2023 Los Angeles special election

The 2023 Los Angeles special election was held on April 4, 2023, with a runoff occurring on June 27, 2023. Voters will elect a candidate in a nonpartisan primary, with runoff elections potentially scheduled. One of the fifteen seats on the Los Angeles City Council was up for election due to the vacancy of one member, councilwoman Nury Martinez of District 6, who resigned in the wake of the 2022 Los Angeles City Council scandal. Sharon Tso was installed as a caretaker to the district, but no formal appointment was made. There was potential for a recall over Kevin de León's statements made during the 2022 Los Angeles City Council scandal as well, though due to the lack of signatures turned in by the deadline on April 1, 2023, the petition to recall de León failed. Former City Attorney Mike Feuer also proposed that a special election be held on a referendum to replace the council's ability to redraw the City Council districts with an independent commission before the 2024 elections.
Municipal elections in California are officially nonpartisan, and candidates' party affiliations do not appear on the ballot.

District 6

The 6th district includes the neighborhoods of Lake Balboa, Van Nuys, Panorama City, Arleta, North Hills, North Hollywood, and Sun Valley, as well as Van Nuys Airport and the Sepulveda Basin.
Although the election was officially nonpartisan, all qualified candidates were members of the Democratic Party except Rose Grigoryan, who was registered as "no party preference."

Candidates

Declared

Marisa Alcaraz, deputy chief of staff to city councilor Curren Price from Lake Balboa
Rose Grigoryan, marketing company founder from North Hollywood
Isaac Kim, skin care business owner from Van Nuys
Imelda Padilla, community relations manager and candidate for Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education in 2017 from Sun Valley
Marco Santana, housing nonprofit director and former Controller of the San Fernando Valley Democratic Party from Van Nuys
Antoinette Scully, community organizer from Van Nuys
Douglas Sierra, community center facilities coordinator from Sun Valley

Qualified write-in candidates

Wendy Goodman Thum, president of the Sun Valley Neighborhood Council
Carmelina Minasova, respiratory therapist
Richard Serrano, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power employee

Disqualified

Lanira Murphy, treasurer of the Panorama City Neighborhood Council and runner-up for California State Assembly District 46 in 2020
James Thomas, president of the San Fernando Valley NAACP

Declined

Angélica Dueñas, member of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party Central Committee, former president of the Sun Valley Neighborhood Council, and candidate for California's 29th congressional district in 2018, 2020, and 2022
Kelly Gonez, president of the Los Angeles Board of Education
Cindy Montañez, San Fernando city councilor, former state assemblywoman from the 39th district, and candidate for this district in 2013 and 2015
Luz Rivas, state assemblywoman from the 39th district
Sharon Tso, Los Angeles Chief Legislative Analyst and nonvoting placeholder for this seat

District 14 recall attempt

Kevin de León's recall was first introduced in October 2022, in the midst of the 2022 Los Angeles City Council scandal. The recall petition was approved by the city clerk office on December 6, 2022. The petition failed on April 1, 2023, as only 21,006 of the required 25,000 valid signatures were turned in.

Polling

Should Kevin de León be recalled?

Poll source	Date administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Yes	No	Undecided
Strategies 360	January 10–16, 2023	400	± 4.9%	58%	25%	17%