Los Angeles City Council District 6 is having a special election on April 4th after Nury Martinez vacated the seat due to public outrage over her racist and homophobic remarks and revelations of corruption in leaked audio recordings. CD-6 covers Arleta, Lake Balboa, Panorama City, Van Nuys, and parts of Sun Valley and North Hollywood. Assuming none of the candidates make it past the 50% mark on April 4 and win outright, the General Election will be June 27.

A number of candidates have entered the field to fill the seat left by Nury. We want to reiterate that our chapter’s endorsements are rare and used very sparingly in races that we feel we can materially contribute to campaigns. Ultimately, a completed petition was not returned to our chapter for any candidate in this race. However, there are some candidates who are more closely aligned with DSA-LA’s program and priorities. Others are a mashup of 41.18 and police wingnuts who fall in line behind the status quo and reactionary power in the city of Los Angeles.

Antoinette Scully is running on an unapologetically leftist platform. She supports repealing 41.18, reducing the size of LAPD, reinvesting in communities, and a robust transit overhaul. Antoinette’s platform aligns with our chapter’s priorities and is clearly the one the working class of LA deserves.

That said, we believe Antoinette faces an uphill battle in a crowded primary marked with well-funded candidates with platforms that align with the current City Council status quo coalition. Those candidates include Marisa Alcaraz, current chief of staff for Curren Price, and Imelda Padilla, former field deputy in Nury’s office in 2013-14, who’s been endorsed by the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles. 

Another high-fundraising candidate, Director of Engagement of LA Family Housing Marco Santana, shares a left-of-center campaign and policy proposals. We foresee that due to his current fundraising advantage and Los Angeles Times endorsement, he might be in a better position to make it into a runoff against either Padilla or Alcaraz. But ultimately, that is a choice for the voters to decide.

Depending on the outcome in the primary, our chapter will revisit a recommendation for the general election.