What do YOU want to hear from the candidates?
We’re asking Inglewood voters to tell us what matters most to them ahead of November’s election. Take our survey to help shape our coverage and the questions we’ll be asking the candidates for mayor, city council and school board.
Update (Sept. 21, 2026):This story has been updated to include submissions from Keokia Childress and William Perez.
Inglewood voters will select representatives for two City Council seats in November — in District 1, which covers the Morningside Park area, and District 2, which includes Fairview Heights, Centinela Heights and La Tijera Village.
The new council members will join members representing Inglewood’s District 3 and 4, as well as the next mayor, to serve as the governing body of the city. Together, they will make decisions on issues ranging from taxes to traffic regulations and help chart the city’s path as it prepares to host the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Four candidates are running in District 1:
And two candidates are running in District 2:
Keokia Childress
About the candidate: I’m Keokia Childress, a woman of faith, mother of four daughters, grandmother, and widow who carries her husband Kevin’s love with her. Inglewood has been home for her since 1980, and serving others is part of who she. From Spa 313 and co-founding Taste of Inglewood to Keokia’s Kitchen and eight years as a Housing Commissioner and being a consultant to help other businesses become established within the city, her work reflects her heart for people. Life’s losses have strengthened her compassion and purpose. Grounded in Jeremiah 29:11, she leads with love, honesty, and determination. As a businesswoman and community advocate, she is committed to strengthening families operating in integrity and creating opportunities for the community.
The city has changed a lot over the last 15 years with the stadiums and new developments. What would you do to ensure longtime residents can afford to live and thrive in Inglewood?
I’ve called Inglewood home since 1980, and I believe the people who helped build this community should be able to afford to stay and enjoy its progress. Growth should create opportunities for our residents without pushing them out.
With eight years as a Housing Commissioner, I would work with my fellow councilmembers to preserve affordable housing, strengthen protections against displacement, and connect renters and homeowners with assistance. Our seniors and families need clear information about available resources and help accessing them.
As a businesswoman, I also know that thriving means more than paying rent. I would advocate for local hiring, job training, and opportunities for small businesses to benefit from the investment coming into our city.
I would hold regular community roundtables, bring resources directly to residents, and provide clear updates on decisions affecting their neighborhoods. People deserve honest communication and a councilperson they can reach.
My goal is progress that respects our roots, strengthens families, and gives longtime residents a fair opportunity to build their future here.
What concrete steps would you take to ensure Inglewood locals know what is happening in city government and have an opportunity to make their voices heard?
I believe honest communication starts with being present, accessible, and willing to listen. Residents should be able to reach their councilperson, ask questions, and get clear answers about the issues affecting their lives.
I would hold regular community roundtables where residents can share concerns, discuss upcoming agenda items, and meet people who can connect them with resources. I would provide information they can take home and regular reports on the status of issues affecting our neighborhoods.
Before important votes, I would share plain-language explanations through email, text updates, social media, and printed notices so residents have an opportunity to weigh in. Afterward, I would explain my vote and what the decision means for them.
I would offer consistent office hours and scheduled calls, track residents’ concerns, and follow up on what has been resolved or still needs attention. I would also help people understand how to participate in council meetings.
My commitment is to listen with compassion, communicate with honesty, and make sure residents know their voices matter.
How would you tackle the ongoing issue of parking and traffic during big events in the city?
As a longtime resident, businesswoman, and co-founder of Taste of Inglewood, I understand how important event planning is to the people who live and work here. Residents should be able to reach their homes, customers should be able to reach local businesses, and emergency vehicles must have clear access.
I would work with residents, city staff, venue operators, and transportation agencies to identify where traffic and parking plans are falling short. I would advocate for better enforcement of neighborhood parking protections, clear signs, and advance notice of street closures and alternate routes.
I would also support more convenient public transportation, parking outside residential neighborhoods with shuttle service, and designated rideshare locations that keep cars from blocking streets and driveways. Venue operators should help cover the costs their events create.
Through regular community roundtables, I would gather feedback from affected neighborhoods and request reports on response times, parking complaints, and traffic improvements. We need to measure whether solutions are working and make changes when they are not.
Our city’s success should improve everyday life for the people who call Inglewood home.
If you win, what else will you promise people in the community?
I promise to serve with integrity, compassion, and accountability. I will be present, listen, follow up, and communicate honestly — even when the answer is difficult. I will work with my fellow council members to support small businesses, connect residents with jobs and resources, and strengthen programs for our youth, families, and seniors. I will create a District 1 directory of local businesses, independent contractors, and community resources so we can support one another. I cannot promise to solve everything alone, but I can promise preparation, collaboration, and consistent effort. My commitment to Inglewood began long before this campaign and will continue beyond it. This is bigger than politics. This is purpose.
Learn more: Website | Instagram
Leonard Redway
About the candidate: Leonard Redway is a 23-year Inglewood resident, homeowner, parent, business owner, and longtime community advocate. He currently serves as a City of Inglewood District 1 Commissioner and professionally works as a Director of Facilities and Public Safety. Redway has decades of experience in construction, public safety, facilities management, project management, and small business ownership. Through his community involvement & LR Foundation, he has worked with residents, businesses, youth, seniors, and local organizations.
He is running for Inglewood City Council District 1 on a platform of RESIDENTS FIRST, transparency, accountability, public safety, better city services, and responsible growth.
The city has changed a lot over the last 15 years with the stadiums and new developments. What would you do to ensure longtime residents can afford to live and thrive in Inglewood?
Inglewood’s transformation should improve the quality of life for the people who helped build this community—not push them out.
I support a Residents First approach to development. When major projects come before the city, we should ask a simple question: How will this benefit Inglewood residents?
That means expanding local hiring and apprenticeship opportunities, strengthening support for small and locally owned businesses, protecting existing affordable housing, and identifying programs that can help seniors and longtime homeowners remain in their homes. My foundation has long created programs like The LR Foundation Season of Giving that support seniors staying in their homes.
I also want ensure the city examines programs and available state and federal resources that can provide meaningful assistance to residents facing rising housing and living costs.
Economic development is important, but success cannot only be measured by new buildings, stadiums or tax revenue. We should also measure whether residents have good jobs, safe neighborhoods, reliable city services, thriving local businesses and the ability to remain in the community they helped create.
What concrete steps would you take to ensure Inglewood locals know what is happening in city government and have an opportunity to make their voices heard?
Transparency cannot simply be a campaign slogan. Residents should be able to understand what their government is doing before decisions are made—not afterward.
As District 1 Councilmember, I would hold regular evening community meetings throughout the district, making it easier for working residents, seniors and families to participate. extend the time frame for speakers from 1 min to 3 min
I would also provide regular District 1 updates explaining upcoming council decisions, major development proposals, infrastructure projects and important neighborhood issues in clear language.
Residents should be able to track concerns they bring to the city and know who is responsible for addressing them. As a D1 Commissioner I have had the opportunity to assist many residents with their concerns about Traffic Parking and safety. As a Councilman I would expound on that.
I would also advocate for easily accessible online information concerning contracts, major expenditures, development agreements and council actions. Online access is standarad in many cities I would work to make it a priority in our city. Residents should not have to go to city hall for information or to pay bills.
Most importantly, I want residents to have direct access to their council office.
Government works better when residents are informed, engaged and comfortable asking difficult questions.
My commitment is simple: communicate, listen, report back and remain accountable.
How would you tackle the ongoing issue of parking and traffic during big events in the city?
Major events bring tremendous economic activity to Inglewood, but residents should not have to surrender the quality of life in their neighborhoods every time there is a game or concert.
I would push for a comprehensive District 1 traffic and parking mitigation strategy using actual traffic and event data. Many other cities have stadiums and do not experience the congestion we do specifically in District 1
The strategy would include viewing traffic-control plans before major events, improving synchronization of traffic signals, creating better resident access routes, strengthening enforcement against illegal parking and blocked driveways, and making sure residents can safely enter and leave their neighborhoods.
I also support evaluating the current residential parking permit system to determine where adjustments are necessary. A blanket city wide permit parking requirement was not the right thing to do. Residents should NOT have to pay to park in front of their home.
The city should work closely with SoFi Stadium, the Intuit Dome, the Kia Forum, transportation agencies and law enforcement so event traffic is managed as a coordinated system rather than neighborhood by neighborhood.
I would also establish a mechanism for residents to report recurring event-day problems so adjustments can be made based on real experiences.
Major venues should coexist with our neighborhoods—not overwhelm them.
If you win, what else will you promise people in the community?
I will not promise residents that the government can solve every problem overnight. I will promise that District 1 will have an accessible, visible and accountable representative. Who will discuss with the residents the issues and advocate on their behalf.
My priorities will include improving public safety, reducing neighborhood crime, addressing traffic and parking, improving city services, advocating for seniors, supporting young people and local businesses, and addressing the impact of excessive digital billboards on our community.
I also want to strengthen the relationship between residents and their city government.
That means getting constituent calls returned, following problems through to resolution, explaining major decisions, holding community meetings and making sure District 1 receives its fair share of city resources.
I believe public service should be measured by results.
Residents should be able to ask at the end of a councilmember’s term: Is my neighborhood safer? Are city services better? Is traffic being addressed? Did my representative listen? Was I kept informed?
Those are the standards I want residents to use to hold me accountable.
Residents First means exactly that: the needs of the community come first.
Learn more: Facebook| Instagram
Yolanda Davidson
About the candidate: Yolanda Davidson is a lifelong Inglewood resident, small business owner, and community advocate running for Inglewood City Council, District 1.
A wife, mother and college graduate, she has spent years building civic engagement organizations and fighting for everyday residents including advocating for local control of Inglewood Unified School District and standing up against the Market Street/Florence eminent domain plan. A graduate of the LA African American Women’s Public Policy Institute and California Black Women’s Collective, Yolanda’s campaign, “Inglewood Needs Change, STAT,” focuses on Safety, Traffic, Aviation Noise, and Transparency.
She is running as an independent voice who answers to District 1, not special interests.
The city has changed a lot over the last 15 years with the stadiums and new developments. What would you do to ensure longtime residents can afford to live and thrive in Inglewood?
Over the last 15 years, Inglewood has gone from a working-class city where people were trying to make it, to a gold mine for investors and professional sports owners. I love the investment as a lifelong resident, I remember when Inglewood, with the Forum and Hollywood Park, was the place to be, and I remember the decline that followed when the Lakers left and off-track sports betting took hold.
For years, our residents a large majority of them renters, found homes they could afford close to their jobs and their lives. Now families who’ve called Inglewood home for generations can no longer afford to stay.
As a council member, I will streamline our renter protections. Right now, the allowable rent increase percentage fluctuates, which makes it hard for both landlords and tenants to know what’s actually fair and legal. Clear, consistent rules protect everyone.
I will also champion bringing outsourced union city jobs back in-house, to ensure livable wages for workers and their families. Growth should mean opportunity for the people who built this city’s soul, not displacement.
What concrete steps would you take to ensure Inglewood locals know what is happening in city government and have an opportunity to make their voices heard?
The first thing I’ll do once elected is post my direct contact information. I want my constituents to know they can always reach me directly. For too long, elected officials have been seldom seen unless it’s a party, a public appearance, or election time I’ll be different. Residents will see me at activities throughout the city.
I will host regular meetings with stakeholders and push to establish neighborhood councils so residents have a structured, ongoing way to be heard not just a public comment period at City Hall.
I will also proactively inform residents about issues coming before the council and seek their opinions before votes happen, not after, so their input actually shapes the outcome rather than just being noted for the record.
Representation only works if people know what’s happening and have a real chance to weigh in. That’s the standard I’ll hold myself to.
How would you tackle the ongoing issue of parking and traffic during big events in the city?
I’m not aware of a professional traffic study ever having been done for Inglewood around event days. I’d request one immediately. We need trained traffic professionals on the job, not underpaid contractors who show little interest beyond writing residents tickets.
On game days, we need more traffic enforcement on main corridors like Manchester and Van Ness, and on side streets like 90th Street. I’ll push for local-access-only restrictions in areas like Morningside Park, with real enforcement including barricades to keep cut-through event traffic out of residential neighborhoods.
Our outsourced parking enforcement is aggressive about ticketing residents for everyday parking violations but largely absent when it comes to enforcing event-day parking rules. That will get immediate attention as a council member.
I also want to revisit the $100 fee for extra resident parking permits residents have made it clear they’re unhappy with it, and I think that’s worth a hard second look.
If you win, what else will you promise people in the community?
Beyond STAT, I’m committed to:
• Standing firm against future eminent domain actions that displace residents and small businesses without their input I was the only candidate willing to speak out publicly against the Market Street/Florence ITC Mobility hub $386 million displacement project
• Bringing outsourced city jobs back in-house as union positions with fair wages and benefits for Inglewood residents
• Being fully accessible regular office hours, an attempt to bring back evening council meetings, responsive constituent services, and a council office that answers to District 1 residents first
- Reliable Internet Access: I’ll work with residents of The Renaissance, Briarwood, and Carlton Square, internet providers, and our major venues to fix chronic connectivity problems pursuing dedicated broadband infrastructure, added fiber capacity, and equipment upgrades so residents have reliable service, including during stadium and arena events.
I’m running a grassroots, community based campaign because I believe representation should come from the community, not from special interests. If elected, my promise is simple: I’ll show up, I’ll listen, and I’ll fight for a District 1 where longtime residents can afford to stay and new generations can thrive.
My name is Yolanda Davidson and I will continue to fight for the Soul of Inglewood.
Learn more: Website | Instagram
William Perez
About the candidate: I’m William Perez, and I’m running for Inglewood City Council District 1 because our neighbors deserve an affordability agenda that works for everyone. For 16 years I’ve run my own small business here, so I know what rising utility costs, rent pressure, and City red tape do to families and storefronts alike. I’ll bring resources closer to the neighborhood — helping seniors age safely at home, protecting renters from displacement, and cutting the cost of doing business — so Inglewood’s growth creates opportunity for the people who are already here.”
The city has changed a lot over the last 15 years with the stadiums and new developments. What would you do to ensure longtime residents can afford to live and thrive in Inglewood?
Inglewood built the stadiums, the Intuit Dome, and the new development boom on the backs of longtime residents — and too many of those residents are being priced out of the city they helped make famous. My “Action on Affordability” plan focuses on the gaps City Hall has left open.
- Close the rental assistance gap. Inglewood currently offers no direct emergency rental assistance program of its own, the Housing Authority’s Section 8 and HCV waitlists remain closed, and incorporated Inglewood is excluded from LA County’s Tenant Right to Counsel program. I will push for a locally funded emergency rental assistance fund — seeded with a share of the community-benefit dollars our large venues generate — and negotiate Inglewood back into county-level tenant legal defense.
- Enforce the rent caps we already have. Inglewood’s rent cap is 3.7% for buildings with five or more units and 8.7% for buildings with four or fewer units. Too many tenants don’t know that, and too many landlords aren’t held to it. I’ll fund a plain-English “Know Your Rent Cap” outreach campaign in English and Spanish, and stand up a real tenant hotline with staff who answer the phone.
- Protect seniors aging in place. Fixed-income seniors are the residents most at risk of losing the homes they’ve owned for 30 or 40 years. I’ll push for a senior property-tax and utility hardship track, expand the city’s senior home-repair referrals, and publish a low-income assistance program for our city-run water utility, which today has none.
- Tie new development to residents first. Every major project should come with enforceable local hiring, small-business set-asides, and affordable-unit commitments — with a public compliance dashboard so residents can see whether developers are keeping their promises.
Growth is not the enemy. Growth without the people who built this city is.
What concrete steps would you take to ensure Inglewood locals know what is happening in city government and have an opportunity to make their voices heard?
Transparency is the “T” in H.A.T. because right now, too many decisions get made before residents even know a meeting is happening. Here is what I will do in the first year:
- A District 1 Community Office with real hours. Not appointment-only, not “call and leave a message.” A walk-in office in the northwest quadrant of the district with posted weekly hours where any resident can bring a pothole, a rent notice, a permit question, or a policy idea and get help.
- Monthly “One Community” town halls, rotated across the district. Not one central meeting downtown. I will bring the meeting to your block, your church parking lot, your senior center — with translation available and childcare provided so working families can actually attend.
- A weekly plain-language council preview. Before every council meeting, my office will publish a short, honest summary — in English and Spanish — of what is on the agenda, what it actually means for residents, and how to comment. Posted on Facebook, Instagram, and email, and delivered in print to seniors who don’t use social media.
- A public commitments tracker. Every promise I make in office gets logged on my website with a status: done, in progress, or blocked — and why. Residents deserve to grade my work in real time, not just at re-election.
- Youth and senior advisory seats. Two standing, unpaid advisory panels — one youth, one senior — that meet with my office monthly and get a formal channel to bring items to council.
The measure of transparency is not how many documents the city posts. It is whether a working parent, a Spanish-speaking grandmother, and a small-business owner can all find out what is happening and be heard.
How would you tackle the ongoing issue of parking and traffic during big events in the city?
Residents shouldn’t be prisoners in their own neighborhoods on game day. SoFi Stadium, the Intuit Dome, the Forum, and Kia Forum events — stacked on top of LAX, the 405, the 105, and the 110 — have made event-day life unlivable on some blocks. This is solvable with real coordination and enforcement.
- Neighborhood-first permit parking zones around every major venue. Residents and their guests park; event traffic does not. Free permits for residents, seniors, and caregivers. Clear signage. Real enforcement — not a ticket blitz after the fact.
- A stadium mitigation fund paid for by the venues, not the taxpayers. SoFi, Intuit Dome, and the Forum should be funding traffic officers, temporary signal timing, street cleaning, and rapid pothole repair on event days as a condition of their operating agreements. If they aren’t, that’s a negotiation I want to reopen.
- Real-time event traffic alerts for residents. A free opt-in text and email system — separate from the venues’ marketing lists — that tells District 1 residents when road closures, ride-share pickup zones, and detours will hit their block.
- Protect emergency access. No resident should wait 20 minutes for an ambulance because a rideshare queue is blocking their street. I’ll push for guaranteed emergency corridors on every event day, with LAPD/IPD and fire signing off in advance.
- Fix the People Mover and transit-first pieces. The Inglewood Transit Connector has to actually serve residents, not just move fans from a park-and-ride to a turnstile. That means resident fare programs, first/last-mile shuttle coverage into District 1, and honest timelines the public can hold the city to.
Big events should be a windfall for Inglewood — not a punishment for the people who live here.
If you win, what else will you promise people in the community?
I will promise four things, and I will let residents grade me on all of them:
- I will show up. Every neighborhood, every quadrant, every month — not just at election time. My office will keep a public calendar of every community meeting I attend.
- I will tell the truth, even when it’s inconvenient. If a project is over budget, if a promise can’t be kept, if the city made a mistake — you’ll hear it from me first, in plain language.
- I will protect our seniors. I will stand up a Senior Fraud Task Force by council resolution, bring free Senior Scam Stopper seminars into our senior centers, ask our local banks to adopt AARP’s BankSafe teller training, tighten permitting on door-to-door solicitors and contractors, and make sure every senior program publicizes the LA County Elder Abuse Hotline. Our elders built this city, and they will not be preyed on while I hold this seat.
- I will make small business a priority, not an afterthought. Longtime Inglewood small businesses — the barbershops, restaurants, auto shops, and family stores — deserve a real ombudsman at City Hall, faster permit turnarounds, and first-look access to city and event contracts.
One Community. One Voice. One Future — Together. That’s not a slogan. That’s the job.
Learn more: Website | Instagram
Alex Padilla
Padilla did not respond to an inquiry from The LA Local.
Subrina Miller
The city has changed a lot over the last 15 years with the stadiums and new developments. What would you do to ensure longtime residents can afford to live and thrive in Inglewood?
My goal is to make Inglewood affordable by Stabilizing Control, building affordable housing Taxes Low.
What concrete steps would you take to ensure Inglewood locals know what is happening in city government and have an opportunity to make their voices heard?
I would keep communication with the community, workshops, community meetings, news letters.
How would you tackle the ongoing issue of parking and traffic during big events in the city?
I will meet with all agencies that are involved in trafficking set up, I will continually have a meeting with the community, and send out alerts of events happening 2 to 3 days before.
If you win, what else will you promise people in the community?
If I win, the only thing I can promise is accountability, responsibility, transparency, and honesty.
Learn more: Website | Instagram
