Los Angeles, CAVoter Guide 2026 · not a ballot

Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Los Angeles Mayor & City Council Election 2026

2 of 15

council seats up

3 contests

6 candidates

Updated Oct 2, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check →

The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name. Every position links to its source.

Every city voter picks a mayor; only voters in Council Districts 3 and 9 vote for a council member. Each contest is a runoff between the top two June primary finishers.

4 notes on these statements

Bass has been endorsed by 13 of the City Council's 15 members, according to the Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times · Oct 1, 2026

Council District 3 is an open seat: Bob Blumenfield, who has held it since 2013, is termed out. Los Angeles Times · Oct 1, 2026

Council District 9 is an open seat: Curren Price is terming out after 13 years. Los Angeles Times · Oct 1, 2026

In the January 2026 LAPD hiring vote (9-4), Raman, Jurado, Soto-Martinez and Hernandez voted no and Price and Blumenfield were absent. KFI AM 640 · Jan 21, 2026

Already on the council, not on the ballot

Whoever you elect will govern alongside these members.

Officeholders' pages compare what they've said with how they've voted, with sources.

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Next date

First day to vote by mail

Mon, Oct 5, 2026

What the next council decides

Homelessness and encampments

Where it standsMore than 29,000 people sleep outside in Los Angeles, and both mayoral candidates say the city should eventually break away from LAHSA, the joint city-county homeless authority.

What's on the tableHow to spend city homelessness money (motel rooms, new shelters, vouchers or treatment) and whether to keep adding or removing 41.18 anti-camping zones.

Police staffing

Where it standsThe LAPD has fallen from about 9,200 officers when Bass took office to roughly 8,500 in September 2026.

What's on the tableHow many officers to hire each year and how to pay for it within a tight budget.

Housing and rents

Where it standsIn 2025 the council capped yearly rent increases in rent-stabilized units, and in 2026 it chose to delay the state's SB 79 transit upzoning law in much of the city.

What's on the tableWhether to speed up, limit or carve out SB 79's taller buildings near transit, and whether to change the new rent formula.

  • Since Feb. 2, 2026, the yearly rent increase for rent-stabilized units ranges from 1% to 4% depending on the CPI; under the old rules the floor was 3% and the ceiling 8%. Los Angeles Housing Department
  • SB 79 requires the city to allow buildings of six to nine stories near rail and key bus stops, even in single-family neighborhoods. Los Angeles Times · Oct 1, 2026
  • On March 24, 2026 the council directed City Planning to pursue a phased approach that implements SB 79 locally by 2030. Los Angeles City Planning

City budget and new taxes

Where it standsThe council adopted the 2026-27 budget in May 2026; voters will decide Nov. 3 on Measure FD, a half-cent sales tax for the Fire Department.

What's on the tableHow to balance the budget, and how to spend Measure FD money if voters approve it.

Charter amendments on the ballot

Where it standsVoters will decide six charter amendments (LA, PL, EE, PRK, PRT, SC) and Proposition TE on Nov. 3.

What's on the tableThe next council would write the ordinances that carry out any amendments voters approve.

  • Charter Amendment EE would require the council to meet at least weekly rather than three days per week, and raise the signatures needed for referendum petitions. Los Angeles City Clerk
  • Charter Amendment PL would replace the seven Area Planning Commissions with a single Neighborhood Appeals Commission. Los Angeles City Clerk
  • Proposition TE would exempt sales of Palisades Fire-damaged homes over $5 million from the Measure ULA tax if sold within five years of the fire. Los Angeles City Clerk

Who matches you?

Answer any of these questions. We compare your answers with each person's sourced record, and nothing is stored. Questions where no one has a sourced record yet are left out. Tap a selected answer again to skip it.

  1. 1. Council members can designate places where camping is banned under city law 41.18 (near schools, parks, overpasses and more). What should happen next?

  2. 2. Where should the city put its next homelessness dollars?

  3. 3. The LAPD has shrunk to about 8,500 officers. What should the city do?

  4. 4. State law SB 79 allows six- to nine-story buildings near rail and major bus stops. How should Los Angeles handle it?

  5. 5. In 2025 the council capped yearly increases for rent-stabilized apartments at 1% to 4%. What should happen now?

  6. 6. Measure FD would add a half-cent sales tax to fund the Fire Department. Where do you stand?

Seat the Council →

Pick a winner for each open seat and see where the resulting council stands on each issue.

Key dates

The seat math

12 stay (not up this year): Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Eunisses Hernandez, Heather Hutt, Ysabel Jurado, John Lee, Tim McOsker, Adrin Nazarian, Imelda Padilla, Traci Park, Monica Rodriguez, Hugo Soto-Martinez, Katy Yaroslavsky2 on this ballot

15 council seats plus a mayor who doesn't vote on council items. The council decides by a 8-vote majority.

  • Fifteen council members, one per district, are elected to four-year terms, with a maximum of three terms. City of Los Angeles
  • The mayor is the head of city government, serves a four-year term, and approves or vetoes ordinances passed by the council. City of Los Angeles
  • The mayor, city attorney and controller are elected by city residents every four years. City of Los Angeles
  • The Nov. 3 city ballot lists two candidates each for mayor, city attorney, Council District 3 and Council District 9. Los Angeles City Clerk
  • Terms of the officials elected in 2026 begin December 14, 2026. Los Angeles City Clerk

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