Updated: 4:04p.m. on March 26, 2026
Inglewood Mayor James Butts told The LA Local on Tuesday he will “absolutely” run for reelection in November, looking to make it 20 years at the city’s helm.
Butts took office in 2011 and won reelection in 2014, 2018 and 2022. A fifth term as mayor would take his leadership of the city through 2030. He is already the city’s longest-tenured mayor with 15 years under his belt.
With about seven months until Election Day, the Inglewood City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the basic plan for the Nov. 3 election. City Clerk Aisha Thompson told The LA Local important election dates will be on the city’s website next week, but that the filing period for candidates is not open yet.
To win office in Inglewood, candidates have to win a majority of votes. If one candidate does not take more than 50% of votes in November, the top two candidates will go on to a runoff election.
Butts will not be running unopposed in the Nov. 3 election. At least three other candidates — Raina Carrillo, Fre’Drisha Dixon and Arturo Martinez — have announced challenges for the mayoral seat earlier this year.
The hallmark of Butts’ tenure as mayor to date has been the construction of SoFi Stadium and the Intuit Dome, along with a development surge around the stadium district.
That development, though, has brought pushback from some locals who say Inglewood residents have been cut out of decision-making and blocked from the economic benefits that development brings.
Whoever wins would be mayor when the Super Bowl returns to Inglewood in February 2027, barring a runoff. They’d also lead the city when the 2028 Olympics descend on Los Angeles. Swimming, basketball and part of the Games’ opening ceremony are scheduled to take place in Inglewood.
