L.A. Times electoral endorsements for 2022
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All elections matter, but some matter more — and the June 7 primary is such a moment in Los Angeles and California. The results on election day could bring a significant shift in the political landscape.
To help voters choose, the Times editorial page publishes endorsements based on candidate interviews and independent reporting. Every registered voter will be mailed a ballot in early May, giving people ample time to read up on the candidates, tune in to a forum, consider endorsements, including ours, and make a decision before the last day of voting on June 7.
LOS ANGELES CITY
Mayor
Karen Bass for Los Angeles mayor
Karen Bass is an extraordinarily qualified, battle-tested, mission-driven leader, and should be L.A.'s next mayor.
Controller
Kenneth Mejia for L.A. city controller
For this job, government outsider Kenneth Mejia is particularly impressive because the 31-year-old certified public accountant and auditor has used his campaign to demonstrate the kind of transparency-and-data-driven controller he would be — and that’s why The Times is endorsing him.
Los Angeles City Council
Eunisses Hernandez for City Council District 1
Policy advocate and community organizer Eunisses Hernandez has a record of moving forward big, complicated systemic reforms. That's what L.A. needs.
Katy Young Yaroslavsky for Los Angeles Council District 5
Katy Young Yaroslavsky is a seasoned candidate who has a track record of forming coalitions, listening to people and negotiating complicated issues.
Monica Rodrigues for Los Angeles City Council District 7
Monica Rodriguez is an effective public servant who is well versed in the needs and challenges of her district and committed to making life better for residents.
Danielle Sandoval for Los Angeles City Council District 15
Community organizer and entrepreneur Danielle Sandoval is a grass-roots politician who would bring a fresh perspective to City Hall.
Check back for our endorsements in the city attorney and city council races.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY
Los Angeles County Sheriff
Robert Luna for L.A. County sheriff
Former Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna has a stellar law enforcement record from outside the Sheriff’s Department, including leadership roles in national police organizations with a reform bent. After decades of sheriff scandals and ineptitude, and more than three years of Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s attempts to resist civilian oversight and scuttle hard-won reforms, Luna may well be the department’s last best chance.
Assessor
Jeffrey Prang for Los Angeles County assessor
Los Angeles County Assessor Jeffrey Prang is seeking reelection this year, and voters would be wise to give him a third term. Prang has worked to modernize the office by upgrading its computer system (a project that is still unfolding) and digitizing records. He has tackled the backlog of assessment appeals and put in place a $45 filing fee to reduce meritless appeals, and is developing new ways to recruit and train assessors to fill the vacancies in his department.
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
Hilda Solis for the 1st supervisorial district
Hilda Solis has served the county and its people well in the years leading up to and including the pandemic. Voters should give her one more term to complete her ambitious agenda for a county overhaul based on equity and service delivery.
Lindsey Horvath for the 3rd supervisorial district
West Hollywood Council Member Lindsey Horvath has the drive and creative energy to help L.A. County realize its lofty goals for serving marginalized residents.
LAUSD
District 2
Maria Brenes for L.A. Unified school board
Voters in District 2 — which encompasses downtown L.A., Los Feliz, Highland Park, Boyle Heights, El Sereno and East L.A. — have two good choices: Maria Brenes, the executive director of East L.A. advocacy group InnerCity Struggle; and Rocio Rivas, policy deputy to school board member Jackie Goldberg.
Voters can’t go wrong by picking either candidate. But Brenes has a slight advantage over Rivas. She has actively worked for years to bring a sense of urgency to improving educational outcomes in under-resourced schools that had low expectations of their Black and Latino students.
District 4
Nick Melvoin for L.A. Unified school board
Voters in District 4 — which includes Hancock Park, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, Encino, Tarzana and Woodland Hills — don’t have inspiring options. But in the absence of a stronger challenger, incumbent Melvoin should continue in the job.
He pushed for the district’s one-stop shop for school enrollment — where parents pick from community schools, magnets and other schools — to include charter schools.
District 6
Kelly Gonez for L.A. Unified school board
Incumbent Kelly Gonez was seen as a reform/charter candidate when she first won office in 2017. But Gonez, a former charter school teacher, is more likely to take balanced positions based on the individual issues, not on a particular ideological bent in placing the needs of underserved students first.
Among other things, she had a hand in tripling the number of dual-language programs in the East Valley, which she represents. The area had relatively few such programs compared with the rest of the school district.
COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT
Check back for our endorsements for Los Angeles County Superior Court judges.
STATEWIDE OFFICE
Governor
Gavin Newsom for governor
Voters should elect Gov. Gavin Newsom to another term and hold him accountable for turning his progressive vision into reality.
Attorney General
Rob Bonta for California attorney general
Bonta is the one candidate of the bunch prepared to uphold and defend the laws that Californians have repeatedly supported. He should be elected to a full term as attorney general.
Controller
Lanhee Chen for California controller
We believe Lanhee Chen is the best choice for this position. Why? Because he is a sharp thinker with experience analyzing large financial systems, and because the controller should be as independent from the party in power as possible.
Insurance Commissioner
Marc Levine for state insurance commissioner
Californians deserve elected officials who will operate ethically regardless of whether their name is in the headlines. For this reason and others, we believe Assemblymember Marc Levine will make a better insurance commissioner than incumbent Ricardo Lara.
The editorial board endorses selectively, choosing the most consequential races in which to make recommendations.
STATE LEGISLATURE
State Senate
Caroline Menjivar for the 20th state Senate District
With an understanding of how governments serve people and a record of doing the work, Caroline Menjivar is well prepared to represent her community in the state Senate and help craft policy for all Californians.
The editorial board will make recommendations in several races. Check back for our endorsements.
U.S. HOUSE & SENATE
Senate
Alex Padilla for U.S. Senate
In the year since he was appointed to fill Kamala Harris’ seat in the U.S. Senate after she was elected vice president, Alex Padilla has proven that he is as capable, as honorable, as skilled a lawmaker as we expected.
The editorial board will make recommendations in several races. Check back for our endorsements.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
