City of Monrovia

Monrovia City Council

This person holds one of two at-large seats up this cycle on Monrovia's 5-member City Council. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use. The term is four years.

Three candidates are running for Monrovia's two citywide council seats. Incumbents Tamala P. Kelly and Larry J. Spicer face challenger Jesus Rojas. Rojas is an El Monte police corporal making his second run for a council seat. Voters may pick up to two, and there is no primary.

Council seats carry 4-year terms. Winners join the mayor as five votes on city ordinances, the budget, and land use, with day-to-day operations run by an appointed city manager rather than any single elected official.

Kelly, elected in 2022, and Spicer, in his fourth term since 2013, are running together as the sitting council's incumbents and are not opposing each other. Rojas is the only challenger, so the practical choice in a two-seat field of three is whether his policing background should replace one of the incumbents rather than which incumbent to keep.

Tamala P. Kelly

Tamala P. Kelly is the incumbent, elected to the council in 2022. They were Mayor Pro Tem from 2024 to 2026. They are the first African American woman elected to the Monrovia City Council. They list public safety, affordable housing, preserving Monrovia's character, fiscal responsibility, and transparency as priorities. They are also an associate college professor. They are CEO of Empower 2 Purpose, Inc., a nonprofit they founded with their husband.

Larry J. Spicer

Larry J. Spicer is the incumbent, elected to the council in 2013. He is now in his fourth term. He has served three stints as Mayor Pro Tem. He lists public safety, homelessness, transportation, senior programs, and affordable housing as priorities. He is a U.S. Army veteran and a lifelong Monrovian. Before joining the council, he served one term on the Planning Commission.

Jesus Rojas

Jesus Rojas is a challenger and a Corporal with the El Monte Police Department. He has served there about 20 years. He holds no city office. He finished out of the running in a March 2024 Monrovia council race. At a 2024 candidates forum, he described a public safety platform. It included an armored vehicle for Monrovia PD and more cameras that read license plates. He also called for more police at schools and on Metro trains. In 2025, the Peace Officers Association of LA County gave him a Centurion Award. The award recognized community policing work, including a Citizens Academy and National Night Out events.

Your picks · choose up to 2

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

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