“Weak mayor, strong council.”
Wherever you may land on that oft-used phrase in the city of Los Angeles, a recent endorsement in the 9th District council race offers a counterpoint to what has largely seemed like residential real estate taking to the political sidelines for November’s general election.
As 4th District Council Member and mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman and incumbent Karen Bass sling the mud at one another, it’s the battle in the 9th that turned heads in the trade.
After the Greater Los Angeles Realtors Association told The Real Deal it would not be endorsing anyone in the mayoral race, the group said it is backing 9th District hopeful Jose Ugarte.
Ugarte’s running on a platform that includes an emphasis on affordable housing. He wants more first-time homebuyer programs and grants to cover the cost of repairs for current homeowners, while also boosting overall supply.
That’s also earned him support from housing groups such as Yimby Los Angeles, Abundant Housing LA and the Housing Action Coalition.
GLAR told members in its voter guide Ugarte will protect “private property rights, free enterprise, homeownership opportunities and housing production,” “while cleaning up the streets.” Ugarte’s the only Los Angeles City Council candidate GLAR has weighed in on — and perhaps for good reason.
The district includes the southernmost part of Downtown Los Angeles, in addition to a broad swatch of the central city south of the 10 Freeway. All told, it counts landmarks such as Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, BMO Stadium and Exposition Park in its fold.
Those are generators of tourism revenue as well as globally known touchstones of the city, with much at stake for whomever wins over voters in November — particularly since its current representative has made the headlines for less than savory news.
Termed out 9th District Council Member Curren Price faces 12 felony public corruption charges, including embezzlement, conflict of interest and perjury. Price has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting a trial date.
Growing clout
So who is Ugarte running against? That would be Estuardo Mazariegos, the co-director of tenant rights and housing advocacy group Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment.
He’s campaigning on a platform of tenant protections and increased wages. He supported the city’s Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance, which went into effect in 2021, and Measure United to House L.A.
Mazariegos has endorsements from U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Should Mazariegos win, it expands the DSA’s footprint on the council and would take it past the 25 percent mark. Other DSA affiliated memes of the 15-seat body are Raman, Hugo Soto-Martinez (District 13), Ysabel Jurado (District 14) and Eunisses Hernandez (District 1).
Landing soft
One other consideration heading into November. Billionaire developer Rick Caruso has been doing the press circuit with Bass of late.
He shoveled dirt with her last month to celebrate the start of construction on the Palisades Recreation Center and earlier this week touted alongside the mayor progress made in making development in the city easier. He’s done just about everything except formally endorse the incumbent.
So what did Caruso have to say on who he supports in the mayoral race? He tread carefully on that one.
His Instagram statement from this week is below, which is a knock on comments made by Raman about replacing Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell. Rumors, which Raman denied, have circulated that the replacement would be former L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón.
“I was asked if I’ll be making an endorsement in the L.A. Mayor’s race,” Caruso opined. “My answer? I’m extremely concerned about any candidate making public statements about firing a chief of police and appointing George Gascón. We need to know where each candidate stands on every issue.”
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