Hydee Feldstein Soto claimed victory as Los Angeles’s first female city attorney on Nov. 16 to replace termed-out incumbent Mike Feuer.
Feldstein Soto, a finance attorney, has 56.55 percent of the vote, ahead of opponent Faisal Gill’s 43.45 percent, according to the latest results from the county registrar on Nov. 16.
The latest results gave Feldstein Soto “the confidence that I will have the great privilege of serving as your next Los Angeles City Attorney,” she said in a statement posted on Twitter.
The job of the city attorney is to defend the city against legal claims, write legislation, pursue legal claims, and prosecute some misdemeanor crimes.
Feldstein Soto is endorsed by the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, Planned Parenthood, the Los Angeles Times, and several labor unions.
She said during her campaign that her priorities as city attorney include “rooting out corruption” and building more housing for the homeless at a lower cost.
A February report by City Controller Ron Galperin found the city was spending up to $837,000 for a single housing unit for the homeless.
“Currently LA is wasting $2,000–[$]3,000 per square foot when building housing—when the prevailing rates for similar housing construction is [one-tenth] of that cost, or about $200–[$]300 per square foot,” Feldstein Soto’s homelessness plan reads. “I will also get the County and State health departments to provide the mental health and addiction services required and make sure that the process of housing and sheltering those who need it is done responsibly and affordably.”
She also plans to defend abortion access, promote environmental justice policies, crack down on “hate crimes,” and get “guns out of the hands of violent abusers.”
City Hall has seen multiple instances of corruption over the last few years, which Feldstein Soto said has “cast a shadow” over LA.
“Our City Attorney’s office was raided by the FBI and the Department of Justice and a top leader in the City Attorney’s Office has plead guilty to a federal charge of extortion,” Feldstein Soto’s campaign website reads.
“I will serve as an independent elected official committed to rooting out the culture of corruption that permeates our local government.”
Feldstein Soto said in a statement that while the “history” and “victory” of this election is important, her focus will be to quickly organize a team and an “agenda to reflect your vote of confidence.”
