“Los Angeles is a city of survivors, a city of immigrants,” Eunisses Hernandez told Parriva during her campaign.
The District 1 councilmember has now proven that message resonates with voters. In a commanding victory that appears to have eliminated the need for a runoff election, Hernandez has likely secured reelection in the primary, guaranteeing herself another four years on the Los Angeles City Council.
From the earliest vote counts, support for her campaign was unmistakable. Hernandez, affectionately known to many supporters simply as Eunisses, emerged far ahead of challengers Lou Calanche, Nelson Grande, Raúl Claros, and Sylvia Robledo. She captured more than 50 percent of the vote, ultimately securing an outright victory and avoiding a November runoff.
The council member faced a relentless campaign from her opponents, whose message centered on removing her from office. District 1 voters, however, delivered a different verdict, overwhelmingly backing her continued leadership.
For Hernandez, Los Angeles has always been a city that challenges and transforms systems. She first gained prominence as an activist during Donald Trump’s first presidency and has maintained that spirit of advocacy throughout her public service.
“We always fight, and now more than ever,” Hernandez said in a previous interview with Parriva. “We have the conditions in the City Council to implement policies, but we need more support from the State Senate and Governor Gavin Newsom. California is strong.”
Throughout the campaign, Hernandez remained focused on his record and future goals despite criticism from opponents. She highlighted progress made during her first term while emphasizing the work that remains ahead.
Her priorities include expanding affordable housing, strengthening tenant protections, and addressing what she describes as the “eviction-to-homelessness pipeline,” driven by roughly 100 eviction filings each week. She has also pledged to continue advocating for vulnerable residents who are often most affected by budget decisions.
“Our city is so broken,” Hernandez has said, stressing that her goal is not only to improve District 1 but also to establish long-term, sustainable solutions that can benefit Los Angeles as a whole.
To achieve those goals, she argues that the city must spend public funds more effectively and require corporations to contribute their fair share.
“Why are we not charging delivery robots utilization fees?” she asks. She has also suggested requiring companies that operate electric scooters to help fund safer street infrastructure and address the impacts their services have on public spaces.
Budget challenges will remain a major focus of her second term. The Los Angeles City Council is currently awaiting Mayor Karen Bass’s signature on a revised $14 billion spending plan for fiscal year 2025–26.
Confronted with an estimated $1 billion budget deficit, the revised proposal reduces planned layoffs from 1,647 positions to 647 and eliminates more than 1,000 vacant jobs.
Hernandez says protecting tenants, preventing family separation, and supporting people experiencing homelessness remain central priorities. Public services, the continued transformation of MacArthur Park, and many of the concerns raised by residents during her campaign will remain at the forefront of her agenda as she begins her next term on the City Council.
