Los Angeles District 1 Councilman Gil Cedillo appears to have lost his seat to progressive challenger Eunisses Hernandez. The activist and community organizer has claimed victory over Cedillo. As of June 23, Hernandez leads with 54.03% — more than the 50%+ needed to avoid a runoff.
What does Hernandez stand for? Well, in part this:
Abolish the police.
— Eunisses (@EunissesH) April 13, 2021
Hernandez is young, charismatic and vocal on social media. She is the founder of La Defensa, an organization that advocates for alternatives to incarceration. She spearheaded Measure J and made gentrification a centerpiece of her campaign. Rents have skyrocketed in the area of East LA that Cedillo represents.
The latest ballot counts in Los Angeles have been good news for progressives overall (and bad news for many incumbents). Karen Bass has widened her lead over Rick Caruso in the mayor’s race, though not by enough to avoid a contest in November. In District 13, another incumbent has lost ground to a far more progressive challenger. Mitch O’Farrell will almost certainly face a runoff against labor organizer Hugo Soto-Martinez. Soto-Martinez wants less cops on the street and also opposes the removal of homeless encampments.
Read more about LA’s late progressive surge at the Los Angeles Times and read the latest local election results from around the state here.