L.A. City Council: Ugarte leads Mazariegos in CD9; Gaspar and Worth Girvan tied in CD3

Jose Ugarte held on to a strong lead over Estuardo Mazariegos in the race for District 9 on the Los Angeles City Council, while in District 3, Barri Worth Girvan and Tim Gaspar remained virtually tied, according to partial returns Wednesday.

The current council members in both districts — Bob Blumenfield in District 3 and Curren Price in District 9 — are leaving office because of term limits.

Ugarte took an early lead as the first returns came in Tuesday night. Many votes remain to be counted but Ugarte felt confident he could win.

“This means everything to me,” Ugarte said from his campaign headquarters in South L.A., as supporters watched election results on a big screen as they rolled in from the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s website. “I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running. There’s a lot of work to be done in the district.”

Mazariegos, who held a campaign party at Paseo San Miguel, a Salvadoran restaurant, remained optimistic Tuesday night, saying the early returns “show us that when you show up for the community, they show up for you.”

“We still have a lot of votes to count but already you can see the impact of our campaign, increased youth turnout, and so much optimism at the polls,” he said in a statement.

Ugarte was endorsed by Price and worked in his office as a deputy chief of staff. Mazariegos is co-director of the L.A. chapter of Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment and was endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America’s L.A. chapter. But no matter who wins, District 9 will undergo a shift in representation after decades of being represented by a Black council member.

Both Ugarte and Mazariegos are Latino immigrants, having arrived as undocumented children. The district today is 80% Latino and includes the Convention Center and USC.

If elected, Ugarte would be the first Oaxacan to serve on the Council.

Ugarte’s campaign received outside support from special interest groups including Airbnb, Uber, the California Apartment Assn. and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 18, which represents workers at the Department of Water and Power.

Mazariegos was supported by groups including United Teachers Los Angeles and the Progressive Era PAC. Special interest groups have spent more than $250,000 supporting his campaign.

Gaspar and Worth Girvan are competing for the 3rd District seat that includes Woodland Hills, Reseda and Canoga Park.

Gaspar is the founder and former owner of a Valley insurance company, who has said that his business acumen would be a benefit on the Council. Worth Girvan served as L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath’s district director for three years and says her experience working in local government would be a benefit for her constituents.

“I’m extremely full of gratitude,” she said as the first returns came in Tuesday night. “For me, it’s always been about the people of the west Valley and making sure we have a voice.”

In a statement, Gaspar said he was encouraged by the early results and the momentum behind his campaign.

“We saw and heard it everyday on the campaign trail,” he said. “The West Valley showed up to have their voices heard on safety, homelessness and the cost of living. We look forward to the final votes to be counted.”