What's on the ballot in Los Angeles? Your voting guide for the 2024 California primary election
The California Primary Election is here, and it's time for voters to cast their ballots for dozens of important races. We've narrowed down the state's 110-page voter information guide and focused on some top races.
Here's an outline of those races. Click to jump to them.
US Senate
The race for the US Senate turns to California's election, filling the office once held by the late Dianne Feinstein. Four candidates have emerged as the top prospects for California's final Senate seat.
Rep. Adam Schiff
Rep. Adam Schiff, the frontrunner in most polls, has pushed his record as a politician willing to fight against some of the most powerful people in America, including former President Donald Trump. The 12-term Congressman rose to national prominence during Trump's first impeachment and increased his popularity while he served on the Congressional panel investigating the Jan. 6 attack at the US Capitol.
Rep. Katie Porter
For the past four years, Rep. Katie Porter has represented coastal Orange County and touts the fact that she's never received any money from corporate Political Action Committees, better known as PACs.
Porter famously stood up to the country's biggest industries by pulling out a whiteboard in Congress and grilling corporate CEOs. She believes her track record of recognizing where Washington is falling short is what sets her apart from the competition.
Steve Garvey
Former Dodger Steve Garvey became Los Angeles' hometown hero when he helped the Boys in Blue take down the New York Yankees in a stunning World Series victory in 1981. Now, he hopes to defy the odds again and become the first Republican to represent California in the Senate since 1992.
Leading up to the primary, it seems he has a chance of advancing to the November election, tying with Porter for second place in most polls.
Rep. Barbara Lee
Congresswoman Barbara Lee has spent decades fighting for civil rights and believes she has the right perspective to become California's newest US Senator. She has one of the most progressive voting records in Congress and highlights the fact that she is the only candidate in the race to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
She may have a fight on her hands going into the primary, trailing her opponents in the polls.
Prop 1
Prop 1, a bond measure aimed at overhauling California's battle to end homelessness, might be the most consequential proposition on the ballot. If passed, the state would redirect billions in homeless crisis funding to create drug and mental health treatment beds. Gov. Gavin Newsom, Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna have all thrown their support behind the bill.
However, there is also vocal opposition, with critics claiming it will only take away much-needed money from effective health services.
LA County District Attorney
Incumbent George Gascón faces an uphill battle to be re-elected as Los Angeles County District Attorney as polls show 51% of residents disapprove of his job performance so far. He'll have to beat back three men looking to kick him out of office to retain his seat as LA's top prosecutor.
George Gascón
Contentious would be a fair way to describe George Gascón's first term as LA County District Attorney. Despite this, Gascón boasts that major crime is down across the county and that Angelenos are safer than two years ago. He also claims to have the backing of top-rate officers including former police chiefs.
Jonathan Hatami
Best known for winning convictions in the murder and torture cases of Gabriel Fernandez and Anthony Avalos, long-time child abuse prosecutor Jonathan Hatami hopes to replace his boss in this year's election. After Gascón faced stiff criticism for rarely filing enhancement charges, Hatami separated himself from the District Attorney by believing in the hate crime enhancements.
Jeff Chemerinksy
Former federal prosecutor Jeff Chemerinsky has been compared to Gascón because of his comments about criminal justice reform. However, the man who convicted the head of MS-13 doesn't consider himself a progressive and believes it's possible to be a stern prosecutor and reformer at the same time. Similar to Hatami, Chemerinsky supports hate crime enhancements.
Nathan Hochman
Former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman, who raised the most money out of the three challengers, has spent $1 million on advertisements. Similar to his opponents, Hochman supports enhancement charges — specifically for guns and gangs. He also believes in seeking the death penalty, but only for the most heinous crimes.
LA City Council District 14
In his first campaign since an infamous racist audio recording put him in the ire of protests and powerful politicians, Councilmember Kevin de León looks to survive this re-election effort against two well-funded and liked opponents.
Councilman Kevin de León
The sitting councilmember boasts about his district's record of housing the most homeless people in the city — a hot button issue to his constituents who live in and around Skid Row. Since being elected in 2020, de León's office has helped more than 2,500 people with housing.
Despite his feat, it's hard to gloss over the 2022 scandal where he discussed redistricting with two former council members. The racially charged conversation rocked the city's political landscape and drew the attention of President Joe Biden to urge de León to step down. This caused de León to step away from council meetings and focus on his district.
Assemblyman Miguel Santiago
Assemblyman Miguel Santiago has emerged as the top earner of contributions and endorsements in this election and is one of the politicians to join President Joe Biden in asking de León to resign.
In his final term as an assemblyman, Santiago is looking to continue his political career, running on similar campaign issues as de León: homelessness and housing affordability. He's relying on his legacy and love for the community to push him higher in the polls, but he certainly believes that District 14 needs new representation after de León's scandal.
Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo
An immigrant from El Salvador, Wendy Carrillo grew up in Boyle Heights and hopes to transition away from state politics and return to her roots in District 14.
Similar to her opponents, Carrillo has made it clear that she plans to address the homelessness and mental health crisis if she's elected to office. However, she also shares a striking similarity to de León — she's coming off the heel of a scandal of her own. In November 2023, Carrillo was arrested for driving under the influence. Her blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit. The assemblywoman was ordered to a Mothers Against Drunk Driving class as well as 50 hours of community service and a $2,000 fine.
Measure HLA
Measure HLA aims to tweak the city's existing Mobility Plan, forcing city officials to abide by the 2015 initiative as a mandate rather than a guide. If approved, the plan requires the city to install modifications such as wider sidewalks and dedicated bicycle and bus lanes when implementing street improvements that measure at least an eighth of a mile.
HLA's supporters believe it will hold officials accountable after they have only implemented 5% of its plan since 2015. In 2023, deadly crashes outpaced homicides in the city, according to Los Angeles Police Department. Supporters claimed that more than half of the collisions that resulted in death or severe injuries happened on streets without the Mobility Plan safety improvements.
Opponents call HLA a misguided measure that will hamper emergency response times and increase traffic. Critics claimed that areas where the modifications have been installed have increased response times by 50% for firefighters and police. Additionally, they believe that these would increase gridlock during rush hour, increasing emissions and pollution.
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Here's an outline of the races we went over. Click to read them again.
