Nearly 39,000 votes have been counted in Los Angeles District 9, with José Ugarte leading Estuardo Mazariegos by just 41. The contest highlights changing political representation and questions about Latino and youth participation.
Estuardo Mazariegos and José Ugarte both anticipated a closely contested election. They also spoke of a Latino awakening and an explosion in youth voting, two groups frequently criticized for their limited participation in municipal elections.
Well, things appear to be changing.
The Los Angeles City Council District 9 runoff between José Ugarte and Estuardo Mazariegos has already drawn nearly 39,000 votes, approximately 2.7 times the 14,432 ballots cast in the district’s 2022 primary, when Curren Price defeated Dulce Vasquez. The increase represents a remarkable 169% jump in ballots counted, underscoring the heightened interest in an election that will determine who represents South Los Angeles and mark a historic transition from more than six decades of Black political representation to Latino leadership.
the 169% figure compares votes counted in the 2026 council race with ballots cast in the 2022 primary, not equivalent turnout measures, and should not be interpreted as an increase in voter turnout.
Young people account for approximately one third of District 9’s population, making their participation particularly important in a community facing persistent challenges, including a lack of economic opportunities, gang activity, and crime.
“Young people want change. There are volunteers on my campaign whom I’ve known since they were kids. I tell them, ‘Come see how we can change things.’ My door is open to young people, just as it is to the Black community. I’ve always worked with them. We’ve worked for the people. There’s a segment of this community that isn’t happy with the Black leadership that has governed the city. My movement is about justice, but I want to emphasize that racial justice is my priority. Making sure there’s a future,” Mazariegos told Parriva in a previous interview.
Mazariegos was also convinced that Latino immigrants who are eligible to vote would support his campaign as part of a broader push for change in District 9.
Ugarte, meanwhile, relied on his years of experience within the political establishment of District 9, his record of working with the Latino community and his relationships with Black residents and leaders.
His campaign secured the support of more than 13 Black political leaders in Los Angeles, including current City Councilmember Curren Price. The endorsements reflected a significant show of support from established Black political leadership in a district that has been represented by Black elected officials for more than six decades.
According to Friday’s figures from the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, Ugarte leads Mazariegos by just 41 votes, with 19,434 votes, or 50.05%, compared with Mazariegos’ 19,393 votes, or 49.95%. Approximately 15,000 county wide ballots remain to be counted, and the next results update is scheduled for Tuesday, November 17.
Whatever the outcome, the current numbers offer an important indication of renewed political engagement in District 9 and among its residents. However, the final results will be needed to determine the extent of that participation and which communities ultimately influenced the outcome.
José Ugarte’s political story is deeply connected to the history of South Los Angeles and, particularly, to the relationship between its Latino and Black communities. District 9 has been represented by Black politicians for more than six decades, a tradition Ugarte knows not only through politics but also through his own childhood. The son of immigrants from Oaxaca, Mexico, he grew up in South Los Angeles surrounded by Black families. He remembers being welcomed by neighbors and schoolmates as part of a diverse community that learned to live together and work toward common goals.
“South Central represented the place where both communities came looking for jobs. Now it is more Latino, and the Black community has understood that. But we all agree that we have to clean up the city, lower crime, improve the schools and do more. We have the same dreams,” Ugarte told Parriva.
Ugarte has been a longtime member of the NAACP and also sought to connect with younger voters, presenting himself as someone whose personal experience reflects the lives of many District 9 residents.
“They will see someone like many of them. An immigrant, with a similar story, who crossed the border, who was undocumented, who speaks Spanish and English. They will not see a representative of their district who does not have a similar story. I tell them, ‘Hey, we have the same background. I had Pete Wilson at your age; you have Donald Trump.’ And they get excited. They know there are possibilities to achieve other things, to enter politics.”
Perhaps the biggest surprise so far has been how close the race has become and the dramatic shift in voter participation compared with previous municipal elections. Few could have predicted such a narrow contest between Mazariegos and Ugarte.
Regardless of who ultimately wins, the significance of this election may extend beyond the name of the next councilmember. The nearly 39,000 votes counted so far point to a community increasingly engaged in deciding its political future. Whether driven by Latino voters, younger generations, or longstanding Black political networks, District 9 appears to be experiencing a new moment of civic participation.
The final count will tell us who won the election. But the larger story may be about a community finding its voice and demanding a greater role in determining what comes next for South Los Angeles.
