Aura Vásquez
Aura Vásquez ran for election to the Los Angeles City Council to represent District 10 in California. She lost in the primary on March 5, 2024.
Vásquez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Aura Vásquez earned a bachelor's degree from City University of New York, Lehman College in 2004. She previously served as a commissioner for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.[1]
As of 2024, Vásquez was affiliated with the following organizations:[1]
- Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign
- P.I.C.O Neighborhood Council, Secretary
- Wilshire Center Koreatown Neighborhood Council, Vice-President.
- Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters, Board Member
- Sierra Club Angeles Chapter Climate Action Co-chair & Member of the executive committee.
- Ready to Help Mutual Aid Community Network, founder
- Workforce Development Board, board member
- California Democratic Party Executive Member AD50 (2020-2022)
- DSA-LA Climate Justice Committee Chair
- Member of California Solar and Storage Association (CaLSSA)
- Member of the Los Angeles Business Council (LABC)
- Member of the National Women's Political Caucus
Elections
2024
See also: City elections in Los Angeles, California (2024)
General election
General election for Los Angeles City Council District 10
Incumbent Heather Hutt defeated Grace Yoo in the general election for Los Angeles City Council District 10 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Heather Hutt (Nonpartisan) | 62.8 | 50,895 |
 | Grace Yoo (Nonpartisan) | 37.2 | 30,133 | |
| Total votes: 81,028 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Los Angeles City Council District 10
Incumbent Heather Hutt and Grace Yoo defeated Eddie Anderson, Aura Vásquez, and Reginald Jones-Sawyer in the primary for Los Angeles City Council District 10 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Heather Hutt (Nonpartisan) | 37.8 | 13,499 |
| ✔ | | Grace Yoo (Nonpartisan) | 23.1 | 8,257 |
| Eddie Anderson (Nonpartisan) | 19.2 | 6,846 | ||
 | Aura Vásquez (Nonpartisan) | 14.0 | 5,006 | |
 | Reginald Jones-Sawyer (Nonpartisan) | 5.9 | 2,119 | |
| Total votes: 35,727 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
To view Vásquez's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Vásquez in this election.
2020
See also: City elections in Los Angeles, California (2020)
General election
General election for Los Angeles City Council District 10
Mark Ridley-Thomas defeated Grace Yoo in the general election for Los Angeles City Council District 10 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Mark Ridley-Thomas (Nonpartisan) | 60.6 | 56,119 |
| Grace Yoo (Nonpartisan) | 39.4 | 36,485 | |
| Total votes: 92,604 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Los Angeles City Council District 10
Mark Ridley-Thomas and Grace Yoo defeated Aura Vásquez, Melvin Snell, and Channing Martinez in the primary for Los Angeles City Council District 10 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Ridley-Thomas (Nonpartisan) | 44.3 | 21,062 |
| ✔ | | Grace Yoo (Nonpartisan) | 23.6 | 11,220 |
| Aura Vásquez (Nonpartisan) | 21.0 | 9,996 | |
| Melvin Snell (Nonpartisan) | 6.1 | 2,883 | ||
| Channing Martinez (Nonpartisan) | 5.0 | 2,369 | ||
| Total votes: 47,530 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Aura Vásquez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Vásquez's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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An Afro-Latina from Colombia who fled violence as a teenager with her family to the United States, she worked her way through college as an undocumented student, embodying the resilience that defines the American dream.
Turning adversity into advocacy, Aura spearheaded a grassroots effort to fight the targeting of immigrants without a driver's license. She became the first Latina elected to Wilshire Center Koreatown Neighborhood Council (WCKNC) and the youngest and first immigrant commissioner to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP).
Aura focuses on vital issues such as affordable housing, park accessibility, and educational programs while representing us at the P.I.C.O Neighborhood Council. As a Sierra Club organizer, she led Los Angeles to end its reliance on coal, propelling the city towards a 100% renewable energy future.
Aura’s fearless grassroots advocacy has made an enduring impact across the city. She is ONE OF US—a champion for all.
She aspires to be the first Afro-Latina representative for Los Angeles City Council District 10.- A fierce advocate for renters, Aura Vasquez has faced down developers to fight for affordable housing, worked to lower energy bills for renters, and brought our community together to find solutions to the homelessness crisis.
Create Financial Rental Assistance Aura will expand the protection and creation of rent-controlled, low-rent housing and new financial assistance options for struggling renters.
Provide renters with the “right to a lawyer” in eviction cases. To protect renters as evictions rise, Aura will ensure the right to legal representation, policies that have dropped evictions 41% nationwide.
Aura supports the successful social housing initiatives that provide housing to individuals and families of different income levels. - Bring a “housing and services first” approach to combat homelessness, simplifying new construction pipelines and increasing mental health and substance use support. Aura will provide services for the unhoused, permanent housing, and increase mental health and substance use support. She will streamline wrap-around services for unhoused citizens, including bridge housing, job training, and build mental health facilites.
- Aura will protect our homes and neighborhoods by lighting our residential areas, more pedestrian safety, and developing community-based policing strategies. Invest in neighborhood beautification, planting 10,000 trees to cool District 10, opening school play yards for community green spaces, and free transit. Aura will fight to make energy costs affordable and reduce pollution.
Integrity is fundamental, as I uphold the highest honesty and ethical conduct standards. Transparency is equally vital, ensuring clear communication about decision-making processes to foster accountability and strengthen our democratic foundation.
Empathy is central to my representation approach. Recognizing and empathizing with diverse constituents' needs is essential for crafting policies that authentically address community concerns. This empathetic approach involves actively listening and understanding the lived experiences of the people.
A commitment to justice forms the bedrock of my advocacy. Social and environmental justice are ideals and guiding principles, driving policies that challenge systemic injustices and foster fair, equitable systems that uplift marginalized voices.
Collaboration is key to navigating complex community challenges. Building partnerships and collaborating with stakeholders enhances our capacity to implement comprehensive solutions that reflect diverse perspectives.
Inclusivity is a core value, extending beyond tokenism. Actively seeking and valuing diverse perspectives ensures decisions are reflective of the entire community, promoting a sense of belonging for all.
Advocacy is dynamic in my vision for elected officials. Beyond routine responsibilities, I am a strong advocate for the community, actively working to address concerns and improve overall well-being.
Advocacy is ingrained in my approach; I tirelessly champion social and environmental justice. Collaboration is a strength; I believe in building partnerships to navigate complex issues effectively. Financial acumen, garnered through roles like the LA Department of Water and Power commissioner, enhances my ability to make sound budgetary decisions for our district.
Government accountability is equally crucial. Elected officials must be answerable to the public, and I am committed to being transparent about decisions and actions. Accountability involves acknowledging mistakes, learning from them, and making improvements. It's about ensuring that the public's concerns are heard and addressed. Ultimately, financial transparency and government accountability are cornerstones of a healthy democracy, promoting trust, citizen engagement, and the efficient use of public resources for the betterment of our community.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2020
Aura Vásquez did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate Los Angeles City Council District 10 |
Personal |
Footnotes
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