Voters in LA City Council District 9 will see a list of six candidates to replace outgoing Councilmember Curren Price, who has served the district since 2013 and has now reached his term limit. With one more candidate running as a certified write-in, the field is one of the city’s most crowded.
LA’s 15 councilmembers hold most of the city’s policy-making power, setting a course for everything from parking tickets to the city budget.
Whoever ultimately wins the District 9 seat will represent an area stretching from downtown LA through South Central. The district — long a hub for Black political power in LA — could choose its first non-Black councilmember since 1963 after no Black candidate qualified for the ballot.
Vote centers open May 4, and mail-in ballots will also be sent to voters then. Ballot drop boxes open May 5, and the primary election is June 2. If no candidate wins a majority of votes in the primary, the top two vote-getters will go head-to-head in November.
Estuardo Mazariegos
About the candidate: Estuardo Mazariegos, the Los Angeles Co-Director of ACCE, is a father of two, an immigrant, and a twenty-year community organizer. He has driven the adoption of landmark tenant and housing legislation (to protect south central residents from displacement and prevent tenant harassment citywide), expanded affordable housing funding through Measure ULA, and helped workers win the Olympic Wage Ordinance, raising hotel and airport pay to $30 by 2028. He’s running for District 9 on a 100% clean money campaign (no corporate PACs, no developers, conflicted donations) to build a city government accountable to the people who keep it running.
How would you improve city services, especially cleaning up streets?
Overall, I would make better use of the resources immediately available to our district, and I would be more effective in securing new resources for our district to be applied to safer, cleaner, better lit streets and more reliable city services.
Every district struggles to some degree with things like keeping streetlights on and garbage off the streets — but anyone who lives here knows it’s different and much worse here. Our council office has not been as attentive and responsive to the needs of our people here as other districts deserve. It sounds simple, but it’s important: my (and my staff’s) only priority will be to deliver for South Central, meaning every dollar we have for services will go further. I and my team will be on top of it and responsible for it in a way we haven’t seen here in years.
Additionally, I will be more aggressive in leveraging the financial interest outsiders have in our neighborhoods into support for our quality of life, meaning under my council leadership, you won’t just see better deployment of city resources for safety, cleanliness, and quality of life — you’ll see more resources being deployed.
It will be the first time in years this community has had leadership solely focused on delivery within the district, and that difference will be noticeable.
This district has the city’s most important Olympic venues — BMO Stadium, Crypto.com Arena, LA Convention Center, LA Memorial Coliseum — how would you bridge the gap between the influx of LA28 money and the needs of your constituents?
District 9 hosts these venues and is still the lowest-income district in the city. Wealth flows in, wealth flows out, and residents are left with the traffic, the policing, and virtually no benefits to speak of. My job is to close that gap — and I’ve been doing this work for years.
I’ve stood with the Tourist Workers Rising fight that won the Olympic Wage Ordinance, raising hotel and airport workers to $30 by 2028. That didn’t happen because corporations got generous; it happened because organized residents and workers forced it. Already I’ve defended that win as it’s come under attack, I’ll continue to defend it, expand the $30 floor to more industries, ban wage thieves from Olympic contracts, and prioritize local and minority-owned businesses for the work.
Look: the same interests that stand to profit most from these Games — short-term rental platforms, hotel conglomerates, developers — are already organizing to claw back what working people won, and pouring money into this race to do it. My campaign has refused all of it: no corporate PACs, no developers, no real estate. The contrast in this race is real.
That’s why I’ll fight for a short-term rental moratorium so our homes don’t become hotels, for eviction protections near venues, and for the Fair Games demand for $5 billion from the IOC and LA28 toward worker housing. And that’s why I’ll push for legacy investments residents will actually use — the six-acre Expo Park green space, the Vermont Bus-only Corridor, fare-free Metro and DASH, expanded PlayLA.
What else will you promise to people in the community?
I promise, above all, the district that the people here deserve.
I’ve organized in this community for two decades now. And that means organizing through heartbreak: families losing their homes, mothers losing their children, relatives taken by masked federal agents. When you’ve really stood shoulder to shoulder with people like this, it changes you.
This is such a beautiful place full of the most inspiring, hardworking people. And it’s wrong that the people who make this city function come home to the fewest and worst parks in the city, the most dangerous streets in the city, some of the dirtiest streets in the city. It upsets me.
I have specific proposals to address each of those things and more that I will fight tooth and nail for in office to deliver — from 10,000 new trees planted to new funding streams for street safety improvements — but here I just want to say that my promise is that every day I will wake up and go to bed thinking about nothing but how to deliver the communities that every person I’ve sweat with, organized with, cried with, celebrated with, and above all stood with for the last two decades deserves.
Learn more: Website | TikTok | Facebook | Instagram
Elmer Roldan
About the candidate: Born in Guatemala, Elmer Roldan immigrated to South Central Los Angeles at age nine, fleeing poverty and violence. Raised by a mother who cleaned houses to prioritize his education, Elmer found his calling at 13 through the Community Coalition. He evolved from a student leader into a seasoned advocate, securing $100 million for school infrastructure and dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline. Now Executive Director of Communities In Schools of Los Angeles, Roldan maintains a 100% graduation rate for his students. A homeowner and father, he is running for CD-9 City Council to ensure his neighbors have the opportunity to thrive.
How would you improve city services, especially cleaning up streets?
South LA has been asked to wait for “future improvements” for too long. To improve services, I will first restore integrity to the Council office. No more corruption charges or ethics violations. My record is rooted in transparency and a lifelong commitment to this community.
I didn’t move to District 9 just to run for office. I have lived here since arriving in the U.S. at nine years old. Today, our neighborhoods are plagued by encampments that create unsafe and unsanitary conditions for residents, schools, and businesses. I believe LAMC Section 41.18 must be enforced, but it must be paired with humane solutions that provide housing and services. Enforcement alone isn’t the answer, but leaving encampments in critical locations without action is unacceptable.
My plan prioritizes transparency for the $5.6 million in local funds currently sitting idle in CD-9 accounts. I will restore illegal dumping teams to a full seven-day schedule and utilize the $1.28 million Real Property Fund to clear empty lots that act as magnets for neglect.
Cleaning our streets also means cooling them. As an urban heat island, CD-9 needs an expanded tree canopy to filter air and lower temperatures—a critical matter of public health, not just beautification.
Ultimately, my approach balances urgency with accountability. We must house people faster, strengthen City-County coordination, and measure success by how many people are stably housed rather than by dollars allocated. It is time for a representative who meets this moment with both compassion and results.
This district has the city’s most important Olympic venues — BMO Stadium, Crypto.com Arena, LA Convention Center, LA Memorial Coliseum — how would you bridge the gap between the influx of LA28 money and the needs of your constituents?
As Los Angeles prepares for LA28, CD-9 stands at a critical crossroads. For too long, political gatekeepers have had money to fix stadiums but not our sidewalks. The wealth in CD-9 is concentrated in DTLA. In response, I will bridge this gap by proactively securing $100 million in Olympic revenue to be reinvested directly into our local neighborhood needs.
This is our opportunity to showcase the true heart of Los Angeles including our diversity, food, and art moving the spotlight beyond the beaches and Hollywood. CD-9’s business corridors are as vital to the cultural fabric and economic bottom line. I will invest and recognize our family-owned businesses for the resilient entrepreneurs they are.
Family businesses take on financial risks without access to traditional loans, using creative problem-solving to serve our community under precarious conditions. I will create special permits to fold vendors into our economy with dignity. No more selling in the shadows.
As a community organizer who spent two decades at Community Coalition, I know how to organize our family-owned shops to be Olympic-ready.
I offer leadership rooted in integrity to ensure these funds build a future where our families thrive. Public service is a responsibility, not an entitlement, and I will demand that our community finally receives its fair share in 2028 and beyond.
What else will you promise to people in the community?
“Protecting Our Future” is more than my campaign slogan. It is my promise to restore the dignity and community power that South Central has been denied for too long. Our current elected officials prioritized stadiums and luxury developments while our sidewalks crumble, streetlights stay broken, and illegal dumping piles up. My promise is to shift that focus back to the people who live, work, and worship here.
I promise to fight for the basic services we deserve: clean streets, safe neighborhoods, and access to quality food. Our residents should not be forced to travel outside the district to shop, eat, or find entertainment. I will treat our small, family-owned businesses with the same urgency and support the City gives to major corporations, ensuring our local economy thrives from within.
I promise a holistic approach to our community’s well-being. I bring my professional experience in education to the City Council ensuring our students’ success is a reflection of the conditions of their neighborhoods. By investing in affordable housing, eviction protections, and green spaces, we create an environment where our children can succeed.
Most importantly, I promise leadership rooted in integrity. I will be a councilmember you can trust. One who doesn’t lie about finances or violate ethics rules. One that has been your neighbor for decades. We are a beautiful, powerful community, and I will demand that Los Angeles finally serves all its people. Through our collective power, we can work together to ensure CD-9 receives the investment it deserves.
Learn more: Website | TikTok | Facebook | Instagram
Jorge Hernandez Rosas
About the candidate: I am Jorge Hernandez Rosas, an educator, mental health therapist, and community advocate running for Los Angeles City Council District 9. I was raised in South Los Angeles and understand the struggles working families and underserved communities face every day. I have dedicated my career to education, counseling, and public service by working directly with youth, adults, and families in need. I am currently pursuing a Doctorate in Education in Leadership for Justice at California State University, Dominguez Hills and expect to graduate in 2028. I believe District 9 deserves honest leadership focused on public safety, housing justice, mental health services, immigrant advocacy, and community investment.
How would you improve city services, especially cleaning up streets?
I believe District 9 deserves clean, safe, and well-maintained neighborhoods. For too long, many communities in South Los Angeles have been ignored while basic city services continue to decline. As your councilmember, I will fight to improve sanitation services, neighborhood safety, and accountability from city departments.
I want rapid-response cleanup teams dedicated to illegal dumping, graffiti removal, bulky item pickup, and cleaning areas impacted by homelessness encampments. Residents should not wait weeks for basic services. I will also push for increased trash collection and regular sanitation services near schools, parks, transit stops, and commercial corridors.
Public safety and street safety also matter. I will advocate for speed bumps in dangerous residential areas where speeding threatens families and children. I also support installing cameras in high-crime areas to help deter violent crime, illegal dumping, vandalism, prostitution, and human trafficking activity.
Along the Figueroa Corridor, I will work aggressively to address prostitution and exploitation that continue to impact residents, businesses, and families.
I also want to permanently address homelessness encampments by helping get people off the streets and connected to rehabilitation services, mental health support, addiction treatment, transitional housing, and long-term assistance programs.
Clean and safe neighborhoods improve public health, economic growth, and community pride. District 9 deserves city services that truly work for the people.
This district has the city’s most important Olympic venues — BMO Stadium, Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles Convention Center, and Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum — how would you bridge the gap between the influx of LA28 money and the needs of your constituents?
I believe the 2028 Olympics must directly benefit the residents of District 9, not just corporations, developers, and outside investors. While billions of dollars are being invested into Los Angeles, many working families in our communities continue struggling with housing insecurity, rising rents, homelessness, unemployment, and lack of resources.
As your councilmember, I will fight to ensure Olympic-related investments create real opportunities for residents through local hiring programs, apprenticeship opportunities, youth internships, and contracts for small businesses in District 9.
I will also push for long-term infrastructure improvements that remain after the Olympics end, including cleaner streets, better lighting, safer sidewalks, stronger public transportation access, and improved public safety resources.
Housing justice must also be a priority. I support stronger rent control protections, fair and affordable housing policies, and tenant protections that prevent working families from being displaced. I also want to expand community education programs that teach residents about housing rights, tenant protections, and available legal resources.
I also support expanding food banks and community food distribution programs for families struggling with food insecurity.
Additionally, I will advocate for immigrant families who are living in fear. Many hardworking residents feel terrorized by aggressive immigration enforcement actions. I will support community organizations that provide legal resources, advocacy, and protection for immigrant families while pushing for policies that keep our communities safe and united.
District 9 residents deserve lasting investments that improve their quality of life long after the Olympics are over.
What else will you promise to people in the community?
I promise to be present, accessible, and accountable to the people of District 9. I will not disappear after the election. I will stay connected to residents, workers, small businesses, youth, and community organizations because leadership starts by listening to the people.
I promise to fight for safer neighborhoods by improving lighting in high-crime areas, supporting cameras where violent crime is common, and addressing prostitution and criminal activity affecting our communities, especially along the Figueroa Corridor.
I will advocate for traffic safety improvements, including speed bumps near schools and residential streets where reckless driving continues to endanger lives.
I also promise to fight for housing justice by supporting rent control, fair rent policies, tenant protections, and stronger education for renters regarding their housing rights and protections against unlawful displacement.
I will work to expand food banks and emergency support services for families facing economic hardship.
I also stand with our immigrant community. Many hardworking families live in fear of immigration enforcement actions that separate families and create fear throughout our neighborhoods. I will support advocacy efforts, legal aid resources, and community protections that defend immigrant families and help keep South Los Angeles communities safe and united.
As an educator, therapist, and doctoral student studying Leadership for Justice, I understand the importance of investing in mental health services, education, youth programs, and rehabilitation services that help communities heal and grow.
Most importantly, I promise to serve the people not political insiders or corporate interests.
Learn more: Instagram
Jorge Nuño
About the candidate: Jorge Nuño is a South Central LA native, social entrepreneur, and community builder. As CEO of NTS Communications and former Board Chair of Conaxion, he has spent decades creating jobs, mentoring youth, and investing in the neighborhoods he calls home. His landmark community hub, The Big House, has served as an incubator, cultural space, and civic gathering place for over 20 years. Endorsed by the LA Times in his 2017 council run, Jorge is running again in 2026 under his signature motto: “Don’t Move, Improve” — a commitment to building South LA up from within.
How would you improve city services, especially cleaning up the streets?
What people are frustrated with isn’t a lack of resources, it’s a lack of execution and accountability. You see it across Hoover, Figueroa, Broadway, Main, Avalon, and Central Avenue. Illegal dumping sits for weeks, sidewalks go unrepaired, and streetlights stay out.
We start by fixing how the council office operates. Field deputies should be out in the community every day, reporting block by block and pushing departments to respond. If they’re not moving, nothing moves.
I will implement a public-facing tracking system so residents can see what’s been reported, what’s being worked on, and how long it’s taking. People deserve transparency.
Operationally, we need to scale up. Right now, there are only about three illegal dumping crews serving a district with this level of need. I will push to increase that to at least six crews and move toward a 24-hour rapid response model to prevent backlog.
At the same time, we need local hiring. Residents should be maintaining their own neighborhoods through good-paying union jobs tied to cleanup, maintenance, and beautification.
What else will you promise to people in the community?
I will promise what I have already spent 20 years proving with my own hands and my own resources: I will not leave, and I will not stop building.
On housing, I will fight for community land trusts, resident-led co-ops, affordable homes on city-owned land, and strong rent stabilization so no family gets pushed out of South LA. ADU red tape will come down so homeowners can build wealth on land they already own.
On small business, I will expand incubators and mercados, protect street vendors, open pathways to city contracts, and train 1,000 new entrepreneurs. The economic engine of this district runs on the corner store, the food cart, the barbershop — and they deserve real support.
On safety, I believe public safety is built through investment, not just enforcement. Jobs, clean streets, youth programs, and mental health resources make communities safer. We will pursue community-based safety models that center care alongside accountability.
And I will promise something harder to put in a policy document: I will show up. Not just at election time. I will be in the community the way I have always been — at the table, on the block, in the school, and in the fight.
South LA doesn’t lack talent or vision. It lacks a councilmember who truly belongs to it. That is what I am offering.
Learn more: Website | TikTok | Facebook | Instagram
Martha Sánchez
About the candidate: Martha Sánchez is an activist, educator, and therapist from Jalisco, México. Martha acquired a strong sense of duty, resilience, and empathy after raising her siblings at age 12 when her mother immigrated to the United States. Martha encourages people to advocate for themselves and has dedicated her efforts toward tackling racial inequalities, promoting economic fairness, and supporting workers’ rights. She has promoted increased minimum wage, access to resources, school safety, and sustainable development for families facing socio-economic challenges. Her victories include advocating for new schools and affordable housing, improving community safety, combating pollution, providing mental health resources, and encouraging city investment.
How would you improve city services, especially cleaning up streets?
Canvassing in the neighborhood is very inspiring, I have heard hundreds of complaints about city street services, but also dozens of suggestions that I’m open to implement. I have explored with community residents a wide range of innovated solutions, such as organizing beautification projects, clean up events, public education campaigns including incentives, acknowledgements and tax breaks for business and community residents who help maintain their blocks clean and safe as well as the enforcement of strict protocols and penalties for lawbreakers. As a strong proponent of preventive programs, I want to implement strict policies to warn potential offenders that “each area is monitored, and all rules will be enforced to prevent the escalation of littering and vandalism.”
This district has the city’s most important Olympic venues — BMO Stadium, Crypto.com Arena, LA Convention Center, LA Memorial Coliseum — how would you bridge the gap between the influx of LA28 money and the needs of your constituents?
As we speak, numerous proposals and agreements are currently being negotiated and finalized by special interest groups and political representatives. I am concerned about the possibility of modifying the terms in case those deals fail to offer meaningful benefits or economic opportunities for my constituents. My community has been historically overlooked not only by the influx of LA28 funding and I’m also aware that any finalized agreement will be enforced regardless of the election results. I’m very concerned about the potential consequences of joining the negotiations table too late, as each passing week diminishes our ability to represent and advocate for the best interests of our community residents.
It is vital for our community that the Olympics economic plan incorporates housing opportunities for residents following the conclusion of the games, as well as lasting benefits for students pursuing careers in entertainment, business administration, and hospitality—not only for those interested in athletics. I strongly believe that the optimal outcome for my district would entail obtaining funding to establish a historically significant venue dedicated to civil rights activism in South Central, along with job training and educational opportunities. This initiative would set new benchmarks for both visitors and residents by providing access to cultural intersections, enhanced infrastructure, and genuine permanent opportunities for local businesses and community members.
What else will you promise to people in the community?
Politicians make promises and I’m not a career politician. I am a dedicated public servant and a long-term member of this district who has achieved tangible results without holding a political seat. As a member of this community, I have created spaces for dialogue, involvement opportunities and delivered positive results through grassroots organizing efforts. As I walk through the district engaging with residents and gathering information, I have heard loud and clear that safety means walkable sidewalks, adequate lighting, cross guards in schools, speed bumps, tree maintenance, restorative justice, and gang and drug prevention programs—and that’s exactly what I want to deliver. I support housing projects that preserve our community’s historic and architectural character and address the lack of parking spaces.
As a therapist, I totally agree that we need mental health services, legal assistance and educational resources for victims of crime, sexual assault, domestic violence, labor and human trafficking. I believe in collaborating with community members to identify suitable locations where street vendors can operate safely and efficiently.
Rather than making promises, I want to empower the change we want to see in our community. I’m developing strategies and inviting community stakeholders to participate in an oversight committee designed to ensure accountability. As voters we can always correct wrong past decisions by casting informed votes, voting for the right person. We won’t see the change that we want to achieve if we continue supporting the same political forces that have perpetuated existing challenges rather than resolve them.
Learn more: Website | TikTok | Facebook | Instagram
Chris Martin
How would you improve city services, especially cleaning up streets?
Improving city services starts with accountability and responsiveness. Too often in our district, residents report illegal dumping, missed trash pickups, and unsafe conditions, and nothing happens in a timely manner. That is unacceptable. As a lifelong resident myself, everybody on my block complains that there’s no parking on the street. Cars are often double parked, parallel to each other in the middle of the street, forcing residents to drive in the middle of the road or on the wrong side of the road to get around them.
First, I would establish a rapid-response system within the district office to track and follow up on every service request, ensuring no complaint falls through the cracks. Second, I would push for increased sanitation resources specifically allocated to high-need areas in District 9, including more frequent cleanings and targeted enforcement against illegal dumping. Third, I would make diagonal parking spaces on the residential streets that lack adequate parking so that cars won’t have to park in the middle of the street anymore.
We also need to work with the community. I would support partnerships with local organizations, block clubs, and neighborhood groups to organize regular cleanups while ensuring the city provides the tools and support needed.
Finally, we must address root causes. Illegal dumping often happens in neglected areas. By improving lighting, activating vacant lots, and holding property owners accountable, we can prevent these issues before they start.
Our community deserves clean, safe streets, and I will make sure City Hall delivers.
This district has the city’s most important Olympic venues — BMO Stadium, Crypto.com Arena, LA Convention Center, LA Memorial Coliseum — how would you bridge the gap between the influx of LA28 money and the needs of your constituents?
The Olympics are coming whether we like it or not. My job is to make sure District 9 doesn’t just host the world, we rise with it.
The 2028 Olympics will bring billions into Los Angeles, but the question for District 9 is simple: will our residents benefit, or be pushed further to the margins?
For too long, major investments have happened around our communities, not for them. As a Black man from South Central and a civil rights lawyer, I believe this moment must be different.
First, we need enforceable community benefits agreements tied to every major Olympic investment. That means guaranteed local hiring, contracts for small Black and Brown-owned businesses, and real pathways into union jobs that last beyond 2028.
Second, we must protect residents from displacement. That includes strong tenant protections, anti-price gouging enforcement, and proactive housing investments so longtime residents are not priced out in the name of global attention.
Third, we should leverage Olympic funding to build permanent infrastructure our community actually needs: youth centers, job training pipelines, mental health resources, and safe, clean streets. The Olympics should leave behind opportunity, not just memories.
Finally, transparency and accountability are key. Our community deserves a seat at the table where these decisions are made, not an afterthought.
What else will you promise to people in the community?
I promise to deliver on my 4 point platform.
1. I want to revitalize Central Avenue. It will once again become the cultural focal point of urban Los Angeles, just as it was in the 1940s and 50s. People will come to Central Avenue for its great local businesses, restaurants and entertainment. They will watch movies at movie theater on Central Avenue. They will eat great Soul Food and Mexican food. And they will see Central Avenue as a place with a future worth investing into.
2. I will build a job training center on Central Avenue that specifically trains our youth up so they can become the next generation of six figure earners, and hopefully use what they’ve learned to stay in the community and build it up from within.
3. I want to create more homeowners in the 9th District through the issuance of homeowner grants and loans. I will also issue these grants and loans to current homeowners so that they can maintain the homes they already have and stay in the district.
4. I want to reassess the City’s budget. Too much of our City’s budget is being unnecessarily spent on things that do not benefit our community, or actually harm our community. The money is there to change our community in a monumentally positive way. We just have to use it wisely.
Learn more: Website | Instagram
Jose Ugarte
Candidate Jose Ugarte did not provide answers to survey questions from The LA Local.
