LOS ANGELES—Tim McOsker, an attorney and a veteran of City Hall as a former advisor to Mayor James Hahn, is set to return to Spring Street representing the Los Angeles City Council’s 15th District after declaring victory Nov. 15.
McOsker will replace Councilman Joe Buscaino, who has represented the district since 2012 but did not seek a third term after an unsuccessful mayoral bid.
As of Tuesday, McOsker had garnered nearly two-thirds of the vote in the race against community activist and entrepreneur Danielle Sandoval.
In a statement, McOsker said his victory was a “mandate not for me, but for a community that deserves good jobs, better wages, clean air and water, more affordable housing, effective solutions for homelessness, safe neighborhoods, transparency in local government, and a voice in City Hall.”
McOsker, who also finished first in the June primary, said he would prioritize quality of life in the district’s communities.
“To every constituent of the 15th, whether you supported me or not, I promise you this: I will always be accessible, transparent, and responsive, and I will put every fiber of my being into representing you,” McOsker said.
Sandoval has not yet conceded the race, but a spokesperson said she would be issuing a statement later Tuesday.
The 15th District is long, stretching 13 miles from Watts to San Pedro—thinning out around the Harbor Gateway—and includes the Port of Los Angeles.
In an interview with City News Service before the election, he said he has a “deep understanding of how the government is structured,” pointing to experience helping reform the city’s charter under Hahn, then-city attorney and mayor, as his top deputy.
He said the three biggest issues facing the district are homelessness, increasing sustainability at the port and public safety.
On homelessness, McOsker stressed focusing on the “entire continuum of care” and permanent supportive housing.
As the CEO of AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles and in private practice as an attorney, McOsker said he will aim to eliminate emissions at the LA port and develop programs and initiatives to ensure that certain communities farther from the port that have been overlooked in the district are properly addressed.
In his private practice, McOsker’s clients have included the hotel industry and the rank-and-file police union, according to the Los Angeles Times. He was also a registered lobbyist with the city.
