Two candidates are vying to unseat incumbent Nithya Raman to represent the Los Angeles City Council District 4 which stretches from the San Fernando Valley to Silver Lake and encompasses the Santa Monica Mountains, Los Feliz, the Hollywood Hills, Sherman Oaks, Encino and Van Nuys.
All three candidates hope to persuade residents of the sprawling District 4 that they can address the most pressing issues in its communities, which range from Latino working-class neighborhoods to some of the region’s most upscale enclaves.
Raman — endorsed by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and fellow council members including L.A. City Council President Paul Krekorian, Bob Blumenfield and Katy Yaroslavsky — is being challenged by Deputy City Attorney Ethan Weaver and software engineer Levon Baronian.
District 4 was heavily impacted by the city’s 2021 redistricting process, during which Raman’s district was redrawn, losing several of its longtime neighborhoods including Miracle Mile, Hancock Park and parts of Park La Brea.
Candidate Ethan Weaver, of Los Feliz, said he had spent years working as a neighborhood prosecutor in partnership with police stations, neighborhood councils and small business owners. In this race, he has won endorsements from nurses’ union SEIU Local 121RN, Los Angeles County Business Federation (BizFed), Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers Association and the United Fire Fighters of Los Angeles City.
Working with community groups and every city agency, Weaver said, “has prepared me for the job” to represent District 4. He was part of the state initiative known as the Neighborhood Prosecutor Program, focused on identifying and quickly resolving problems that communities deal with such as loitering, drug activity and illegal dumping.
Weaver said that one of the most pressing problems is homelessness. He criticized City Hall’s bureaucracy and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, or LAHSA, as two key problems in addressing…
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