deputy district attorney. He has also received endorsements from L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, the Latino Business Association and the Central City Association.
McKinney told the Los Angeles Times he wants more prosecutions for misdemeanor gun crimes, and that he believes the city attorney’s office can use its power to place homeless people into mental health or addiction treatment after they’ve been arrested.
He is campaigning on bolstering public safety and protecting L.A. neighborhoods. McKinney said he is focused on cracking down on repeat offenders, addressing retail theft and organized shoplifting, and working with law enforcement to take on illegal street racing and the sale of narcotics.
Progressive candidate Marissa Roy, a deputy attorney general, has raised significant support for her election bid. She has received endorsements from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vermont, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia.
Roy said her priorities are being on the front lines of the legal fight against the federal government’s crackdown on immigration, and protecting workers’ rights and renters.
The fourth candidate is Aida Ashouri. She is a former staff attorney at Public Counsel and Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, and previously worked for the LA City Attorney and the San Diego City Attorney.
Ashouri has similar priorities to Roy, adding she would work with elected officials to stop entering contracts with surveillance companies, and open an investigation into the LAPD’s alleged cooperation with U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement. LAPD has maintained the department does not participate in federal immigration enforcement.
She has further stated she would hold landlords accountable for tenant harassment and habitability violations.
Ashouri has received endorsements from the Peace & Freedom Party Los Angeles, Transport Workers Union, National Iranian American Council, and Organize for Peace, among others, according to her website.
McKinney, Roy and Ashouri have criticized Feldstein Soto for being unable to control liability costs that skyrocketed during her first term. Last fiscal year, the city’s liability payouts were $294 million.
The challengers have outlined plans to reduce liability costs. Feldstein Soto has explained the increase in payouts are due to a rise in the outcome of verdicts in civil courts, which is a nationwide trend.