For decades, community advocates in unincorporated East Los Angeles have pushed for a stronger voice in the decisions that shape their community.
Unlike neighboring cities, the community of about 120,000 residents does not have a mayor or a city council. Instead, they rely on LA County for local governance, a structure that many residents say leaves them feeling disconnected from decisions on issues from development to public safety.
Now, as longtime LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis prepares to leave office at the end of the year, residents are looking to Maria Elena Durazo, the projected winner of the District 1 race, to carry forward efforts to give East LA more representation, transparency and meaningful community participation.
“I think what’s most important to residents of East LA is to make sure that they have a say so in priorities for the community, what the needs of the community are, and to be responsive, be efficient, and that’s what I intend to do,” Durazo told Boyle Heights Beat last week.
Durazo’s election win comes at a pivotal moment.
After years of discussions about cityhood and self-governance, county officials are exploring alternatives, including a Municipal Advisory Council, or MAC, that could give residents a structure for public input and a direct line of communication to county leadership.
That effort remains unfinished, raising questions about what progress will be handed off to Durazo in December and how determined she will be to push the effort forward.
For years, residents have advocated for a formal body that can represent the needs of East LA residents on issues such as infrastructure, development, housing, and public safety before the county makes decisions.
Among them is Kristie Hernandez, chairperson of the Maravilla Community Advisory Committee (MCAC), a group of East LA residents, business owners and community stakeholders who have connected with county officials and departments for more than three decades.
Hernandez said residents want more than a place to raise concerns.
“We’re really looking to her to champion unincorporated East Los Angeles in a much different way than we have seen in the past, especially because I believe that there is momentum, a new generation of folks who want to see change,” Hernandez said. “A lot of them are like me, in the sense that, this is the community that raised us and we want to not only see it survive, but we want to see it thrive, and we want to be a part of that conversation.”
In March 2024, a renewed call explored whether East LA could become its own city. But a county-commissioned study last year found that incorporation was not financially feasible. For Hernandez and other residents, the effort became less about “cityhood” and more about advocating for transparency and a better understanding of how their tax dollars are being spent in the unincorporated community.
Since then, the county has focused on efforts to explore the creation of a MAC or town council.
Since February, residents have participated in a series of public forums led by the Los Angeles Economic Equity Accelerator and Fellowship (LEEAF) program, the agency tasked with gathering community feedback on local governance options. An interim report is expected later this summer, with a final report to be delivered in September. The findings will then be reviewed by the county Chief Executive Office before recommendations are presented to the Board of Supervisors in November.
For Hernandez, the timeline raises concerns.
She worries that the transition between Solis and Durazo could stall the already delayed efforts.
“This is a pattern,” she said. “The county invests money in the community but then goes to the consultants who put out a report and then we never hear anything … we are in danger of that happening again.”
The county’s Chief Executive Office said it appreciated Solis’ support in funding the effort and described it as “unprecedented,” noting that it was the only time in recent history that the Board of Supervisors had directed the county to pursue a MAC or town council for an unincorporated area.
Durazo, who currently represents District 26 in the State Senate and lives in El Sereno, said she has been following the discussions and expressed her commitment to continuing the process if it reaches her office after she takes over District 1.
“I think the most important thing is that the community feels that every issue that they confront, every issue that they are facing, that there is a body that will take that issue and do something about it,” said Durazo. “The MAC is one way of giving a strong, clear, transparent voice.”
For some in the community, the concern is keeping residents informed about the issues that affect them and their neighbors.
Eusebio Mendez Oriol, owner of Oriol Bike Shop, said he received little information from county officials after an oil pipeline ruptured near his shop, closing off streets to customers and disrupting deliveries over Memorial Day weekend.
“No one has come to talk to us about what happened,” Mendez Oriol said. He said he relied on information from the workers on site about how long the cleanup efforts would last.
Mendez Oriol has not heard of efforts to create a MAC or town council but said he hopes the new supervisor will focus on practical concerns, like making streets safer, creating more bike lanes and opportunities for youth and families to enjoy the outdoors. He also hopes to see more affordable housing opportunities in his neighborhood.
As she prepares to assume her new role, Durazo said one of her priorities will be to focus on community listening and designate someone on her staff to be in constant communication with East LA.
“I want to just go to meetings and listen to people,” Durazo said. “We want to be efficient, we want to be transparent, we’re going to be responsive, we’re going to deliver services.”
Community listening is welcome for some longtime residents.
Sitting outside of the cellphone store on Whittier Boulevard where he has worked for more than two decades, Martin Lopez, 60, said Solis did well during her time as supervisor but now he is eager to see what “the woman from the unions” does in her new role. He invited her to take a stroll down Whittier Boulevard to meet the community.
“Sería bueno que viniera por acá para darse la vuelta por el Este de Los Ángeles,” Lopez said. It would be good, he said, if she came by and spent time getting to know East Los Angeles.
Reporter Andrew Lopez contributed to this story.
