Residents of the Tenth Council District have had more than their share of political turmoil recently. The district, which includes Koreatown, Mid-City, Baldwin Hills and Leimert Park, has had three different representatives since Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas was elected in 2020.
He was suspended from the council less than a year later, after he was indicted on federal corruption charges (for which he was convicted in 2023). Former Councilman Herb Wesson was temporarily reinstated, but a few months later he was sidelined by a lawsuit that questioned his ability to serve again. Finally, political staffer Heather Hutt was appointed in 2022.
Voters will now elect a council member themselves.
Five people are running for the seat in the March election, including Hutt. All are worthy candidates who would bring different strengths to the job. The Times recommends Eddie Anderson, an ordained minister and progressive activist with a compelling vision for a safer, healthier and more equitable district and the community organizing skills to make it a reality.
Anderson, 33, is the senior pastor of McCarty Memorial Christian Church in West Adams, a historic church with a tradition of civil rights organizing. Anderson was hired in 2016 to bring new energy and members to the aging congregation. He has done this by focusing on social justice issues, such as police reform, and creating community programs that offer job training, extracurricular activities and urban agriculture.
He is also an organizer with LA Voice, a multi-ethnic, multi-faith organization that helped pass affordable housing ballot measures and redirect county dollars to mental health care, job training, and alternatives to incarceration.
People who have worked with Anderson describe him as an experienced coalition builder: someone who knows how to bring disparate groups together to achieve a common goal and who works hard to elevate the voices of everyday Angelenos. He is pragmatic and able to work within the government bureaucracy while staying true to its values.
He has also experienced pushback from communities concerned about homeless housing in his neighborhood. In 2017, her church attempted to convert its gym and some classrooms into a winter shelter for homeless youth. The neighbors, she said, “took me to shreds.” She eventually left the shelter, but continued to work with the community to build support for other programs on the property.
It was a lesson in how to deal with conflict. “We don't always have to agree,” he said, but a council member's job is to bring together opposing points of view, “have those deep, difficult conversations and then choose a decision point, stick to your convictions and move forward. “
This is important because the next District 10 council member has difficult issues to address. Community members say they are frustrated by broken sidewalks, overflowing trash cans, illegal dumping, homeless encampments, dangerous drivers and speeding, and a city government that doesn't seem capable to solve these long-standing problems. There are also concerns that the construction boom in District 10 is fueling gentrification and the displacement of long-standing tenants and businesses.
Hutt has been an able guardian of the seat, focused on bringing stability to the office and restoring services to constituents. He has worked with Mayor Karen Bass to move people from two homeless encampments into temporary and permanent housing, and has supported tenant protections. Her colleagues say she is thoughtful, hard-working and has a collaborative presence on the board. But she doesn't seem to have a vision for the future of the district or the city.
Also running for the seat is Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), an advocate for criminal justice reform and police accountability during his 11 years in the legislature. He previously served for a long time on the staff of the Los Angeles City Council, where he worked on economic development and property management, among other issues. But his proposals for improving city government tend to look backward rather than forward.
The other two candidates, attorney Grace Yoo and environmental consultant Aura Vásquez, ran for the seat in 2020. Both have served as city commissioners and have experience bringing about change at City Hall. Yoo was part of a lawsuit that prevented the city from cutting down mature trees during sidewalk repairs. Vásquez helped push the Department of Water and Power to move faster toward 100% renewable energy.
But none match Anderson's vision or community experience on the ground. He is the candidate most likely to bring people together to meet the challenges of the moment and work together for a better district and city.
