2020 Los Angeles elections explained

The 2020 Los Angeles elections were held on March 3, 2020. Voters elected candidates in a nonpartisan primary, with runoff elections scheduled for November 3, 2020. Seven of the fifteen seats in the City Council were up for election.

This was the first election held in the city that correlated with recent changes in election laws, which moved elections from being held on off-years to even-numbered years to correlate with federal and state elections.^[1]

Municipal elections in California are officially nonpartisan; candidates' party affiliations do not appear on the ballot.

City council

District 2

Candidates

• Ayinde Jones, attorney
• Paul Krekorian, incumbent councilmember^[2]
• Rudy Melendez, laborer and artist^[2]

Did not make ballot

• Radomir V. Luza, North Hollywood Neighborhood Council Board member
• Eric Preven, writer and producer
• Stacey Jane Slichta
• Adam Summer, Studio City Neighborhood Council Board member

Withdrew

• Vivianna Dunnigan^[3]

Results

District 4

Candidates

• Sarah Kate Levy, writer and women's advocate^[3]
• Nithya Raman, urban planner and activist^[4]
• David Ryu, incumbent councilmember^[5]

Did not make ballot

• Eric Christie
• Susan Collins, community activist^[3]

Withdrew

• Lisa Cahan-Davis, manager at Urban Land Institute
• Richard Joseph, entertainment attorney^[3]
• Sarah Sun Liew, CEO of Meridian Business Legal Investment Wish Foundation
• Artin Sodaify, lawyer

Results

District 6

Candidates

• Benito Bernal, community advocate and former leader of SEIU Local 99 labor union
• Bill Haller, music studio owner
• Nury Martinez, incumbent councilmember^[6]

Did not make ballot

• Oscar Portillo, chairperson of the Sun Valley Area Neighborhood Council

Results

District 8

Candidates

• Marqueece Harris-Dawson, incumbent councilmember

Did not make ballot

• DaJuan W. Bell
• Lee A. Brothers
• Tara Perry^[7]
• Ingrid Rivera-Guzman^[8]
• Cliff Smith
• Denise Francis Woods, businesswoman

Withdrew

• Khansa T. Jones-Muhammad Clark, budget advocate

Results

District 10

Candidates

• Channing Martinez, community organizer
• Mark Ridley-Thomas, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisor for the 2nd district^[9]
• Melvin Snell, human rights activist
• Aura Vasquez, former Board of Water and Power commissioner^[10]
• Grace Yoo, attorney^[11]

Did not make ballot

• Megan Abboud
• Jonothan "Jace" Dawson, store manager^[12]
• Dallas Fowler
• Milton Hall
• Holly Hancock
• G. Juan Johnson, housing advocate
• Anne Kim
• Lily Larsen
• Althea Rae Shaw
• Faalaniga Smith
• Jason Underhill

Withdrew

• Andrea Michelle Wade-Catena

Results

District 12

Candidates

• John Lee, incumbent councilmember^[13]
• Loraine Lundquist, educator and scientist^[14]

Did not make ballot

• Asaad Alnajjar, civil structural engineer asaadalnajjar.com^[15]
• Jose Luis Gonzalez, recreation facility director

Withdrew

• Carlos Amador, activist^[16]
• Edward Antonino, labor law attorney^[3]
• Brandii Grace, game designer and educator

Results

District 14

Candidates

• Kevin de León, California state senator and President pro tempore of the California State Senate
• John Jimenez, nonprofit executive
• Mónica Garcia, LAUSD Board of Education member for District 2^[17]
• Cyndi Otteson, advertising executive and Vice President of the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council^[18]
• Raquel Zamora, teacher, counselor, social worker and small business owner^[19]

Did not make ballot

• Monica Alcaraz, community advocate
• Stanley Deacon Alexander
• Hal Bastian, real estate agent and consultant^{[20] [21]}
• David Bloom
• Barry Boen
• Ian K. Chi-Young
• Eric Christie
• Hidemi Ena
• Dentis Davis Fowlkes, Hermon Neighborhood Council Board member
• Jana Grochoske, model
• Freddie Huguez, former baseball coach^[22]
• Maria Janossy, immigration lawyer, community leader and activist^[23]
• Marcus Lovingood, new media producer, political activist, and internet entrepreneur
• William "Rodriguez" Morrison, community organizer and perennial candidate^[24]
• Kendrick Rustad, creative director of KR Interior Design Group^[24]
• Jamie Tijerina, researcher at California Institute of Technology^[21]

Withdrew

• Richelle Huizar, wife of vacated councilmember José Huizar^[25]
• Brian Andres Mico-Quinn

Results

LAUSD Board of Education

District 1

Candidates

• George J. McKenna III, incumbent board member

Did not make ballot

• Michael Batie, author and professor^[26]
• John Brasfield, educator, boxer, and coach
• Toni Henderson
• Tunette Powell, educator and activist

Results

District 3

Candidates

• Elizabeth Badger, small business owner and CEO of Minority Outreach Committee^[27]
• Marilyn Koziatek, member of parent-teacher association^[28]
• Scott Schmerelson, incumbent board member

Did not make ballot

• John Sandy Campbell, teacher^[29]
• Annette McClain, pharmacy tech^[29]
• Christopher Meredith, substitute teacher
• Kenneth "Kenchy" Ragsdale III, founder of Kids Not Politics^[30]

Results

District 5

• Jackie Goldberg, incumbent board member^[31]
• Christina Martinez Duran, teacher, adviser, and educational consultant^[31]

Did not make ballot

• Maria del Pilar Avalos, member of the Community Advisory Committee^[32]

Results

District 7

Candiatees

• Silke Bradford, teacher and school administrator^[33]
• Patricia Castellanos, deputy director of L.A. Alliance for a New Economy^[34]
• Tanya Ortiz Franklin, lawyer and former teacher^[35]
• Mike Lansing, former LAUSD board member from 1999 to 2007^[36]

Did not make ballot

• Estuardo Ruano, homeless activist

Withdrew

• Edgar Campos
• Lydia Gutierrez, math teacher
• Nichelle Henderson, member of the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees

Results

External links

• Office of the City Clerk, City of Los Angeles

Notes and References

1. Web site: Charter Amendment 1 . smartvoter.org . March 31, 2015 . League of Women Voters of California Education Fund .
2. Web site: 2 challenge LA Councilman (and budget chair) Krekorian in CD2. Chou, Elizabeth. February 13, 2020. Los Angeles Daily News.
3. Web site: Know the candidates vying for San Fernando Valley LA city council seats on March 3, 2020. Andres, Holly. December 15, 2019. Los Angeles Daily News.
4. Web site: Meet Nithya Raman, the L.A. City Council Candidate Who Is Trying to Solve the City's Homelessness Crisis. Specter, Emma. October 29, 2020. Vouge.
5. Web site: The Race to Represent L.A. City Council District 4 Could Get Competitive. December 2, 2019. Regardie, Jon. Los Angeles.
6. Web site: LA City Council President Martinez faces two challengers in her east Valley district. Los Angeles Daily News. February 12, 2020. Chou, Elizabeth.
7. Web site: Council District 8 Candidates Update. Southwest Area Neighborhood Association.
8. Web site: Big-Name Candidates Take Early Lead in Open L.A. Council Primary Races. March 3, 2020. MyNewsLA.
9. Web site: Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas declares victory in 10th District. Los Angeles Times. Zahnzer, David. November 3, 2020.
10. Web site: Inside the Race for Herb Wesson's Open City Council Seat. January 17, 2020. Regardie, Jon. Los Angeles.
11. Web site: Can a Vocal City Hall Critic Win Against a 30-Year Veteran of L.A. Politics?. October 12, 2020. Regardie, John. Log Angeles.
12. Web site: Questions surround Compton City Council candidate's resume. March 27, 2021. Silva, Gina. KTTV.
13. Web site: 2019-05-19. Can a Democrat win an L.A. City Council seat long held by Republicans?. 2022-02-07. Los Angeles Times. en-US.
14. Web site: Loraine Lundquist says she will run again for Council District 12 seat. September 19, 2019. Los Angeles Daily News.
15. Web site: Asaad Alnajjar Announces Bid for Los Angeles City Council, District 12. October 20, 2019. PRWeb.
16. Web site: LA CITY COUNCIL ELECTION: With 'deep appreciation' for workers, Carlos Amador sees path to leadership. Chou, Elizabeth. May 20, 2019. Los Angeles Daily News.
17. Web site: Mónica García and Kevin de León: two candidates for CD14. July 18, 2019. Pedraza, Noemi. Boyle Heights Beat.
18. Web site: Can a Bernie bump help these local L.A. candidates?. Zahniser, David; Smith, Dakota; Reyes, Alpert. March 1, 2020. Los Angeles Times.
19. Web site: Meet the Candidates for the CD14 Council Seat. Thomas, Sean P.; Slayton, Nicholas. Los Angeles Downtown News. February 25, 2020.
20. Web site: Hal Bastian Enters CD14 Race. October 21, 2019. Thomas, Sean P.. Los Angeles Downtown News.
21. Web site: They were planning to run for office. But getting on L.A.'s ballot wasn't so easy. January 9, 2020. Zahnzer, David. Los Angeles Times.
22. Web site: Meet Freddie Huguez of LA City Kids in Boyle Heights. VoyageLA. November 25, 2019.
23. Web site: Maria Janossy: candidate for CD14. February 28, 2020. Boyle Heights Beat.
24. Web site: The Battle to Fill the City Council Seat Being Vacated by José Huizar. November 15, 2019. Regardie, John. Los Angeles.
25. Web site: Richelle Huizar Drops Bid for Husband's L.A. City Council Seat After FBI Raid. Von Quednow, Cindy. November 21, 2018. KTLA.
26. Web site: The fight will go on in union-versus-charter contests for L.A. school board. Blume, Howard; Kohli, Sonali. March 4, 2020. Los Angeles Times.
27. Web site: LAUSD Candidate Profile: Elizabeth Badger. Petersen, Carl J.date=January 26, 2020. Patch.
28. Web site: LA School Board Election 2020 Candidate Q&A: Marilyn Koziatek. Stokes, Kyle. October 12, 2020. LAist.
29. Web site: Four Pivotal L.A. School Board Races Coincide with March Presidential Primary. Speak Up United Parents. November 18, 2019.
30. Web site: Meet the Candidate: Kenchy Ragsdale (California). October 10, 2019. DemCastUSA.
31. Web site: Battle over charter schools spills into L.A. Unified District 5 election. February 7, 2020. Lank, Berry. The Eastside LA.
32. Web site: 2020 Elections: Who's Running For LA City Council And LAUSD School Board In The March Primary?. December 4, 2019. Stokes, Kyle. LAist.
33. Web site: LAUSD School Board Candidate Silke Bradford: An 'F' on Charter School Oversight. February 25, 2020. Petersen, Carl J.. Knock LA.
34. Web site: LA School Board Election 2020 Candidate Q&A: Patricia Castellanos. LAist. Stokes, Kyle. October 13, 2020.
35. Web site: School Board Candidate Tanya Ortiz Franklin's Mission: Get More Kids to College. February 2, 2020. Speak Up United Parents.
36. Web site: Mike Lansing for LAUSD school board in District 7. February 10, 2020. Daily Breeze.