City of Los Angeles · Statewide General Election
Los Angeles City Council, District 9
Draft candidate list — early preview until the state’s official list publishes on August 27, 2026.
This is one contest. Enter your address to see every race on your November ballot, and keep track of your picks.
On the ballot
- Estuardo Mazariegos
- Jose Ugarte
This person holds your neighborhood's seat on the 15-member Los Angeles City Council.
Jose Ugarte led the June 2 primary with 39.45% and Estuardo Mazariegos took 26.21%. This is a nonpartisan office. The district covers South Los Angeles and part of the area south of downtown.
A Los Angeles city councilmember is one of just 15 people representing a city of roughly four million — each district holds about 260,000 residents, more than many members of Congress represent at the state level. The council controls land use and development approvals in the district, the city budget, and city departments including police and sanitation. Councilmembers have historically held near-veto power over projects in their own districts.
Neither candidate has held state or federal legislative office, so the documented difference between them is how their campaigns were built. One raised more overall and more from individuals; the other has the fifth-largest small-donor base of any candidate on this ballot at $47,682, which in a district of this income profile is a meaningful signal about where support is coming from.
Jose Ugarte
Nonpartisan, who led the June primary with 39.45% of the vote. He raised $694,790, including $409,281 from individuals and $9,148 from small donors. He has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress.
Strengths
He led the field by 13 points and raised the larger campaign, with a majority from named individuals.
Trade-offs
He led with 39.45%, meaning six in ten June voters chose someone else; and he has no record in elected office to be judged on.
Keep in mind
Coverage surfaced little detail about his platform; what we can document is the funding and the result.
Estuardo Mazariegos
Nonpartisan, who advanced with 26.21% of the June vote. He raised $450,712, including $175,053 from individuals and $47,682 from small donors — one of the largest small-dollar bases of any candidate on this ballot. He has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress.
Strengths
More than a tenth of his campaign came from donors giving under $100, a breadth of small-dollar support almost no one else on this ballot matches.
Trade-offs
He finished 13 points behind on about two-thirds of the money, and has no record in elected office to be judged on.
Keep in mind
Coverage surfaced little detail about his platform; what we can document is the funding and the result.
Financial info
- Small donors
- Individuals
- PACs & committees
- Businesses & other orgs
- Self-funding
- Public matching funds
Estuardo Mazariegos
$450,712 raised
- Small donors$47,68211%
- Individuals$175,05339%
- PACs & committees$6,6001%
- Businesses & other orgs$6,6501%
- Self-funding$25,7276%
- Public matching funds$189,00042%
Jose Ugarte
$694,790 raised
- Small donors$9,1481%
- Individuals$409,28159%
- PACs & committees$29,0004%
- Businesses & other orgs$105,57515%
- Public matching funds$141,78620%
1Public matching funds are city money earned through small-donor support. Figures are CA Form 460 filings through June 30, 2026. Per Los Angeles City Ethics Commission campaign-finance data, retrieved 2026-08-22.
June 2 primary — how they advanced
Source review: Very strong (94/100) · 4 cited sources
Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.
- results.lavote.gov (opens in a new tab)LA County RR/CC — Certified results, June 2, 2026 primary (certified 2026-06-26)
- clerk.lacity.gov (opens in a new tab)LA City Clerk — 2026 General Municipal Election
- ballotpedia.org (opens in a new tab)Ballotpedia — June 2026 California primary
- data.lacity.org (opens in a new tab)LA City Ethics Commission — City campaign contributions (Form 460 filings)
Last updated August 17, 2026.