New candidate enters race to succeed Mike Bonin in District 11

Criminal defense and civil rights attorney Erin Darling announced Friday he will run for Council District 11 after the Westside district’s current council member Mike Bonin announced he would not seek reelection.

“We’re not just faced with a housing crisis. Climate change threatens the Pacific and Santa Monica Mountains. We can’t delay our efforts for climate change resiliency,” Darling wrote on Twitter shortly after announcing his run.

Darling has lived in Venice his entire life and began his legal career as an attorney for low-income tenants, including those in Venice, facing eviction, according to the Los Angeles Daily News, which interviewed Darling. He told The Daily News that his run for City Council was prompted by progressive council member Mike Bonin announcing he won’t run for reelection for the district that includes Venice, Pacific Palisades, Mar Vista and Westchester.

Other candidates running to represent the district include attorney Traci Park, an attorney who represents businesses and municipalities; Allison Holdorff Polhill, a former aide to a Los Angeles School District board member; and Venice Neighborhood Council President Jim Murez. Greg Good, a mayoral appointee to the Los Angeles city Public Works board who recently resigned, filed paperwork to run for the seat but has not yet announced his candidacy. The field also includes Gary Copeland, Matthew Smith and Vincent Sulaitis.

Bonin announced on Jan. 26 that he would not seek reelection in the June primary, saying he will instead focus on his health and wellness. The councilman, who is one of the City Council’s most progressive members, had won his last election in 2017 with 71% of the vote.

The primary for the 2022 city election will take place on June 7, with the top two finishers from each race squaring off in the general election on Nov. 8.