A former policy adviser to Councilman Mike Bonin announced Thursday she is running against Councilman Mitch O’Farrell to represent District 13, which includes parts of Silver Lake, Echo Park, Elysian Valley, Atwater Village and Hollywood.
Kate Pynoos served as policy director for Bonin from September 2019 through last month, according to Bonin’s office.
She says her focus is on implementing progressive policies related to housing, the environment, homelessness and immigration.
“For too many, our city isn’t working. There’s not enough affordable housing, and too many people are falling into homelessness. We still suffer the damage of systemic racism and haven’t acted boldly enough to stop climate change,” Pynoos said in a campaign video released Thursday.
“But since the start of the pandemic, while our lives got smaller, our sense of responsibility to our community got bigger,” she said. “If we come together and elect leaders with integrity, experience and real progressive values, we can make the change that we deserve.”
Pynoos describes herself as a third generation Angeleno who, before working for Bonin, worked on immigration policy as an attorney and in Washington, D.C. According to her LinkedIn page, Pynoos served as a law clerk in Sen. Chuck Schumer’s office from June to August 2013.
Pynoos is a graduate of the UCLA School of Law and earned her bachelor’s degree in political science and government from Barnard College.
Along with Pynoos, People’s City Council organizer Albert Corado and former Los Angeles Unified School District football coach and community organizer Clay Johnston have announced they are running against O’Farrell in the 2022 election.