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Imelda Padilla, left, and Marisa Alcaraz. | Photos courtesy of Imelda Padilla for Los Angeles City Council/Facebook; Marisa Alcaraz For City Council
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Tuesday is the deadline to vote in the special election between Imelda Padilla and Marisa Alcaraz to fill the City Council’s District 6 seat vacated when former Council President Nury Martinez resigned.
Padilla, a community relations manager, led the seven-candidate field in the first round of voting April 4 with 25.65% of the vote but fell short of a majority, necessitating a runoff against Alcaraz, a City Council aide, who was second with 21.13%.
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 says on her campaign’s 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.”
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 has said she “will prioritize helping people without homes off our streets and into housing, where they can get the care they need to get back on their feet.”
Alcaraz has said she supports conducting extensive outreach and having a “Housing First” approach.
“We need to continue to invest in outreach teams, especially the multi-disciplinary teams that include a nurse and mental health professional,” she said.
Alcaraz has also called for using existing government property, including Metro parcels, to immediately build temporary shelter facilities; master lease existing buildings, including apartments and motels, to swiftly move people off of the streets; acquire vacant properties for long-term housing development; and create a Homeless Navigation Center where individuals can access services including case management, health care, job training, restrooms and showers, laundry facilities and storage.
The 38-year-old Alcaraz is deputy chief of staff and environmental policy director to 9th District Councilman Curren Price. She was raised in Lake Balboa and graduated from Birmingham High School. She received a bachelor’s degree from UC Irvine and a master’s degree from USC.
Price is facing charges of embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest, and the council’s Rules, Elections, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee is mulling a motion to suspend Price that was put forth last week by Council President Paul Krekorian. The committee voted 3-0 Friday to delay any recommendations on Price’s possible suspension and wait to hear more information on what actions the Council could take.
District 6 consists of Van Nuys, Arleta, Lake Balboa, Panorama City, Sun Valley and the eastern portions of North Hills and North Hollywood.
All registered voters in the district received a vote-by-mail ballot in late May, according to Los Angeles City Clerk Holly Wolcott.
Voters can cast ballots from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Albert Piantanida Intergenerational Center at 9540 Van Nuys Blvd. in Panorama City, Goodwill Southern California at 14565 Lanark St. in Panorama City and Central Lutheran Church at 6425 Tyrone Ave. in Van Nuys.
Ballots can also be cast from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday at the office of the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder at 12400 Imperial Highway in Norwalk, and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at LA Family Housing at 7843 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood, Fernangeles Elementary School at 12001 Art St. in Sun Valley, Bassett Street Elementary School at 15756 Bassett St. in Van Nuys and Gault Street Elementary School at 17000 Gault St. in Van Nuys.
The locations of the 14 vote-by-mail drop boxes which will be open through 8 p.m. Tuesday is available at locator.lavote.gov/locations-list/vbm/?id=4313&culture=en.
Eligible residents who missed the registration deadline can still vote at any vote center. Under California election law, conditional voter registration allows a prospective voter to register and cast a ballot.
Voters can track their ballots using “Where’s My Ballot,” a free subscription that sends automatic notifications by text, email or voicemail on the status of a ballot.
Martinez represented the district until October, when she resigned first her council presidency and then, two days later, her seat altogether after she was caught making racist comments in a meeting that was secretly taped and leaked to the news media.
The winner will finish Martinez’s term, which ends in December 2024.
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