Nelson Grande with Vanny Arias and volunteers of NELA Food Distribution after an afternoon of packing and delivering food and other essential items to NELA neighbors.
Nelson Grande is a lifelong native of Highland Park.
He grew up there, has run his businesses in the area, and his life has unfolded among those streets and homes that taught him how to live and shaped him to face the challenges that come his way. Out of love for his community, he has launched his candidacy for Los Angeles City Council District 1.
“The community is hurting, it needs attention, we are under attack, and we don’t have a voice. The people and businesses have no one to turn to,” says Grande, an Executive Consultant in various areas and projects, who has also launched different ventures in the film industry.
Being a native of Highland Park has given him the opportunity to get to know and interact with numerous community members and small businesses. According to him, they all say the same thing — they don’t feel represented by their councilmember.
“I want to make it clear that this campaign is not against Eunisses Hernández (current councilmember for the district), but against the gaps that exist in the city, which are creating distance between the community and elected officials. When people try to reach the councilmember or her team, they can’t find them. Some D1 representation offices have been closed, and that makes it even harder for people’s requests to be heard,” he adds.
For him, “old ideas have an expiration date, and we need to use pragmatism to solve the problems in District 1,” he says.
The First District represents core parts of northeast and northwest Los Angeles, including Glassell Park, Highland Park, Chinatown, Mount Washington, Echo Park, Elysian Park, Westlake, Pico Union, Koreatown, Angelino Heights, Lincoln Heights, and MacArthur Park.
In Grande’s view, the community is not better off under this administration compared to previous ones. He sees areas like MacArthur Park more neglected, the relationship with the police broken, and the ongoing issue of gentrification affecting the district.
“I’m a problem solver. I focus on executing plans, not just talking about them. When I arrived in Hollywood, many doubted my experience. They said I was Latino, inexperienced. But with my company, I showed the difference. I was able to develop million-dollar projects, always being aware of how society sees Latinos — that’s my passion: developing projects that have an impact on the community,” he says.
In his efforts to connect with people during these challenging times, Grande has partnered with NELA Food Distribution, where he helps provide food to families affected by immigration raids.
Vanny Arias, director of NELA Food Distribution, says she has known Grande since he was a young boy.
“I’ve known him—we used to walk to school together. I know he has a good heart and truly cares about the community. He has a lot of love and passion for Highland Park. People can be sure he’s looking out for them.”
Arias says Grande reliably attends the food distributions every two weeks. At first, some people were suspicious of him, but once they saw him in action, they realized he was genuinely there to help.
“They saw him—well-dressed, tall—and thought he was from ICE,” she laughs. “But then people began to trust him.”
Grande played football in his youth. He was a linebacker. But for him, strategy is a vital part of everything.
“I know I can win the election next year. Every time I start something, I ask myself, ‘Can I contribute something?’ If I think the answer is no, I don’t go for it. I won’t waste time or resources on something that won’t yield results,” he adds.
Right now, in light of the Trump administration’s attacks on Los Angeles and the Latino community, he believes it’s time to work more broadly to help.
“My goal is to design plans alongside small businesses, which are the ones most in need of help. Right now, these businesses are just trying to survive hour by hour. They can’t rely on a councilmember who doesn’t communicate with them — they need us to be there and provide as much help as we can,” he adds.
For this candidate, not everything is black and white. He acknowledges that Councilmember Hernández has done good things for the community, but more needs to be done — and that’s why he entered the race.
“We don’t need band-aids; we need real solutions in the district. That’s why I’m going to implement something I call a ‘Listening Tour’ in my campaign. I’m going to every part of the district, meeting with the community, and listening to them. We have to hear their needs and then implement plans. On that tour, they’ll get to know me, see who I am and how I do things. I’m not going to convince them — I’m going to create constructive conversations. When I win, I’ll open more offices to listen to the community. Right now, District 1 has fewer offices than before. I feel the support — people and businesses have expressed it to me. They feel the urgency for change, and that’s what we’ll focus on. I’ll say it again: I’m a problem solver and an effective project executor. When I ran my businesses, the first thing I did was put together skilled and effective teams — I called it a kitchen table — and based on data and information, we had a realistic vision of our goals,” he concludes.
