Los Angeles Councilwoman Heather Hutt is running in the March 5 primary to hang onto the District 10 seat she was appointed to in September after the conviction of Mark Ridley-Thomas on corruption charges.
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Heather Hutt. Courtesy of Los Angeles City Council
Also running are an Assembly member, a pastor, an environmental activist, and an attorney.
Among her challengers are soon-to-term-out Assemblyman member Reggie Jones-Sawyer, a Democrat who chaired the Public Safety Committee. On his campaign website, Mr. Jones-Sawyer says he believes housing is a human right and pledges to “speed up the construction of affordable housing” for young people and communities of color.
To fight City Hall corruption, he said he favors tough oversight to “crack down on pay-to-play by special interests.”
He has been endorsed by several unions.
Also running is environmental activist Aura Vasquez, who on her website vows to preserve affordable housing and protect renters. To fight climate change, she aims to plant 10,000 trees “to transform neighborhoods.”
She said she would improve public safety with more lighting of residential areas and would rely on community-based policing.
She has been endorsed by Assemblywoman Blanca Rubio, a West Covina Democrat, among others.
Also challenging Ms. Hutt is attorney Grace Yoo, a former Los Angeles city commissioner who says on her website that her top priority is public safety. Ms. Yoo said, if elected, she would have social workers focus on homelessness “so LAPD can focus on fighting violent crime.” She also favors making housing affordable by making it easier to build new units and revamp old ones.
She has been endorsed by the East Area Progressive Democrats.
Rounding out the field is pastor Eddie Anderson, who on his website calls homelessness “the moral crisis of our time.” Citing his own “lived experience” of homelessness, Mr. Anderson says, “We need a City Council that can do the tough work of preventive care—passing policies that stem or halt the flow of vulnerable residents out of their homes and into the streets.”
He backs a stronger safety net, more tenant protections, and higher wages and has been endorsed by the Los Angeles Times.
Through Feb. 28, Ms. Yoo and Ms. Hutt had both taken in about $253,000 in campaign donations, followed by Mr. Jones-Sawyer with $230,000 and Anderson with $84,000.
District 10 includes portions of Mid-City, Little Ethiopia, Baldwin Hills, and more.
Mark Ridley-Thomas attends A New Way Of Life 2022 Gala at Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles on Dec. 3, 2022. Leon Bennett/Getty Images
Mr. Ridley-Thomas was suspended from the seat when he was indicted in 2021. He lost the seat permanently in March 2023 when he was convicted. Former Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson briefly held the seat, but eventually Ms. Hutt was appointed.
If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary, the top two finishers will face each other in the general election Nov. 5.
Marc Olson
Author
Marc J. Olson is a longtime Southern California journalist who has worked at the San Diego Tribune, Orange County Register, and Los Angeles Times. He is originally from Minneapolis.
