2017 Los Angeles elections

The 2017 Los Angeles elections were held on March 7, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Voters elected candidates in a nonpartisan primary, with runoff elections scheduled for May 16, 2017. Eight of the fifteen seats in the City Council were up for election, as well as the offices of Mayor, City Attorney and City Controller. Four ballot measures were also on the ballot.

Municipal elections in California are officially nonpartisan; candidates' party affiliations do not appear on the ballot.

District 1
The 1st district covered mostly Northeast Los Angeles, including MacArthur Park, Koreatown, Mount Washington and Cypress Park. The incumbent was Gil Cedillo, who was first elected in 2013 and was seeking a second term. Cedillo nearly won election outright in the primary, but support for community activist and former bike store owner Joe Bray-Ali forced him into a runoff.

Bray-Ali's campaign collapsed after a series of scandals involving him surfaced. In April 2017, it was revealed by LAist that Bray-Ali had made racist, fat shaming, and transphobic comments Voat, which prompted councilmember Mitch O'Farrell and the Los Angeles Times to pull their endorsements. Despite calls on Bray-Ali to drop out, he refused to do so and apologized for the comments. Bray-Ali also admitted to having extramarital affairs and failing to pay taxes.

In the runoff election, Cedillo defeated Bray-Ali in a landslide.

Candidates

 * Gil Cedillo, incumbent councilor
 * Joe Bray-Ali, cycling activist
 * Giovanny Hernandez, community organizer
 * Jesse Rosas, resident
 * Luca Barton (write-in)

District 3
The 3rd district encompassed southwestern San Fernando Valley neighborhoods of Los Angeles, including Canoga Park, Reseda, Tarzana, Winnetka, and Woodland Hills. The incumbent was Bob Blumenfield, who was elected in 2013 and was seeking a second term. He ran unopposed and won election outright in the primary.

District 5
The 5th district covered most of the Mid-City West region, including Bel Air, Beverly Crest, Beverly Grove, Beverlywood, Carthay Circle, Century City, Cheviot Hills, Fairfax District, Holmby Hills, Melrose, Palms, Pico-Robertson, Westwood, Westside Village, and Encino.

The incumbent was Paul Koretz, who was first elected in 2009 and was seeking a third term. Koretz was re-elected over Jesse Max Creed and Mark Matthew Herd by a landslide.

Candidates

 * Paul Koretz, incumbent councilor
 * Jesse Max Creed, attorney
 * Mark Matthew Herd, community organizer and activist

District 7
The 7th district covered Northern Los Angeles, including Sunland-Tujunga, Lake View Terrace, Pacoima and Shadow Hills. The district was the only open seat due to the resignation of Felipe Fuentes on September 11, 2016 in order to start working as a lobbyist. Former Los Angeles Board of Public Works Commissioner Monica Rodriguez and City Council staffer Karo Torossian advanced to the runoff. In the runoff election, Rodriguez defeated Torossian by seven points with the help of labor spending. Torossian did not concede the race until ten days later after results showed Rodriguez's margin of victory widening.

Candidates

 * Monica Rodriguez, former Public Works commissioner
 * Karo Torossian, City Council planning director for Paul Krekorian
 * Mónica Ratliff, Los Angeles Unified School District board member
 * Dale Gibson, stuntman
 * Nicole Chase, Boys & Girls Club development director
 * Arthur Miner, pub owner and engineer
 * Venessa Martinez, state Deputy Attorney General
 * Olga Ayala, community organizer
 * Terrence Gomes, financial adviser
 * Fred A. Flores, veterans advocate
 * John T. Higginson, equestrian center owner
 * Constance Saunders, lender mortgage subservicer
 * Mike Schaefer, public interest advocate