Candidates Line Up to Succeed Outgoing Council Members

The pool of Los Angeles City Council candidates expanded today to include Council President Herb Wesson Jr., who filed fundraising papers for the 2015 election with the city Ethics Commission.

Wesson can now raise money for a bid to keep his 10th Council District seat for a third term. He represents Mid-City, Koreatown and South Los Angeles communities and is serving a second yearlong term as council president.

Other incumbents seeking re-election are 14th district City Councilman Jose Huizar and 6th district City Councilwoman Nury Martinez. Huizar's Eastside district includes part of downtown, Boyle Heights and northeast Los Angeles communities of El Sereno and Glassell Park. Martinez filled the San Fernando Valley-based 6th district seat vacated earlier this year by Tony Cardenas.

Since the filing period began Sept. 3, five candidates have filed to raise money to fill Tom LaBonge's Hollywood-centered 4th Council District seat.

LaBonge, who came to City Hall under former Mayor Tom Bradley, is termed out after 14 years on the City Council, including two years finishing up the un-expired term of his former boss, the late City Councilman John Ferraro. His district also contains parts of the San Fernando Valley, such as Sherman Oaks and Toluca Lake.

Candidates to succeed LaBonge include his chief of staff, Carolyn Ramsay; Teddy Davis, a spokesman for former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Tara Bannister, vice president of the National Apartment Association.

City Councilman Paul Koretz's chief of staff, Joan Pelico, and community college instructor, Steve Veres, also filed fundraising papers in the 4th district race.

Two potential candidates have their sights on the South Los Angeles 8th district seat held by termed-out City Councilman Bernard Parks.

Marqueece Harris-Dawson, president of South Los Angeles nonprofit Community Coalition, and Democratic political activist Bobbie Jean Anderson also filed this month to run for Parks' seat.

City Councilman Paul Krekorian, who represents the 2nd district is also up for re-election in 2015, but he has yet to file papers with the Ethics Commission. If he decides to run for a second term, he has a potential challenger in David Hernandez, who filed papers this month.

--City News Service