The filing deadline for Los Angeles elected offices passed Saturday, solidifying June’s City Council races as two council members will step down at the end of the year and several more are seeking re-election.
Saturday at noon was the deadline for candidates to file a declaration of intention for the City Council’s odd districts. The races in Council Districts 3 and 9 will have no incumbents, as Bob Blumenfield and Curren Price will be termed out.
Five individuals are vying for Blumenfield’s seat to represent the Third Council District, encompassing southwest San Fernando Valley communities such as Woodland Hills, Tarzana, Reseda, Winnetka and Canoga Park.
Jon Rawlings, a member of the Tarzana Neighborhood Council, Timothy Gaspar, founder of Gaspar Insurance, Lehi White, a small business owner, Barri Worth Grivan, former director of community affairs for L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, and media executive Christopher Robert Celona filed paperwork with the City Clerk for the District 3 seat.
Twelve individuals are seeking to replace Price to represent the Ninth Council District. The district encompasses downtown and South L.A. neighborhoods, including landmarks such as L.A. Live and the Los Angeles Convention Center, Exposition Park, USC, Vermont Square, Central-Alameda and Green Meadows.
Price, 75, is facing public corruption charges and was ordered last week to stand trial. He has pleaded not guilty to a dozen felony counts, including grand theft by embezzlement of public funds, conflict of interest and perjury.
He remains free on his own recognizance and is scheduled to be arraigned March 13.
Individuals who have filed to run for the Ninth District seat are:
— Estuardo Mazariegos, co-director of Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment;
— Jo Uraizee, a social worker;
— Adriana Cabrera, president of Central Alameda Neighborhood Council;
— Jorge Nuño, a social entrepreneur;
— Jose Ugarte, Price’s deputy chief of staff;
— Martha Sánchez, a professor at LA Mission College and a therapist;
— Elmer Roldon, executive director of Communities in Schools of Los Angeles;
— Michelle Washington, a social worker;
— Jorge Hernandez Rosas, an educator and therapist;
— Chris Martin, a civil rights attorney;
— Enrique Hernandez-Garcia, a college student;
— Nathan Juarez, a cashier.
Meanwhile, Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez is seeking a second term to represent the First Council District, encompassing northeast and northwest L.A. communities such as Glassell Park, Highland Park, Chinatown, Westlake, Pico Union, and MacArthur Park, among others.
Eight individuals are seeking to oust the councilwoman, who is part of the council’s most left-leaning voting bloc.
Maria Lou Calanche, a former member of the Los Angeles Police Commission and founder of the nonprofit Legacy LA, and Raul Claros, founder of the CD1 Coalition, are notable challengers to Hernandez, as they previously held city-related positions.
Jesse Rosas, a tax preparer and businessman, Joseph Lucey, a businessman, Nelson Grande, an executive consultant and former president of Avenida Entertainment Group, Sylvia Robledo, small business owner and former council aide, Annalee Harr, and Rosa Requeno, a self-described community activist, have filed paperwork to challenge Hernandez as well.
Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky aims to secure a second term on the legislative body. She represents the Fifth Council District, encompassing Beverly Crest, Bel Air, Westwood, West Los Angeles, Melrose and Hancock Park, among other communities.
Publicist Dory Frank, Ashkan “Alex” Nazarian, co-founder of AAA Diamond and Jewelry (no relation to City Councilman Adrian Nazarian), city employee Peter Gerard Kearns, real estate professional Eddie Ha, tenants’ rights attorney Henry Mantel and small business accountant Morgan Oyler have filed paperwork to run for Yaroslavsky’s seat.
Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, representing the Seventh Council District including Sylmar, Mission Hills, Pacoima, Sunland-Tujunga, Lake View Terrace, Shadow Hills and La Tuna Canyon, is seeking a third and final term. Voters elected Rodriguez in 2017 for a special five-and-a-half year term ending in 2022. The election was impacted by Charter Amendment 1, which was approved by voters in 2015 to shift city elections to even-numbered years beginning in 2020.
Rodriguez’s challengers include regional recruiting manager Tony Rodriguez (no relation), hospitality worker Michael Daniel Ebenkamp, worker advocate Ernesto Ayala, and business owner Daniel Lerma.
Councilwoman Traci Park, who represents the 11th Council District, is seeking a second term, representing L.A.’s coastal and western communities such as Brentwood, Del Rey, Mar Vista, Pacific Palisades, Palms, Sawtelle and Venice, among other areas.
Park’s district includes the Pacific Palisades, which was devastated by the January 2025 wildfire. Faizah Malik, a civil rights attorney, and Jeremy Wineberg, an entrepreneur and Pacific Palisades resident, have filed paperwork to challenge Park for her seat.
Councilman Hugo Soto-MartÃnez, who is also part of the council’s left-leaning progressive bloc, seeks a second term. He represents the 13th Council District, encompassing Hollywood and East Hollywood, as well as areas of Silver Lake, Echo Park and Westlake.
Military veteran Gilbert Vitela, Rich Sarian, an urban community planner and vice president of strategic initiatives for The Social District, Dylan Kendal, an entrepreneur and founder of Grow Hollywood, Colter Carlisle, vice president of the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council, community safety advocate Sebastian Davis, creative director Kristen Suszek, and district improvement advocate Gregory Downer have all filed paperwork to run for the district seat.
San Pedro native Tim McOsker, an attorney and former chief of staff to Mayor James Hahn from 1997 to 2005, is seeking a second term after being elected to represent the 15th Council District in 2022. The district encompasses the southern and Bay areas of Los Angeles, including communities of Harbor City, Harbor Gateway San Pedro, Watts and Wilmington.
The incumbent faces challenges from Jordan Rivers, a community organizer, and Phillip Crouch, a homeless shelter director.
Each potential candidate must gather 500 voter signatures to get on the ballot, and file a nomination petition by March 4.