A last-minute guide for voting in 2022 Los Angeles city elections
It has been described as one of the most pivotal elections in decades for Los Angeles.
Voters will pick a new mayor and face generational and ideological choices for other key races that could bring major changes at City Hall.
L.A. is struggling to recover from the pandemic at the same time that it is grappling with housing affordability and homelessness crises. A series of corruption scandals have tainted the public’s view of City Hall. And that was before a racist audio leak caused the president of the City Council to step down and prompted calls for two other council members to follow her out of politics.
Let us know how your in-person voting experience in California went and what issues you faced when you went to the polls.
Here is a cheat sheet for the big issues facing voters:
We’ve rounded up election guides and endorsement lists from newspapers, other media outlets, political parties and others across the state. Consider this your guide to voting guides.
Left-wing gains?
Left-wing candidates did very well in the primary election. That has created runoff battles between traditional liberal Democrats and those vowing a more progressive direction.
With the racist leak hurting several establishment Democrats, left-wing political organizers see a potential tipping point ahead of the Nov. 8 election. Their grass-roots movement already had tremendous momentum, with many of their candidates placing first in the June primary.
If they prevail, they could easily remake the city in a number of ways, cutting spending for police, enacting more aggressive renter protections and rethinking the city’s approach to homelessness. Several have called for the repeal of a city law barring encampments outside schools, day-care centers and other facilities.
Los Angeles’ November election will feature three local ballot measures.
What you need to know before you vote
Meet the candidates: Civil rights lawyer Faisal Gill and finance law attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto
Two candidates for city controller, Councilmember Paul Koretz and accountant Kenneth Mejia, are locked in one of the most negative campaigns in L.A. this year.
Katy Young Yaroslavsky and Sam Yebri are the candidates for L.A. City Council in District 5.
Homelessness is the dominant issue in the City Council district serving Venice and other coastal areas.
Labor organizer Hugo Soto-Martinez is looking to unseat City Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, who has spent nine years representing Hollywood and other areas.
The race to replace Councilmember Joe Buscaino pits Tim McOsker, a lawyer with a history at City Hall, against Danielle Sandoval, a former neighborhood council member.
Meet the candidates and learn the positions of the candidates for two seats on L.A. Board of Education.
These candidates are vying for four seats on the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees.
Los Angeles’ November election will feature three local ballot measures.
Ordinance ULA would impose a one-time 4% tax on property sales above $5 million that would rise to 5.5% on transactions above $10 million.
The Los Angeles Community College District is asking voters to approve $5.3 billion in bonds -- its largest request ever
Mayor’s race
Rep. Karen Bass and businessman Rick Caruso are facing off in what is considered a high-stakes race to be mayor.
Caruso, a billionaire businessman, has funneled more than $100 million into his campaign, dramatically dwarfing spending by Bass, a six-term congresswoman from South L.A. who would be the first Black woman elected mayor if she wins.
What you need to know before you vote:
Rick Caruso and Karen Bass are running for Los Angeles mayor. Here is your guide to the race.
- Steve Lopez on why this race is so important
- Voters explain why they support Rick Caruso for mayor
- Voters explain why they support Karen Bass for L.A. mayor
Deep dives into the candidates
- Caruso and USC
- Bass’ rise from South L.A. activist
- How Bass took on Congress
- How Caruso built his empire
- Bass and her Black-Latino family
- Caruso and the shadow of his father
What do you need to know about the 2022 election? Find out with these voting guides for local and California races and state propositions.
The issues
Like many big cities, Los Angeles was hit hard by the pandemic. But the issues that have resonated with voters most are long-simmering: the homelessness crisis; housing shortages; crime; corruption at City Hall; and racial divisions.
What you need to know before you vote:
- POLICING/CRIME Bass and Caruso differ on crime issues, policing — but not as much as many think
- HOMELESSNESS Can Bass or Caruso solve homeless housing crisis? Here are their divergent plans
- HOUSING Where candidates standing on housing, overcrowding and affordability
RACIAL DIVISIONS Bass, Caruso focus on how to bridge L.A.’s racial divides
The overwhelming shift to vote-by-mail ballots fundamentally altered how Californians participate in elections. Ballot tabulation can extend for weeks afterward.
Other races in L.A. County
State Senator Bob Hertzberg and West Hollywood City Councilmember Lindsey Horvath are running to replace Sheila Kuehl on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva is in a tight race to keep his job, with retired Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna emerging as the front-runner.
Measure A would amend L.A. County’s charter to allow a sitting sheriff to be removed by the Board of Supervisors.
This guide was compiled by Shelby Grad with reporting from David Zahniser, Ben Oreskes, Julia Wick, Dakota Smith and Marisa Gerber.
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