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UTLA 2022 Election Endorsements

Meet the candidates and learn about measures that will transform our communities. Download UTLA's 2022 Voter Guide with additional recommendations below.

UTLA 2022 Voter Guide (Complete)
LAUSD School Board District 2

Dr. Rocío Rivas

Dr. Rocio Rivas is a LAUSD alumna, and parent running for LAUSD School Board. She has been a life-long advocate for students, teachers and public education. She has served as the President of the Highland Park Neighborhood Council, represents her community as a Democratic Party delegate and currently works on the LAUSD Board a Policy Deputy for School Board Member Jackie Goldberg.  

Dr. Rocio Rivas has the experience and vision to create a bright future for public education alongside parents, teachers, students and the entire community. She is committed to equitable funding for our public schools so we can create green and healthy community schools with small class sizes, fully staffed classrooms, mental health resources and resources for the entire school community.  

She is the choice of teachers and parents in BD-2 (Northeast and East LA). 

LA School Board District 6

Kelly Gonez

Kelly Gonez is a former teacher and Board of Education President running to continue representing the families and students of Board District 6 (East San Fernando Valley). Kelly Gonez has been a steadfast voice for the most at need members of our community. Under her leadership, LAUSD has increased services to unhoused students, removed barriers to college for working class students, and invested in early childhood education. 

Now she is ready to champion universal Pre-school, equity in LAUSD policies and increased college readiness. Kelly Gonez knows that the path to stronger public transportation is through caring for the entire community. We are proud to support her for re-election.  

LA City Mayor

Karen Bass

Karen Bass has fought for Los Angeles her entire life. As a nurse, she provided care for the residents of Los Angeles. She organized in her community to break cycles of substance abuse, poverty and violence. In the State Assembly, she led our state through the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression, fast-tracking  billions in stimulus to help at-risk Californians. She has continued to fight for Los Angeles in the House of Representatives.  

When Karen Bass is elected Mayor of Los Angeles, she will bring us all together to build a city where no one goes without healthcare, without housing, where we are all paid a living wage and public education is invested in. We are proud to fight to send her to City Hall.  

State Superintendent

Tony Thurmond

Tony Thurmond knows the struggles facing at-need students and families because he has lived them. Tony’s family struggled with poverty and like many students, depended on the Free Lunch Program and food stamps. From his experiences come his passion for ensuring all California students have every resource needed to succeed.  

Whether on the Richmond City Council, in the State Assembly or now as State Superintendent, from his experiences come his passion for ensuring all California students have every resource needed to succeed. As State Superintendent, he oversaw distribution of 900 million free meals, sourced 1 million computers for districts in need and secured $6 billion to provide free wi-fi to public education students.  

We are excited to endorse him for a second term and look forward to working together to continue in our students and schools.

LA City Council, District 11

Erin Darling

Erin Darling is a son and life-long resident of the westside. Even though CD-11 is the wealthiest district in the city, there is more to be done to ensure a thriving community for all. As a civil rights attorney, he has fought for housing justice; helping low-income tenants keep their homes. As City Councilmember, Erin Darling will fight to share in the abundance of CD-11 to create a safe and livable city for all.  

The people of CD-11 deserve a City Council member that will protect tenants, build more affordable housing, forge paths out of homelessness and work towards racial justice. It’s time to put Erin Darling on City Council. 

LA City Council, District 13

Hugo Soto-Martinez

Hugo Soto-Martinez is running to center working people in City Hall. Hugo is part of the labor movement through and through. After working at a non-union hotel to support his family, Hugo helped form the first union in his workplace. Since then he has been an organizer with UNITE HERE 11  and has helped win victories for workers, immigrants, the unhoused and all vulnerable people in Los Angeles.  

In the City Council, he will be a champion of the Green New Deal, Housing for All, a services-led approach to public safety and reproductive justice. From the House of Labor to City Hall, we are excited to work to put our union sibling on the City Council. 

Montebello School Board

Carlos Cerdan

The Montebello School District needs a leader like Carlos Cerdan on the School Board. Carlos is a life-long Montebello resident, MUSD alumni and current educator. He understands that the School Board must lead on uplifting the entire community. That is what Carlos has done with his career: leading a 2019 strike that led to the largest increase in funding in nearly 30 years and championing a living wage for essential workers while on the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council.   

On the School Board, he will fight for increased college accessibility, fully funded classrooms, smaller class sizes, strong community schools and dedicated green spaces. We need UTLA Educator Carlos Cerdan on the MUSD School Board.

LA Community College, District 7

Kelsey Iino

The LA Community College System educates nearly 230,000 students a year, a majority from working class Black and Latine backgrounds.  Investment in the LA Community College System means for economic stability and upward mobility for hundreds of thousands of students.  

Kelsey Iino has been a pioneer in fighting for increased funding for LACC, a housing program for at-risk students, and increased care programs for students on campus. She is a life-long Angeleno, a graduate of the community college system and a 15-year counselor at El Camino Community College. There is no better person to fight for us on Seat 7 of the LACC Board of Trustees than Kelsey Iino.

 

LA Community College, District 2

Steve Veres

Steven Veres has been a bold advocate for students, parents and teachers on the LA Community College Board of Trustees since 2011. As the most recent President, he led the LACC through the COVID-19 pandemic. Outside of simply transitioning to remote learning, he also worked to ensure that students basic needs like food, housing and wifi were cared for.  

He has also been a leader in climate justice, investing nearly $4 billion to modernize buildings across all 9 campuses. With another term, Steven will continue to advocate for the needs of educators and students.  

LA County Supervisor, District 3

Lindsey Horvath

From affordable housing to climate action to LGBTQ+ rights, the LA County Board of Supervisors has a lot of power over our day-to-day lives.  

Lindsey Horvath has always put people before profits and centered those closest to the harm. From her work as a small business owner to a member of the West Hollywood City Council, she is deeply connected to what our communities are experiencing. LA County needs a leader like her to take on the many crises we face and address systemic issues at the source. She will be an unstoppable advocate for teachers and working people on the Board of Supervisors. 

Housing

YES on ULA

3 out of 4 LA residents pay more than 30% of their salary in rent. Nearly 70,000 of our neighbors are unhoused.  The only way forward is by enacting a bold Housing for All agenda that makes real the promise of housing as a human right.  

 With a tax on billionaire real estate transactions over $5 million, United to House LA will raise nearly $1 billion a year to eliminate homelessness, make housing more affordable, and prevent more people from losing their homes. It’s time that our government invested in us, instead of powerful elites.  

 We are proud to be a part of the coalition fighting for housing justice. Vote YES on Measure United to House LA (ULA) 

Enshrine Right to Abortion

YES on Prop 1

Access to abortion and reproductive healthcare is a human right. For decades, anti-choice politicians have been trying to attack the right of millions to make decisions over their own body. With the most recent decision overturning Roe, we have far too much at stake. We will not allow anti-choice leaders attack the reproductive rights of Californians.  

Proposition 1 enshrines the right to an abortion in the California State Constitution, protecting this fundamental right for all Californias. Vote YES on Proposition 1.

Music and Arts in K-12

YES on Prop 28

Arts and music in K-12 is crucial in the development of students. Research suggests a vibrant arts education supports cognitive development, academic success and mental wellbeing. Yet, only 1 in 5 CA schools have a full time arts teacher. Prop 28 would commit $1 billion a year (the largest investment in the country) to arts education, with a focus on ensuring our most at-need schools are getting the support they need. Vote YES on Proposition 28.

Corporate Sports Gambling

NO on Prop 27

The only reason out of state corporations have spent over $400 million to pass Proposition 27 is to make more money off of Californians. Ignore the countless ads, follow the money: Proposition 27 would legalize online sports gambling at a time when we face affordability and housing crises.  

Prop 27 will not raise a single dollar in dedicated funding to end homelessness, it will only make a profit for out of state corporations that don’t care about your wellbeing. Vote NO on Proposition 27.