\u201cIt\u2019s 2026, and our city is running on archaic systems,\u201d Acosta asserts. \u201cI\u2019ve navigated through these systems in my work as an event producer and community builder.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 43-year-old Mexican American, who got his bachelor of science in graphic design at the Art Institute of Santa Monica, has lived all over Southern California \u2014 from West Covina to San Bernardino, then to West Hollywood and Los Feliz. As a creative director and marketing strategist, he\u2019s also used his communication skills and organic charisma to connect with people.<\/p>\n
On the surface, working in nightlife and events might not seem like an obvious path to civic leadership, but Acosta explains it in a way that makes a lot of sense. He\u2019s built his career by navigating bureaucracies to secure city permits and meet public safety regulations for venue compliance; not to mention he\u2019s a whiz at neighborhood outreach.<\/p>\n
After specializing in marketing and event production for such companies as Warner Brothers and Fox, Acosta founded his own promotion company, the Nightbreed<\/a> in 2016. What began with poolside rooftop soirees soon expanded to events in other hotels around the city, such as the Mondrian, Dream, the Sofitel and the Moxy \u2014 and additional locales in Austin, Miami and Mexico. The Nightbreed has also garnered a significant profile during L.A. Pride month events.<\/p>\n Acosta\u2019s run has generated excitement from Angelenos like himself: educated, millennial, Latino and part of the LGBTQ+ community. On April 4 he announced his candidacy with a uniquely spirited town hall at Casita Hollywood. The event featured vivacious emcee Rhea Litr\u00e9, one of the city\u2019s most riveting drag and club personalities, but the topics discussed were sobering: homelessness, transgender discrimination, affordability, mental health and ICE raids.<\/p>\n \u201cHe stands for a Los Angeles where equality isn\u2019t just a promise, it\u2019s a practice,\u201d says Litr\u00e9.<\/p>\n L.A. mayoral candidate Bryant Acosta is a Hollywood resident who runs a small business producing parties geared toward the LGBTQ+ community. \u201cI feel like I have my hand on the pulse of the city,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, it\u2019s all about standing up for our generation, and really allowing us to bring in this ethos,\u201d he continues. \u201cEspecially as Angelenos, we are very Rage Against the Machine. We are very much like, you know, \u2018Unidos, vamos a salir adelante,\u2019 which translates in English to, \u2018United, we will come out stronger together.\u2019 And I really believe that.\u201d<\/p>\n To the young voters at his town hall, only Acosta represents true change and the same kind of much-needed generational shift we saw in New York. His ideas are music to many ears in the Latino and queer community \u2014 like Mark Anthony Figueroa Jr., a nightlife community figure who calls him \u201cthe leader Los Angeles has been waiting for.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s progressive, inclusive and refreshingly direct,\u201d says Figueroa. \u201cNo BS, no fluff. Just transparent, grounded leadership that\u2019s genuinely in touch with the soul of the communities that make this city run.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat sets [Acosta] apart is that he\u2019s actually lived the city\u2019s struggles, and is not just campaigning on them,\u201d adds friend and hopeful constituent, Jed Inductivo. \u201cHe\u2019s beholden to no one but the people. His vision for using technology to drive real transparency, job creation and creative opportunity, and to tackle homelessness at its root, rather than applying endless band-aids, is the most exciting, accountable thinking I\u2019ve seen in this race.\u201d<\/p>\n Given the hostility of the Trump administration, does Acosta fear his sexuality might deter close-minded voters?<\/p>\n \u201cWhile I was canvassing to get my signatures to run, I was actually able to turn conservatives because they saw that my campaign is not ideological,\u201d he says. \u201cMy campaign is about getting things done. When they saw my ideas and my platform, they were like, \u2018You\u2019re interesting enough for me to sign on.\u2019 I was really proud of that. Conservatives in California are much different from conservatives in other parts of the country \u2014 they\u2019re fiscally conservative but socially liberal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTrans issues [are also] the hot button [issue],\u201d he continues, citing his objective to install more public gender-neutral restrooms in the city. \u201cOne of the things that as a gay man I\u2019ve noticed, is the evolution of acceptance. \u2026 You know, our stories were being told. So I\u2019m using my platform for trans people and LGBTQ in general, to tell more of those stories and to offer education on some of this stuff, because I feel like there\u2019s so much misinformation [online]. The algorithm is not our friend. When you hear people saying outlandish things, the algorithm rewards that. I want to push back by offering scientifically-based information.\u201d<\/p>\n As the son of Mexican immigrants, Acosta also speaks to the broader immigrant community. The onslaught of ICE raids in L.A.<\/a> hit very close to home for him, as his own aunt was picked up by ICE with his cousin during the Obama administration. He says his family members were thrown to the ground, threatened and detained.<\/p>\n \u201cMy aunt was already doing her paperwork, but she had just missed the meetings, which she conceded. But they tricked her. They used tactics in the jail to say, \u2018If you don\u2019t sign for this, we\u2019re going to throw your son [who was a citizen] out of the country,\u2019\u201d he recalls, adding that his relatives have remained in Mexico ever since.<\/p>\n How does he plan to do that when the federal government has a strong hold on immigration policy? And what might he do differently when others before him have failed?<\/p>\n![\"L.A.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778769911_744_.jpeg\")
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