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Municipal elections in Los Angeles, California (2015)
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The city of Los Angeles, California, held elections for city council on May 19, 2015. A primary election took place on March 3, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was December 3, 2014. Seven of the 15 city council seats were up for election.[1]
Because candidates in the races for District 2, 6, 8, 12, and 14 received over 50% of the vote in the primary election, those races did not proceed to the general election. In the primary for District 4, however, no candidate received a majority of the vote. That race was decided on May 19, 2015.
David Ryu and Carolyn Ramsay were the two candidates running for election in District 4. Their platforms overlapped significantly, but the plans each candidate proposed occasionally took differing approaches.
Both candidates opposed the gross receipts tax, and favored raising the minimum wage. Ryu emphasized increased budgetary efficiency to fund infrastructure projects, while Ramsay focused on increasing non-tax revenue to accomplish her plans. Both candidates addressed the need to regulate new construction projects and supported anti-mansionization measures. Each of the candidates also supported various methods of water conservation and carbon emission reduction.
Both Ryu and Ramsay had plans to improve the Hollywood area. Ryu advocated for establishing a proper location for tourists to view the Hollywood Sign to reduce tourist traffic in residential areas. Ramsay wanted to develop a 20-block area of industrial Hollywood into the “Hollywood Innovation Zone,” that she hoped would attract tech, entertainment and arts innovators to the area. Read more about the candidates’ positions on the issues below.[2][3][4]
City council
Candidate list
District 2
- March 3 Primary election candidates:
- Eric Preven
- Paul Krekorian
- Incumbent Krekorian was elected to the council in 2009.
District 4
- Note: Incumbent Tom LaBonge did not run for re-election.
- March 3 Primary election candidates:
- May 19 General election candidates:
David Ryu
Carolyn Ramsay
District 6
- March 3 Primary election candidates:
- Cindy Montanez
- Nury Martinez - Incumbent Martinez was elected to the council in 2013.
District 8
- Note: Incumbent Bernard Parks did not run for re-election.
- March 3 Primary election candidates:
District 10
- March 3 Primary election candidates:
- Delaney "Doc" Smith
- Grace Yoo
- Herb J. Wesson, Jr. - Incumbent Wesson was first elected to the council in 2005.
District 12
- March 3 Primary election candidates:
- Mitchell Englander - Incumbent Englander was first elected to the council in 2011.
- Mitchell Englander
District 14
- March 3 Primary election candidates:
- Nadine Momoyo Diaz
- Jose Huizar - Incumbent Huizar was elected to the council in 2005.
- John O'Neill
- Mario Chavez
- Gloria Molina
Election results
General election
| Los Angeles City Council, District 4, General Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| David Ryu |
54.8% | 13,161 | |
| Carolyn Ramsay | 45.2% | 10,844 | |
| Total Votes | 24,005 | ||
| Source: City of Los Angeles, "Official general election results," accessed August 17, 2015 | |||
Primary election
| Los Angeles City Council, District 2, Primary Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Paul Krekorian Incumbent |
75.4% | 8,312 | |
| Eric Preven | 24.6% | 2,708 | |
| Total Votes | 11,020 | ||
| Source: City of Los Angeles, "Official primary election results," accessed May 29, 2015 | |||
| Los Angeles City Council, District 4, Primary Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Carolyn Ramsay |
15.3% | 3,719 | |
| David Ryu |
14.9% | 3,634 | |
| Tomas O'Grady | 14.1% | 3,427 | |
| Wally Knox | 10.9% | 2,669 | |
| Teddy Davis | 10.8% | 2,631 | |
| Steve Veres | 9.6% | 2,332 | |
| Sheila Irani | 8.2% | 1,990 | |
| Joan Pelico | 5.8% | 1,418 | |
| Jay Beeber | 4.8% | 1,164 | |
| Rostom "Ross" Sarkissian | 2.2% | 530 | |
| Tara Bannister | 1.3% | 309 | |
| Mike Schaefer | 1.1% | 268 | |
| Fred Mariscal | 0.7% | 182 | |
| Step Jones | 0.4% | 105 | |
| Total Votes | 16,080 | ||
| Source: City of Los Angeles, "Official primary election results," accessed May 29, 2015 | |||
| Los Angeles City Council, District 6, Primary Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nury Martinez Incumbent |
61.1% | 6,625 | |
| Cindy Montanez | 38.9% | 4,219 | |
| Total Votes | 10,844 | ||
| Source: City of Los Angeles, "Official primary election results," accessed May 29, 2015 | |||
| Los Angeles City Council, District 8, Primary Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Marqueece Harris-Dawson |
62.3% | 7,681 | |
| Robert L. Cole, Jr. | 14.1% | 1,735 | |
| Forescee Hogan-Rowles | 12.8% | 1,574 | |
| Bobbie Jean Anderson | 10.8% | 1,333 | |
| Total Votes | 12,323 | ||
| Source: City of Los Angeles, "Official primary election results," accessed May 29, 2015 | |||
| Los Angeles City Council, District 10, Primary Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Herb J. Wesson, Jr. Incumbent |
63.3% | 8,889 | |
| Grace Yoo | 29.7% | 4,174 | |
| Delaney "Doc" Smith | 7% | 985 | |
| Total Votes | 14,048 | ||
| Source: City of Los Angeles, "Official primary election results," accessed May 29, 2015 | |||
| Los Angeles City Council, District 14, Primary Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Jose Huizar Incumbent |
65.3% | 13,704 | |
| Gloria Molina | 24.3% | 5,099 | |
| Nadine Momoyo Diaz | 4.4% | 913 | |
| Mario Chavez | 3.7% | 774 | |
| John O'Neill | 2.3% | 483 | |
| Total Votes | 20,973 | ||
| Source: City of Los Angeles, "Official primary election results," accessed May 29, 2015 | |||
Districts map
Los Angeles was divided into 15 council districts in 2015. Each district elected its own representative on city council. Click the map to return to the candidate list.
Issues
While the races for District 2, 6, 8, 12 and 14 were all decided in the primary due to candidates receiving over 50 percent of the vote, neither candidate in the District 4 primary received a majority of the vote. District 4 candidates David Ryu and Carolyn Ramsay competed in the general election on May 19, 2015. In 2015, District 4 was composed of central Los Angeles, the southern San Fernando Valley and the eastern Santa Monica Mountains.[5]
Budget, taxes and the minimum wage
Both candidates opposed the gross receipts tax, which taxes businesses on receipts rather than their revenue. They also agreed on the need to raise the minimum wage. They had similar views on the budget, but held slightly differing plans on how to achieve a balanced budget.
David Ryu opposed the gross receipts tax, and favored replacing it with a net income tax and a “more equitable business tax.” He argued that this would re-attract businesses that moved to nearby cities in recent years. Ryu wanted to streamline city permitting and licensing through a “concierge” service, in an attempt to aid small local businesses. Carolyn Ramsay also opposed the gross receipts tax for local businesses. She proposed to tie the reduction of the gross receipts tax with an increase in the minimum wage in order to lift workers out of poverty and stimulate the economy.
Ryu also supported raising the minimum wage and supported the mayor’s plan to raise it in stages. “I believe that more than $9 an hour is required for a city that is as expensive to live in as Los Angeles,” he stated. Ryu believed that a broader approach to the minimum wage issue such as a regional/state/federal approach rather than a city-based plan would be ideal.
Ramsay advocated moving toward a two-year budgeting process, arguing that it would increase stability and predictability. She stated that she would seek a creative approach to increase revenue without increasing taxes. Ramsay believed that smart economic development and better management of city assets such as parking lots and the convention center would serve as revenue generators.[3][4]
Infrastructure and development
Both candidates addressed the need to regulate new construction projects and developments. While both candidates had plans to work on city infrastructure, Ryu emphasized increased budgetary efficiency to fund projects, while Ramsay focused on increasing non-tax revenue to accomplish her plans.
Ryu supported what he terms "neighborhood appropriate development," emphasized the need to obtain early input on construction projects from local communities. He felt that there was a need to fix the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance in less than 18 months. Ramsay also favored simplifying and expediting anti-mansionization tools. She intended to hold developers accountable by ensuring that conditions were imposed on projects and fighting digressions from those conditions.
Ryu promised to “wring every budget dry,” and find inefficiencies within the city and the Department of Water and Power budgets before considering allocating more money via tax dollars or a bond for upgrades. Ramsay promised to ensure that police and firefighters would have the resources they need to employ the most up-to-date strategies. She also intended to deploy a park ranger to each regional park on a full-time basis, starting with Griffith Park, Runyon Canyon Park and Franklin Canyon Park. Ramsay advocated for utilizing “acupuncture-style” traffic improvements, including left-turn arrows, speed bumps and rush hour turn restrictions. To pay for these developments, Ramsay wanted to increase revenue rather than raising taxes.[3][4]
Environmental and water issues
Ryu and Ramsay both supported various methods of water conservation and carbon emission reduction.
Ryu emphasized the need to preserve and expand open space, wild areas and protected riparian/wetland areas within city limits. To fund this, he proposed to work with Prop 84 grants and nonprofits to increase existing revenue sources for the parks. He argued for incentivizing storm water collection, turf replacement, collecting runoff in cisterns and other measures to ensure the capture of surface water. Ryu’s plan also included replacing drained aquifers by using more permeable surfaces and efficient usage of drain water. Ryu hoped to rebuild trust in municipal water among residents again through awareness and education programs.
Ramsay echoed concerns for water conservation. To achieve this, she proposed to rebuild streets and sidewalks with permeable surfaces, recycled materials and heat-reflective components. She proposed to clean up the San Fernando Valley aquifer to become a storage tank for recycled water, storm water and naturally-occurring groundwater.
To reduce carbon emissions, Ryu wanted to encourage white roofs and continue to incentivize distributed solar. He cited rooftop solar as the future of energy generation for Los Angeles. Ramsay also aimed to reduce carbon emissions by connecting the Valley to Westwood by rail. To achieve this, she said she would secure additional funds to expedite the Sepulveda Pass Metro Project.[3][4]
Hollywood development
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Both Ryu and Ramsay had plans to improve the Hollywood area. Ryu argued for establishing a proper location for tourists to view the Hollywood Sign with adequate parking and supervision. By this, he aimed to prevent them from congesting residential neighborhoods such as Beachwood Canyon.
Ramsay wanted to develop a 20-block area of industrial Hollywood into the “Hollywood Innovation Zone.” She intended to do this by enacting land use changes and infrastructure improvements as well as by courting private sector partners to re-imagine the area. The goal of this project was to attract tech, entertainment and arts innovators to the area.[3][4]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Los Angeles California Election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- Los Angeles City Clerk - 2015 Official Candidate List
- Los Angeles City Clerk - 2015 Scheduled Elections
- City of Los Angeles - Official primary election results
- City of Los Angeles - Unofficial general election results
Footnotes
- ↑ Los Angeles City Clerk, "2015 Scheduled Elections," accessed September 18, 2014
- ↑ 89.3 KPCC Southern California Public Radio, “2015 Los Angeles General Election: City Council District 4,” accessed April 27, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 David Ryu Campaign Website, “Policy Pages,” accessed April 27, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Carolyn Ramsay Campaign Website, “Ideas,” accessed April 27, 2015
- ↑ Los Angeles Website, "Navigate LA: District 4," accessed April 30, 2015
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