There are now just two City Hall incumbents who remain unopposed in their bids for reelection. <\/p>\n
So how did Councilmembers Tim McOsker <\/b>and Hugo Soto<\/b>–Mart\u00ednez<\/b> get so lucky, at least for now? And what do they have in common?<\/p>\n
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At first glance, not a ton. One is a boomer grandfather who has forgotten more about City Hall machinations than most of us will ever know. <\/p>\n
The other is a millennial leftist who ousted an incumbent three years ago. <\/p>\n
McOsker, the City Hall veteran and proud son of the San Pedro docks, hails from one of the more conservative districts in the city, which stretches from Watts through Harbor Gateway down to San Pedro. Soto-Mart\u00ednez, the democratic socialist former union organizer, represents what is arguably the most progressive (and hippest) district in the city: a densely packed collection of neighborhoods that includes Silver Lake, Echo Park, Atwater and Hollywood. <\/p>\n
In our new era of L.A. city politics,<\/a> where incumbents are far less inviolable than they once were, it\u2019s rare to see two go entirely unopposed. <\/p>\n Of course, it\u2019s very possible that one or both of the men get opponents before the June primary, which is still more than eight months away. But in the meantime, let\u2019s explore a few factors that may be keeping the wolves at bay:<\/p>\n Four members of the current council, including Soto-Mart\u00ednez, won their seats by ousting an incumbent. All four hit their opponents from the left, with digital organizing savvy and the support of grassroots progressive groups. <\/p>\n Sure, someone could technically oust an incumbent without being a millennial endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America. But no one\u2019s done it in a couple of decades. Which brings us back to Soto-Mart\u00ednez\u2019s race: There\u2019s not much room to challenge him from the left, given that he\u2019s already been endorsed by<\/a> the rest of the council\u2019s left bloc. A more moderate challenger is arguably the likelier option, and there has been plenty of talk about a potential business-backed candidate. No takers yet, though. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n Moving our theorizing south to the harbor area, San Pedro doubles as the financial and power base of the 15th council district. It\u2019s also a place where the McOsker name is ubiquitous<\/a> \u2014 second, perhaps, only to Hahn in terms of local clout. The councilman also appears to be genuinely well-liked on his home turf. <\/p>\n It\u2019s certainly possible that an opponent could arise from Watts, Harbor Gateway, Harbor City or Wilmington. But it\u2019s hard to imagine a San Pedran with the muscle necessary to wage a serious City Council campaign going against McOsker (and, by extension, the local San Pedro political machine). <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n All of which is a very long way of saying that anything could happen in the months to come. But for now, Soto-Mart\u00ednez and McOsker are both on a glide path to another term. <\/p>\n \u201cSince we took office, we\u2019ve worked to grow our coalition to build a city that works for working people. We\u2019ve proud of our first three years, but we know there\u2019s so much more work ahead,\u201d Soto-Mart\u00ednez said Friday. <\/p>\n McOsker said he remained focused on bringing resources to every corner of the district, from Watts to the waterfront.<\/p>\n \u201cRepresenting the people of the One-Five has been one of the greatest honors of my professional life, and, for as long as I\u2019m entrusted with this responsibility, my focus will be on lifting up our neighborhoods and delivering as much as we can for our residents,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n State of play<\/p>\n \u2014CONVENTION CONTENTION: <\/b>L.A.\u2019s political leaders took what is, in the view of their own policy experts, a risky bet: pour billions of dollars into its aging Convention Center in the hope that it will breathe new life into downtown and the region\u2019s economy. As my colleagues David Zahniser and Noah Goldberg<\/a> report, the City Council approved a $2.6-billion expansion plan Friday in an 11-2 vote, despite warnings from their own advisors that the project will draw taxpayer funds away from city services for decades to come. There was huge pressure from labor to support the project. Only Councilmembers Nithya Raman <\/b>and Katy Yaroslavsky <\/b>opposed. <\/p>\n \u2014 MEJIA PLAYS DEFENSE <\/b>Former state legislator Isadore Hall <\/b>announced his bid for city controller<\/a> this week, meaning Controller Kenneth Mejia <\/b>may have an actual race ahead of him. <\/p>\n \u2014 WHITHER, MONICA? <\/b>After whipping up a frenzy <\/a>about her 2026 intentions, Councilmember Monica Rodriguez finally filed paperwork to fundraise for her council reelection. She did not answer when asked if this means she has ruled out a bid for controller or mayor. <\/p>\n \u2014 BILLABLE HOURS: <\/b>Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher\u2019s hefty legal bills submitted to the city on a high-stakes homelessness case drew the ire of some members of City Council. But despite those concerns, the council still approved a fivefold increase<\/a> to its contract with the law firm this week. <\/p>\n \u2014 STILL NO PERMANENT FIRE CHIEF:<\/b> The council voted Tuesday to extend interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva<\/b>\u2018s contract for another six months.<\/p>\n \u2014 MUZZLING CRITICISM? <\/b>A new policy requires L.A. County oversight officials to have many communications \u201creviewed, approved and coordinated\u201d before going public. As my colleague Connor Sheets<\/a> reports, critics are raising concerns about the policy and its implications. <\/p>\n \u2014 VALLEY BATTLE: <\/b>Encino Neighborhood Council member Josh Sautter<\/b> announced Friday that he\u2019ll challenge Rep. Brad Sherman<\/b> in next year\u2019s election. Former Sherman staffer Jake Rakov <\/b>and Jake Levine<\/b>, a one-time special assistant at the National Security Council, are also trying to unseat the 70-year-old incumbent.<\/p>\n \u2014 COMPETITION INCOMING: <\/b>We\u2019ve learned a little more about the New York Post\u2019s westward expansion in recent days, as they\u2019ve dropped a number of job listings<\/a>. The list includes a full-time reporter slated to cover Los Angeles City Hall<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u2014 TAKE A SEAT: <\/b>After a year of virtual meetings, the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council will return to in-person meetings at Boyle Heights City Hall beginning next week, the Boyle Heights Beat reports.<\/a> <\/p>\n QUICK HITS<\/p>\n Stay in touch<\/p>\n That\u2019s it for this week! Send your questions, comments and gossip to LAontheRecord@latimes.com<\/a>. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here<\/a> to get it in your inbox every Saturday morning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There are now just two City Hall incumbents who remain unopposed in their bids for reelection. 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