Seven of the 15 seats on the Los Angeles City Council are up for election this year. Voters in the even-numbered districts will cast ballots to determine their representatives on a powerful council that oversees a $13 billion city budget — and whose members each represent nearly 265,000 people in sprawling districts.
Incumbents are running in all but one of the seven races. The open seat is Council District 2 where Council President Paul Krekorian is being termed out. With seven candidates vying for Krekorian’s seat, District 2 is one of the most hotly contested L.A. City Council races in the March 5 primary election.
Incumbents usually sail back into office. But with one incumbent facing allegations of ethics violations and another widely criticized for his involvement in a backroom conversation, the primary is being watched closely.
In Council District 12, incumbent John Lee is fighting allegations brought against him by the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission last fall that focus on a lavish 2017 trip he took to Las Vegas while chief of staff to then-Councilmember Mitch Englander. Lee faces challenger Serena Oberstein, who heads a nonprofit organization and is the former president of the L.A. City Ethics Commission.
Meanwhile, seven challengers are jockeying for the Council District 14 seat, hoping to oust Councilmember Kevin de León who faced public outcry over his role in an audio leak scandal that upended City Hall in late 2022.
Below is a summary of the seven L.A. City Council races appearing on the March 5 ballot.
District 2
There are seven candidates and no incumbent in this race to represent San Fernando Valley voters in North Hollywood, Studio City, Sun Valley, Toluca Lake, Valley Glen, Valley Village and Van Nuys.
Jon-Paul Bird is a marriage and family therapist who wants more mixed-use residential and commercial developments. To address the city’s housing needs, he suggested that the city buy properties through the county’s default…
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