Having worked in Los Angeles City Hall the past 15 years and interned for U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer before that, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that Marisa Alcaraz might one day run for political office herself.
But she never imagined that moment would be now.
A single mother to a 6-year-old, Alcaraz, 38, figured she’d wait until her daughter was older before entertaining the idea. But in October, the seat for City Council District 6 unexpectedly became vacant when then-Councilmember Nury Martinez resigned in disgrace after being caught making racist comments in a secret recording leaked to the public.
Still, Alcaraz, who holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from UC Irvine and a master’s in public policy from USC, took some time before making up her mind to run.
“I’m not someone who is just waiting for an opportunity to run,” she said in a recent interview. “It was circumstances of the times and … seeing everything that happened and why we were even having the election to begin with. I felt that if people like me, who were in it for the right reasons, who wanted to make a difference … didn’t step up to run, what would we be left with?”
Alcaraz will face off in the June 27 election against Imelda Padilla. The two advanced to the runoff after landing in the top two spots – with Padilla in the lead – during last month’s primary election.
The county registrar’s office has begun sending out vote-by-mail ballots to registered voters in District 6. The district, in the San Fernando Valley, represents residents in Arleta, Lake Balboa, North Hills, North Hollywood, Panorama City, Sun Valley and Van Nuys.
Alcaraz said a major driving force that motivated her to run was her desire to be a role model for her daughter and other young girls, as well as for women who “maybe didn’t go for that promotion or didn’t go for that degree or thought, ‘Oh, I’m a mom, a single mommy. I can’t do it or it’s too hard, or…
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