LA council incumbents hold commanding leads as vote count continues

Los Angeles City Council incumbents held commanding leads in Tuesday's election across eight odd-numbered districts, with six of seven seeking reelection surpassing the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff, according to City News Service.

The results, with vote counting continuing Thursday, reinforce the incumbency advantage in LA's largest municipal election cycle, with housing, homelessness and public-safety policies set by this council shaping daily life across greater Southern California.

Of the incumbents on the ballot, five cleared the 50% mark by Thursday's count, effectively securing outright victories. District 5 Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky led with 66.11%, District 13 Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez secured 64.5% for a second term and District 11 Councilmember Traci Park won with 64.83%, according to City News Service. District 1 Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez held 52%, barely clearing the runoff threshold.

In District 15, incumbent Tim McOsker defeated Jordan Rivers, a 22-year-old community organizer, by a margin of 76.68% to 23.32%, City News Service reported. District 7 Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez ran unopposed.

District 3 features the tightest open-seat contest. Timothy Gaspar led at 49.08% — just below the mark to avoid a runoff — followed by Barri Worth Girvan, a former district director for Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, at 39.04%. Christopher Celona, a self-described "compassionate capitalist," trailed at 11.88%. Termed-out Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who represented the district for 12 years, had endorsed Gaspar.

In District 9, also vacated by term-limited Councilman Curren Price, Jose Ugarte — Price's top deputy — led a six-candidate field with 40.83%, according to City News Service. Estuardo Mazariegos, co-director of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, ran second at 22.48%. Whoever wins will become the district's first non-Black council representative since 1963.

Vote counting is expected to continue for several days, with final certification pending. Any district where no candidate clears 50% will advance to a November runoff.