As Latina leadership reshapes Los Angeles politics, Eunisses Hernandez and challenger Lou Calanche emerge as key figures in a pivotal District 1 contest
Eunisses Hernandez has already taken on a more active role in her reelection campaign to continue leading City Council District 1. Lou Calanche, meanwhile, is previewing a campaign kickoff event this Saturday, which she plans to use to demonstrate the seriousness of her bid to replace Hernández clearly. Both women are Latina and both represent the growing power of Latina women in U.S. politics.
Eunisses—known simply by her first name—became the youngest councilmember in Los Angeles City Council history at age 32 after defeating veteran politician Gil Cedillo. Cedillo’s defeat followed the release of a recorded conversation in which he, alongside Kevin de León and then–Council President Nury Martinez, made racist remarks targeting the Oaxacan and Black communities.
In the 2022 election, Hernández won with 16,108 votes (53.89% of the total votes cast). Part of her job is to assess how many of those voters will support her again. Lou was the executive director of Legacy LA and is now the executive director of Expand LA. In these two important, long-standing organizations, she has a strong base of community support.
Hernández’s victory marked the arrival of a new generation of Latino political leadership in Los Angeles. Alongside Hugo Soto-Martínez and Ysabel Jurado, she formed a solid progressive bloc on the City Council, united by shared ideas and responsible for advancing several initiatives benefiting Latino and working-class communities. These include raising the minimum wage and strengthening tenant protections.
Now 35 and nearing the end of her first term, Eunisses faces what could be a difficult reelection. Six other candidates—Sylvia Robledo, Jesse Rosas, Lou Calanche, Nelson Grande, Raul Claros, and Rosa Requeno—are competing for her seat. The crowded field could splinter the vote, making a November runoff between the top two candidates highly likely.
Parriva has interviewed five of the candidates, all of whom have laid out their policy platforms should they win.
Lou Calanche: A Campaign Rooted in Community Activism
Lou Calanche has emerged as a strong contender. Her extensive experience as an activist and leader within various community organizations has earned her broad support, particularly in neighborhoods east of the city.
Throughout her interview with Parriva, she repeatedly emphasized one phrase that stood out: “giving back to the community.” Her work appears to be driven by a personal mission—almost a calling—that has shaped her life.
Early in her career, Calanche worked in after-school programs aimed at helping youth facing limited opportunities and the constant lure of gang involvement. The success of these programs drew the attention of former Councilmember Richard Alatorre, who later brought her into his office. There, she gained firsthand experience addressing community concerns at a closer level.
“I worked as a field deputy for then-Councilmember Richard Alatorre when I was very young. I was in Boyle Heights, walking through neighborhoods, listening to people’s needs, and finding ways to solve their problems,” she told Parriva.
Calanche was appointed by Mayor Eric Garcetti to the Board of Commissioners for the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles in 2013, and later to the Board of Police Commissioners in 2020. She has also served as a commissioner for El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument, the Bold Vision Community Council, and played a leadership role in The California Endowment’s 10-year Building Healthy Communities initiative in Boyle Heights.
“That’s what makes me a unique candidate. I want to live in a first-class city, and I want our communities and neighborhoods to be part of that vision,” she said.
Like several other challengers, Calanche frequently argues that District 1 lacks leadership and meaningful connection with residents—gaps she and others promise to fill.
Eunisses: Holding Office Makes You a Target
Eunisses Hernández is well aware of the criticism she faces. She understands where it comes from, who voices it, and what it seeks to achieve.
While she remains open to criticism, she calls for more positive and constructive dialogue, rather than what she describes as unproductive debates on social media. For Hernández, collaboration is essential to meeting the community’s needs.
“We need to build a broad coalition—whatever you want to call it—that actively fights to stop all the ‘kidnappings’ of immigrants and the pain being inflicted on our community. That is my greatest hope for 2026,” she said.
As she officially launches her reelection campaign, Hernández says she is eager to continue fighting for the resources and efficiencies that both her district and Los Angeles as a whole urgently need.
Her priorities include expanding affordable housing, protecting tenants, stopping what she calls the “eviction-to-homelessness pipeline”—driven by roughly 100 eviction filings per week—and advocating for the city’s most vulnerable residents when budget decisions are made.
“It’s what drove me to run,” said Hernández, who replaced long-time councilmember Gil Cedillo in 2022.
“I am not afraid, and I won’t be. I am the daughter of Mexican migrants who grew up fighting—fighting to live. I have that spirit. No matter how many attacks I receive, no matter how much they try to single me out for my work, I am ready. This is my fight,” Hernández told Parriva.
Her opponents have accused her of avoiding debates, failing to address community issues, and neglecting MacArthur Park, which is currently experiencing one of the most challenging periods in its history.
“I’ve seen some of the videos expressing different criticisms, including personal ones. I don’t think that’s appropriate,” Hernández said. “Some of the language used isn’t just an attack on me—it can be interpreted as an attack on all women. They target a minority woman—Latina, plus-size—who is challenging a system that has historically harmed people like us.”
“When you’re in my position, it’s never enough,” she added. “No matter how much work you do, how many people are involved in your projects, or how many initiatives you bring forward, it’s never enough—because we don’t come from an elite group trying to control the city. But I’m not running away from the problems.”
Her community work predates her time in office. Before becoming a councilmember, Hernández was widely known as a fearless activist, often confrontational in her defense of what she viewed as justice for the community.
“I’ve been a councilmember for three years. Many of the solutions we’re working on are large-scale and take time,” she said. “I’m confident in the direction we’ve taken.”
Note: Parriva will soon publish an additional article analyzing the positioning of the remaining candidates.
