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The LA mayor’s race is a crowded field. JCI highlights the top five candidates in the polls, their platforms, and endorsements. Stay tuned for JCI’s president Seth Jacobson to weigh in on the candidates.
Kevin de León
Kevin de León represents the 14th District as a Los Angeles City Councilmember. He represented the 45th district in the California State Assembly, the 22nd State Senate district, and 24th State Senate District. Kevin was elected to the State Senate in 2010 and was elected by his colleagues to lead the Senate as President pro Tempore in 2014. Before Kevin joined legislative politics, he worked for One Stop Immigration Center, a nonprofit organization in Los Angeles that assists undocumented immigrants and he became a labor organizer for the California Teachers Association. Kevin’s priorities include solutions on homelessness and housing affordability.
Key issues:
Homelessness and housing affordability
Endorsements:
Lou Correa, Congressmember (CA-46)
United Farm Workers
SEIU-USWW (janitors, security officers, and airport workers)
Jimmy Gomez, Congressmember (CA-34)
Norma Torres, Congressmember (CA-35)
Nora Vargas, San Diego County Supervisor
Rick Caruso
Rick Caruso is an American billionaire businessman. He is the founder and CEO of Caruso, an American real-estate company, and develops high-end malls including The Grove. Tick currently serves as chair of the board of trustees at the University of Southern California. In 1985, Rick was named to serve as a commissioner for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, becoming the youngest commissioner in the history of the city at the age of 26. He was appointed to the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners in 2001 and was elected its president. During Rick’s tenure as president of the Police Commission, the crime rate in Los Angeles dropped 37.3% from 2002 to 2006, a much smaller decrease during his 5 year tenure than the previous five years and the five years after he left. In 2015, he spent $12 million on a voter initiative to bypass local planning laws and the California Environmental Quality Act in order to build an outdoor mall in Carlsbad, CA. The initiative passed, but a subsequent referendum overturned it and required a public vote that failed.
Top issues:
End street homelessness
Public safety
Corruption and ethics
Endorsements:
Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPD union)
Joe Buscaino
Joe Buscaino is an American politician and former police officer. He has served on the Los Angeles City Council as the representative of the 15th district – which is made up of Harbor City, Harbor Gateway, San Pedro, Watts, and Wilmington as well as the Port of Los Angeles – since 2012. He was re-elected on March 5, 2013, to a full four-year term with 83.09% of the vote, the largest margin of victory since at least 1996 for a competitive Los Angeles City Council race. From 2020 to 2021, Joe served as President pro tempore of the council. Prior to his election to the City Council, Joe served as a police officer for fifteen years with the Los Angeles Police Department. He created the LAPD's Teen Community Police Advisory Board, which was implemented citywide in 2011. In a July 2020 vote to cut the LAPD by $150 million, Joe was one of two votes against the proposal, arguing that conversations with police officers convinced him that policing needs "smart investments" and "deliberate planning," as opposed to funding cuts.
Top issues:
Ending homelessness
Improving LA’s safety
Endorsements:
N/A
Karen Bass
Karen Bass is a politician and social worker who has served as the U.S. representative for California's 37th congressional district – which includes several areas south and west of downtown Los Angeles – since 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served for six years in the California State Assembly, the last two as speaker. In 2018, Karen was elected chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. She also serves as chair of the United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations and the United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. Before her election to Congress, Bass represented the 47th district in the California State Assembly. In 2008, she was elected to serve as the speaker of the California State Assembly, becoming the first African American woman in United States history to serve as a speaker of a state legislative body.
Top issues:
Homelessness
Public safety
Endorsements:
U.S. Representatives
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Pete Aguilar, U.S. Representative for California's 31st congressional district
Judy Chu, U.S. Representative for California's 27th congressional district
Mike Levin, U.S. Representative for California's 49th congressional district
Ted Lieu, U.S. Representative for California's 33rd congressional district
Alan Lowenthal, U.S. Representative for California's 47th congressional district
Katie Porter, U.S. Representative for California's 45th congressional district
Lucille Roybal-Allard, U.S. Representative for California's 40th congressional district
Adam Schiff, U.S. Representative for California's 28th congressional district
Juan Vargas, U.S. Representative for California's 51st congressional district
5 state senators
7 City Councilmembers
Mayors
Lula Davis-Holmes, Mayor of Carson
Lindsey Horvath, Mayor of West Hollywood
Emma Sharif, Mayor of Compton
Antonio Villaraigosa, former mayor of Los Angeles
2 Los Angeles County officials
Mike Feuer
Michael Feuer is an American politician and lawyer who has been serving as Los Angeles City Attorney since July 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Feuer previously served three terms in the California State Assembly, representing the 42nd Assembly District, and as a member of the Los Angeles City Council from 1995 to 2001, representing the 5th Council District. On the City Council, Feuer chaired the Budget and Finance Committee, and wrote key City ethics reform measures. He championed the creation of L.A.'s 3-1-1 non-emergency services system, wrote a number of gun violence prevention laws, and was noted for advocating public safety, environmental stewardship and open government. Feuer also created a program to improve literacy for underserved students, and led Council efforts to create playgrounds for children with disabilities. Feuer was the only council member to oppose a ballot measure to lift a $10,000 spending limit on "officeholder" funds.
Top issues:
Homelessness
Community Safety
COVID Recovery
Affordable Housing
Sustainability
Neighborhood Empowerment
Endorsements:
Laura Chick, Los Angeles City Controller (2001-2009)
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