# Los Angeles City Council, District 9

Compare records and positions simply between Estuardo Mazariegos or Jose Ugarte for Los Angeles City Council, District 9 at VoteOrElse.com. On the November 3, 2026 California general election ballot. This person holds your neighborhood's seat on the Los Angeles City Council. The council has 15 members.

- Jurisdiction: City of Los Angeles
- Election: November 3, 2026 California general election
- Publisher: Vote or Else (https://voteorelse.com) — a free, nonpartisan ballot guide for California voters. No endorsements.
- Canonical page: https://voteorelse.com/2026/la-council-9
- Full ballot: this page covers one race. Every contest on a voter's own ballot, by address, with the same breakdown for each: https://voteorelse.com/
- Sources last retrieved: October 6, 2026
- Source-objectivity score: 84 out of 100 (Strong), across 10 cited sources. This grades the mix of sources, not the candidates. Rubric: https://voteorelse.com/about#methodology

## On the ballot

- **Estuardo Mazariegos**
- **Jose Ugarte**

A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.

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

Jose Ugarte, 40, is deputy chief of staff to termed-out Councilmember Curren Price. He founded the Ugarte Civic Youth Fellowship, which he says has mentored "over 100 students" in Council District 9 (Daily News questionnaire). He also says he helped negotiate "billions of dollars in investments" into the district. He points to projects including the Los Angeles Convention Center, the George Lucas Museum, Banc of California Stadium and Crypto.com Arena. In his Vote411 questionnaire he describes starting at the Los Angeles Federation of Labor and then working for a State Assembly member. There, he says, he helped pass a water bond and a ban on lead ammunition. He credits himself with helping launch an LAPD community safety program at South Park, expanding access to fresh groceries, and helping start the city's first guaranteed basic income program. He says "the keys to transparency and accountability are open communication and the courage to make necessary demands" (Daily News questionnaire). Ugarte previously agreed to a settlement with the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission. The case involved outside income from his consulting firm that he did not disclose while serving as a City Hall aide, which he described as a "clerical error" (Daily News). Price, his former boss, faces a dozen felony corruption charges and has pleaded not guilty. A Price spokesperson said Ugarte "left Price's office months ago and is running an independent campaign" on his own record (Daily News).

His three stated priorities are a cleaner, safer and more affordable South Central. On cleanliness he would target illegal dumping with patrols, restore weekly street sweeping, and ban RVs, campers and car sales on public streets. On safety he would bar encampments near schools, parks and churches, and favors community policing by officers from the neighborhoods they serve. On affordability he cites local-hire rules tied to the 2028 Olympics and says he would hold the line against luxury housing while building more affordable and market-rate homes. In his Daily News questionnaire he also promises an LA Metro rail line to South Central and vegetation sound barriers along the 110 Freeway. He promises housing "built sustainably alongside the community," including supportive housing for veterans, former foster youth and domestic violence survivors. He also backs the city's Charter Reform Commission and a balanced budget without new taxes.

**Strengths:** Years inside City Hall as a deputy chief of staff and, by his own account, a record delivering jobs, development projects, park funding and grocery access to the district.

**Trade-offs:** He agreed to a settlement with the city Ethics Commission over undisclosed outside income while working as a City Hall aide.

**Keep in mind:** He was Curren Price's deputy chief of staff, and the seat is open because Price faces a corruption trial. His campaign says he left months ago and runs independently. The results he lists are his own account in the questionnaire.

## Estuardo Mazariegos

Estuardo Mazariegos came to Los Angeles as a child, fleeing political violence in Guatemala (campaign site). He co-directs the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment-LA and represents the Voices Neighborhood Council. He says he organized the campaigns behind South LA's tenant anti-displacement rules, which were "largely adopted" into the citywide Resident Protection Ordinance. He also says he helped pass Measure ULA, the city's tax on high-value property sales (Daily News questionnaire). In his Vote411 questionnaire he describes nearly 20 years as a community and labor organizer, including work as an SEIU-USWW organizer and a seat on the Liberty Community Land Trust board. He says he is the first in his family to complete an advanced degree, a master's in public administration from CSU Northridge. He credits his ACCE campaigns with the Responsible Banking, Tenant Anti-Harassment and Resident Protection ordinances. "I have no political ambition beyond making this city work for our neighborhoods," he said (Daily News questionnaire). His campaign refuses donations from lobbyists, corporations and anyone with a financial stake in city decisions, and he calls it "entirely people-funded" (Daily News). He has framed that pledge against Councilmember Curren Price's pending corruption trial, calling ethics concerns "inescapable issues" in the race (Daily News).

His three stated priorities are housing justice, a greener and safer city, and workers. On housing he says preventing displacement is the most effective homelessness policy. He wants stronger tenant protections, more rent-stabilized and affordable homes, social housing, community land trusts and a dedicated homelessness team. On the environment he would turn contaminated and vacant lots into housing and parks, expand the tree canopy, move to fully clean energy and carry out the city's Mobility Plan. On workers he names stronger labor standards, a crackdown on wage theft, protections for immigrant workers and community benefits from mega-events. In his Daily News questionnaire he promises clean, well-lit streets and more social and affordable housing so "the housing that's built and maintained here actually serves the residents." He also promises new district revenue from surcharges on mega-events and car sales, green-industry incentives and union hiring pipelines.

**Strengths:** Nearly 20 years as a community and labor organizer and, by his own account, a leading role in the Tenant Anti-Harassment and Resident Protection ordinances.

**Trade-offs:** No experience in elected office and no City Hall administrative record to point to.

**Keep in mind:** His campaign refuses money from corporate PACs and developers, a pledge that stands out in a race shaped by an outgoing councilmember's corruption trial. His ordinance record is his own account in the questionnaire.

## Financial info

- **Estuardo Mazariegos**
  - Primary: $450,712 raised (Small donors: $47,682; Individuals: $175,053; PACs & committees: $6,600; Businesses & other orgs: $6,650; Self-funding: $25,727; Public matching funds: $189,000)
  - November: $4,743 raised (Individuals: $2,743; PACs & committees: $1,000; Businesses & other orgs: $1,000)
- **Jose Ugarte**
  - Primary: $694,790 raised (Small donors: $9,148; Individuals: $409,281; PACs & committees: $29,000; Businesses & other orgs: $105,575; Public matching funds: $141,786)
  - November: $36,822 raised (Individuals: $27,572; PACs & committees: $1,000; Businesses & other orgs: $8,250)

Public 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 2026-09-21.

Total is itemized contributions dated after the June 2, 2026 primary, through June 30, 2026, across each candidate's committees (primary and general, where filed separately). This dataset reflects periodic Form 460 statements, not the separate 24-hour large-contribution reports (Form 497) candidates file continuously — those can run well ahead of this total in the closing weeks before the election. Per Los Angeles City Ethics Commission campaign-finance data, retrieved 2026-08-30.

## Review notes

- Estuardo Mazariegos for LA City Council District 9 and Jose Ugarte for LA City Council District 9 may have more bias because they are advocacy voter guides compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.

## Sources

1. [LA County RR/CC — Certified results, June 2, 2026 primary (certified 2026-06-26)](https://results.lavote.gov/text-results/4338)
2. [LA City Clerk — 2026 General Municipal Election](https://clerk.lacity.gov/elections/municipal-elections)
3. [Ballotpedia — June 2026 California primary](https://ballotpedia.org)
4. [Daily News (SCNG) — Estuardo Mazariegos, Los Angeles City Council District 9 candidate, 2026 primary election questionnaire](https://www.dailynews.com/2026/05/04/estuardo-mazariegos-los-angeles-city-council-district-9-candidate-2026-primary-election-questionnaire/)
5. [Daily News (SCNG) — Jose Ugarte, Los Angeles City Council District 9 candidate, 2026 primary election questionnaire](https://www.dailynews.com/2026/05/04/jose-ugarte-los-angeles-city-council-district-9-candidate-2026-primary-election-questionnaire/)
6. [Daily News (SCNG) — CD9 candidates center on ethics and accountability as the Curren Price case heads to trial](https://www.dailynews.com/2026/05/08/cd9-candidates-center-on-ethics-and-accountability-as-the-curren-price-case-heads-to-trial/)
7. [Estuardo Mazariegos for LA City Council District 9 — campaign site](https://estuardo4la.com)
8. [Jose Ugarte for LA City Council District 9 — campaign site](https://www.ugarteforla.com)
9. [League of Women Voters -- Vote411 voter guide, 'Los Angeles City Council, District 9' race (statewide All Races list): each candidate's self-submitted ballot designation and campaign contacts, plus answers to the League's questions -- top three priorities; qualifying background, experience and education. Both candidates, Jose Ugarte and Estuardo Mazariegos, responded. Capture in data/nov-2026/sources/vote411/la-council-9.json.](https://www.vote411.org/plan-your-vote)
10. [LA City Ethics Commission — City campaign contributions (Form 460 filings)](https://data.lacity.org/resource/m6g2-gc6c)

## The rest of the ballot

Los Angeles City Council, District 9 is one contest among the many a California voter decides on November 3, 2026 — Congress, the Legislature, county, city, and school board races differ by address. Vote or Else builds the full list for any California address and breaks down each contest the way this page does, with no account and without storing the address: https://voteorelse.com/

## How to cite this page

Vote or Else, "Los Angeles City Council, District 9 — November 3, 2026 California general election," https://voteorelse.com/2026/la-council-9 (sources last retrieved October 6, 2026).

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