L.A. voters keep City Hall status quo in runoff

L.A. voters – Los Angeles’ primary election delivered a familiar outcome at City Hall: Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilmember Nithya Raman will advance to the Nov. 3 runoff, while nearly all incumbents on the City Council won re-election. The one major break came in the ra

For Los Angeles voters who came into this primary season looking for a break with City Hall, the results landed with a kind of quiet finality.

When the votes were tallied, two fixtures of L.A. politics — Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilmember Nithya Raman — are headed to the Nov. 3 runoff after knocking out Spencer Pratt, the former reality TV personality who campaigned as an outsider trying to shake things up.

At City Hall, though, the bigger story was how little changed. In a break with recent history, all of the City Council members running for re-election cruised to victories. Since the 2020 election, at least one council member had lost their seat every two years to a well-funded, well-organized challenger.

Fernando Guerra. director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University. said frustration can coexist with loyalty to an individual representative. When voters feel the city isn’t working. Guerra said they often turn their support to the person they believe is fighting on their behalf.

“When voters are frustrated. they often say: ‘The system’s not working. the only one working for me is my council member. ’” Guerra said. “Voters were frustrated with the city. frustrated with the way things are going. but were able to identify their council member as one of their few advocates. the one fighting the system with them.”.

The closest thing to a crack in that pattern came in the race for City Attorney. Hydee Feldstein Soto became the first city attorney to miss the runoff since 1933. Her campaign was pulled in opposite directions — Deputy State Atty. Gen. Marissa Roy. a democratic socialist with union support. and John McKinney. a deputy district attorney backed by law enforcement and short-term rental giant Airbnb.

While the council’s incumbents held firm, City Controller Kenneth Mejia also kept his momentum despite a fundraising mismatch. Mejia trounced challenger Zach Sokoloff even though Sokoloff’s mother spent $7.5 million on her son’s behalf. while Mejia raised $146. 000 in contributions and received $500. 000 in matching funds.

Outside of the attorney’s race, several council races that had been expected to turn rough didn’t. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was unopposed. and Councilmembers Hugo Soto-Martínez. Katy Yaroslavsky and Tim McOsker breezed to victories. winning by double-digit margins. Councilmembers Eunisses Hernandez of the 1st District and Traci Park of the 11th District overcame well-funded challengers to secure new four-year terms.

Hernandez, one of the youngest members on the council, had unseated incumbent Gil Cedillo in 2022 while seeking a third turn in office. This time, as she campaigned for a second term, Hernandez faced four challengers, including Maria Lou Calanche, the director of nonprofit Expand LA.

Calanche raised nearly $200. 000 in contributions. unlocked matching funds and saw another $300. 000 from independent expenditures — spending by groups that do not coordinate with a campaign. Hernandez credited her win to a ground game and direct outreach. saying she met voters at doors to counter dark-money funded mailers against her. while also leaning on her record in office. including advocating for a lowered rent cap.

“One of my colleagues told me what we’ve done is not easy,” Hernandez said. “I see it as people see what we’re doing, and they want us to keep fighting for them.”

Tim McOsker, who secured a second term, said incumbents have historically done well in L.A., but recent years have tested whether elected officials can stay aligned with what their communities need.

“We see how people react to incumbency, and so all the more reason for you to be connected to your community and respond to community,” McOsker said. “You had a set of candidates on the ballot [on June 2] who just worked their tails off from day one until the last day of the fourth year.”

Still, voters chose incumbency even in races that had the energy of a fight. Guerra pointed to Park as an example of how support can hold when constituents see tangible progress. Park, who represents the 11th District on the Westside, has become a local hero to many victims of the Palisades fire.

Park faced Faizah Malik, a public interest attorney endorsed by the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, a group that has successfully organized to oust incumbent council members in recent years.

The contest between Park and Malik turned into the most expensive council race this year, nearly breaking $2 million in contributions. Park raised $1.3 million, while the majority of contributions went to her.

Sue Kohl, a resident of the Palisades who lost her home in the fire, said the areas burned by the fire are “blanketed” with Park yard signs. In Westchester, where she relocated, Park signs also dominated front lawns.

Kohl described frustration with rebuilding as an everyday reality, but she said she and others in the 11th District feel Park has pushed for help at each step.

“You look to [government officials] for help. and if you see them doing other things as opposed to what you as a community desperately need. you’d be frustrated and angry and ready to make a change. ” Kohl said. “But with Traci. everybody looks to what she’s accomplished in the last four years and says ‘Thank you god we have this woman who is willing to do this for us.’”.

Even with the incumbents prevailing, term limits still guarantee some change at the council level after Nov. 3. Because of those limits. City Hall will see at least two new faces in the general election: Estuardo Mazariegos and Jose Ugarte will vie for the District 9 council seat currently occupied by Curren Price. and Tim Gaspar and Barri Worth Girvan will square off for the District 3 seat held by incumbent Bob Blumenfield.

For now, though, the primary results show a Los Angeles electorate that may be unhappy with parts of City Hall — but still willing to bet on the people it already knows.

Los Angeles primary Karen Bass Nithya Raman Spencer Pratt runoff Nov. 3 City Council incumbents Hydee Feldstein Soto Marissa Roy John McKinney Kenneth Mejia Zach Sokoloff Eunisses Hernandez Traci Park Faizah Malik Palisades fire term limits