The results of this year’s Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council election are now certified and official, thanks to just a few dozen participating voters.
Nineteen neighborhood stakeholders have been elected and will begin their two-year terms in July, at the start of the next fiscal year.
The newly elected volunteers will represent the community and work to amplify residents’ voices to the Los Angeles City Council.
Boyle Heights saw its lowest voter turnout in years during this election cycle. Out of 148 ballots requested, only 56 were submitted – and that’s with an estimated population of more than 80,000. During its last election in 2021, Boyle Heights saw 84 votes, about half of the 177 submitted in 2019, according to the L.A. City Clerk. The Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council did not hold a formal election in 2023 due to a lack of candidates running that year.
The neighborhood’s low voter turnout mirrors a citywide trend. Some attribute this year’s decline to restricting the election to vote-by-mail, leaving residents with no option for in-person voting.
Elected positions on the council, including President, are voted on during the council’s first meetings. Below are the elected candidates, with Area Seat 2 missing due to insufficient votes:
Area 1 Seat
- Ana Donayre Alvarez
Area 3 Seat
- Steven Lopez-Deler
Area 4 Seat
- Jazmin Ronquillo
Community Seat
- Margarita Mago Amador
- Wendy Castro
- Elias Naranjo
- Sylvia Delgado
- Shmuel Gonzales
- Kathy Lopez
- Vivian M. Escalante
- Christian Mejía
- Jacqueline Lyon
- Andrew Marquez
- Adriana Howard
- Aracelly Cauich
- Tomasa Martinez
- Tania Ramon
Community Interest Seat
- Irma Mejia
Youth Seat
- Ashley Lares
Note: If a seat is left unfilled, community stakeholders may later be identified and nominated by the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council to fill the vacancy.
