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Politics Apr 05, 2023
Imelda Padilla. | Photo courtesy of Imelda Padilla for Los Angeles City Council/Facebook
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By Jose Herrera
Community relations manager Imelda Padilla was leading Wednesday in the special election to fill the Los Angeles City Council seat vacated by Nury Martinez, but the race for second place and a spot in a likely runoff remained tight between Marisa Alcaraz, Rose Grigoryan and Marco Santana.
Padilla had 2,288 votes, or 25.55%, according to figures released Tuesday night by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.
Alcaraz was second with 1,723 votes, 19.24%; Grigoryan was third with 1,610 votes, 17.98%; and Santana was fourth with 1,568 votes, 17.51%.
Small business owner Issac Kim was the only other candidate in the field of seven to top 10%, with 1,033 votes, or 11.53%.
If no candidate receives a majority, there will be a runoff between the top two vote getters, with the deadline to cast ballots June 27. It was unclear how many ballots remain to be counted. The next vote-counting update is scheduled to be released Friday afternoon.
“I am humbled by the community support and look forward to earning the privilege of becoming the next council member for our working families to ensure that their voices are heard at city hall,” Padilla said in a statement.
Council District 6 consists of Van Nuys, Arleta, Lake Balboa, Panorama City, Sun Valley and the eastern portions of North Hills and North Hollywood.
Turnout was low, with initial returns including 9,085 ballots cast, or 7.67% of the 109,388 voters registered in District 6. The initial tally includes 8,301 ballots from voters by mail and 784 ballots from in-person vote centers.
Padilla has pledged to prioritize “an immediate solution to the unhoused crisis because what is currently occurring is not working.”
“I will propose an emergency remediation of encampments, connecting the unhoused population to essential services that will support them in finding housing, employment, and health services,” Padilla said on her campaign website.
“I will work cohesively with all stakeholders, residents, non-profits organizations, religious leaders, business owners and health organizations to develop and implement sensible hyper-local solutions that make our communities safer, sanitary, and sustainable,” she added.
The 35-year-old Padilla was born in Van Nuys and raised in Sun Valley, graduating from Roscoe Elementary School, Byrd Middle School and Polytechnic High School. She received a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and a master’s degree from Cal State Northridge.
Alcaraz, deputy chief of staff and environmental policy director to 9th District Councilman Curren Price, touted several accomplishments, such as crafting LA’s “Hero Pay” law to protect and honor frontline workers during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. She is 38.
“I’m encouraged and hopeful by the results this evening from the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk,” Alcaraz posted on social media Tuesday night. “We anxiously await the next update expected Friday afternoon.”
Grigoryan, a social activist and journalist who immigrated from Armenia a decade ago, promised to advocate for permanent supportive housing for the unhoused, more affordable housing units and working to eliminate food insecurity. She is 37.
Santana, a housing nonprofit director who has worked for former state Sen. Bob Hertzberg and Rep. Tony Cardenas, said his focus would be addressing homelessness, public safety and environmental justice. He is 32.
Martinez represented the district until October, when she resigned her council presidency and then, two days later, her seat altogether. Her resignations came in the wake of Martinez being caught making racist comments in a meeting that was secretly taped and leaked to the news media.
Former Councilman Gil Cedillo was also in that meeting, along with Councilman Kevin de León and Ron Herrera, president of the LA County Federation of Labor. Herrera also resigned his post, while Cedillo ultimately left the council at the end of his term after losing his bid for reelection in June.
De León has defied continued calls for his resignation but has been stripped by the council of major committee assignments and largely shunned by council colleagues.
The 6th District is being overseen by a nonvoting caretaker, the city’s chief legislative analyst, Sharon Tso. A nonvoting caretaker does not hold a seat on the council, but oversees the council office to make sure the district provides constituent services and other basic functions.
The winner of the special election will finish Martinez’s term, which ends in December 2024.
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