Early voting for the City Council’s District 6 special runoff election, which aims to fill the seat vacated by former Council President Nury Martinez, began on Saturday, June 27.
The Sixth District encompasses Van Nuys, Arleta, Lake Balboa, Panorama City, Sun Valley, and parts of North Hills and North Hollywood.
All registered voters in the Sixth District have received a vote-by-mail ballot in late May, according to Los Angeles City Clerk Holly Wolcott. Voters have the option to cast their ballots at three vote centers, drop them off at a ballot drop-box, or mail them in. The deadline to submit a ballot is June 27.
For the locations of vote centers and ballot drop-boxes, visit clerk.lacity.gov/clerk-divisions/elections.
The vote centers are open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. for in-person voting or to return completed vote-by-mail ballots.
In the April 4 special election, Imelda Padilla, a community relations manager, and Marisa Alcaraz, a City Council aide, emerged as the top two candidates among seven contenders. However, since no candidate received a majority, a runoff between the top two vote-getters is necessary.
Padilla has made a commitment to address the ongoing homeless crisis by proposing immediate solutions. She aims to connect the unhoused population with essential services to help them find housing, employment, and health services. Padilla intends to collaborate with various stakeholders, including residents, nonprofit organizations, religious leaders, business owners, and health organizations, to develop and implement practical hyper-local solutions that enhance community safety, sanitation, and sustainability.
Padilla, 35 years old and a native of Van Nuys, was raised in Sun Valley. She attended Roscoe Elementary School, Byrd Middle School, and Polytechnic High School. Padilla holds a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and a master’s degree from Cal State Northridge.
Alcaraz has expressed her priority of helping unhoused individuals find housing and receive the necessary care to regain stability. She advocates for extensive outreach efforts and a “Housing First” approach.
“We must continue investing in outreach teams, particularly those with multi-disciplinary professionals, such as nurses and mental health experts,” Alcaraz stated.
Alcaraz, 38 years old, currently serves as deputy chief of staff and environmental policy director to Ninth District Councilman Curren Price. She grew up in Lake Balboa and graduated from Birmingham High School. Alcaraz holds a bachelor’s degree from UC Irvine and a master’s degree from USC.
Eligible residents who missed the registration deadline still have the opportunity to vote at any vote center. Conditional voter registration under California election law allows prospective voters to register and cast a ballot.
Voters can track the status of their ballots through the “Where’s My Ballot” service, which provides automatic notifications via text, email, or voicemail.
Martinez, the former representative of the district, resigned from her Council presidency and later vacated her seat altogether in October. She was caught making racist remarks in a secretly recorded meeting that was leaked to the media.
Currently, the Sixth District is being overseen by a non-voting caretaker, Sharon Tso, the city’s chief legislative analyst. The caretaker’s role is to ensure that the district continues to provide constituent services and fulfill basic functions, even without holding a seat on the Council.
The winner of the runoff election will complete Martinez’s term, which extends until December 2024.
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