2022 Voter Guide
La Defensa's MIDTERM Election Guide for LA County & BEYOND
Now, more than ever, it is critical that we elect progressive women to elected office at the local level! We are highlighting the candidates whose careers and platforms support gender, racial, disability and economic justice, from a community-centered vision. These are our picks for the November election, and some resources to help you get ready for voting in 2022.
VOTER RESOURCES
We’ve compiled some helpful expanded Voter Resources, featuring State & County guides and explainer videos, key dates, and important voter registration and polling place information. These resources can help you make sure you’re ready to vote.
Be sure to double check that you are still registered, and that all your personal information is updated. October 24, 2022 is the deadline to register for voting in the November 8, 2022 general election.
LA DEFENSA 2022 Voter GUIDE
NOV. 8, 2022 CANDIDATES & PROPositions
ON THIS PAGE: CA & Los Angeles Candidates | Propositions & Measures | More Voting Guides
LOS ANGELES COUNTY
JUDGE OF THE LOS ANGELES AREA SUPERIOR COURT
WHY VOTERS SHOULD ELECT THIS PERSON
Anna Slotky Reitano is a Deputy Public Defender in LA County, where she has defended the rights of some of the poorest and most vulnerable members of our community. Anna is an active member of Local 148, the Public Defender’s Union, and currently serves as a treasurer and Union Steward. Anna’s passion for making sure her clients have resources to access mental health care is grounded in her family’s personal experience, as well as her many years zealously advocating for clients experiencing crisis. She is committed to seeking alternatives to incarceration and connecting individuals with diversion programs, social workers, and other life-affirming solutions. La Defensa is proud to endorse and recommend Anna Slotky Reitano for Office No. 60.
WHY VOTERS SHOULD ELECT THIS PERSON
Elizabeth Lashley-Haynes has defended the rights of the most marginalized folks for twenty years as a Deputy Public Defender in LA County. Elizabeth created a pilot program in the juvenile division that provided holistic representation and connected them to mental health treatment, education support, and substance use support. Elizabeth helps clients whose cases were affected by racial bias in policing, charging, and sentencing, as part of the Racial Justice Act Unit. Elizabeth champions alternatives to incarceration and collaborates extensively with community bail funds to assist her client to reunite and reintegrate with their families. La Defensa is proud to endorse & recommend Elizabeth Lashley-Haynes for Office No. 67.
WHY VOTERS SHOULD ELECT THIS PERSON
Holly Hancock is the Deputy-In-Charge of the Criminal Record Clearing Unit of the LA County Public Defender’s Office, where she has served for more than 15 years. She currently works in the Homeless Initiative and has collaborated with community organizations to help people expunge their records, which is a barrier to community re-entry. Holly has been active in unions consistently throughout her career, and peers have entrusted her with leadership positions because of her ability to bring people together to make difficult decisions. La Defensa is proud to endorse and recommend Holly Hancock for Office No. 70.
WHY VOTERS SHOULD ELECT THIS PERSON
Carolyn “Jiyoung” Park is a former union-side attorney for SEIU 1000, and currently maintains a private general practice where she handles civil rights, labor law, tenant rights, and social impact business matters. Jiyoung has done pro bono legal work in support of asylum seekers and people peacefully exercising their First Amendment rights. Jiyoung is running because she believes we need more women, more women of color, and more people with diverse legal backgrounds on the judicial bench. La Defensa is proud to endorse and recommend Carolyn “Jiyoung” Park for Office No. 118.
Patrick Hare
SEAT 151
WHY VOTERS SHOULD ELECT THIS PERSON
Patrick Hare is Deputy Public Defender in LA County. Patrick has worked extensively with the Collaborative Justice Courts, providing treatment and alternatives to incarceration for those suffering from mental health and substance abuse issues, as well as programs to support our houseless community. Patrick has been a public defender for over 30 years and believes that justice should not look different based on your zip code. He has collaborated with the Bail Project to assist clients with bail and is committed to criminal justice reform. La Defensa recommends Patrick Hare for Office No. 151.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
WHY VOTERS SHOULD ELECT THIS PERSON
Lindsey Horvath has held local office since 2009 where she was first appointed to serve as a City Councilmember. She then became Mayor of West Hollywood in 2015 and was re-elected in 2020. Lindsey prioritized providing rental relief to prevent houselessness, and she activated partnerships with community based organizations to uplift the needs of the community, like food insecurity.
Lindsey is committed to implementing alternatives to incarceration and has the courage to end the policies that support pipelines to the carceral system. Lindsey believes in care, not cages and LA County deserves someone who will continue to fight for systems of care. La Defensa is proud to endorse and recommend Lindsey Horvath for LA County Board of Supervisors, District 3.
MUNICIPALS - CITY OF LOS ANGELES
MAYOR
KAREN BASS
Mayor, City of Los Angeles
WHY VOTERS SHOULD ELECT THIS PERSON
Karen Bass is currently a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing CA’s 37th Congressional District, where she currently serves as the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus. During her tenure in congress, she served as chair of the United States House of Foreign Affair Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations and the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. She began her political career in the CA State Assembly, where she made history as the first Black woman to serve as speaker of a state legislative chamber.
MEMBER OF THE LA CITY COUNCIL
WHY VOTERS SHOULD ELECT THIS PERSON
Erin Darling is a civil rights and criminal defense attorney supported by grassroots, progressive organizations on the Westside. Erin believes that the houselessness crisis in Los Angeles will not be solved through more policing. He is committed to improving public safety and ending houselessness through investments in affordable housing and social services. Erin is also committed to environmental justice, and supports remediating urban oil fields and minimizing air pollution. La Defensa recommends Erin Darling for City Council District 11.
WHY VOTERS SHOULD ELECT THIS PERSON
Hugo Soto Martinez has dedicated fifteen years to the LA labor movement as an organizer at UniteHere! Local 11, a union that serves a membership of over 32,000 hospitality workers. Hugo believes in building community power by implementing more tenant protections, replacing officers with nonviolent crisis teams, and ending the traumatizing street sweeps that target unhoused people. La Defensa is proud to endorse and recommend Hugo Soto Martinez for City Council District 13.
LA CITY CONTROLLER
WHY VOTERS SHOULD ELECT THIS PERSON
Kenneth Mejia is an auditor and Certified Public Accountant (CPA) who is running to make the city’s finances more transparent and accessible to all Angelenos, so we can make informed decisions. Kenneth is a dedicated community organizer, tenants rights activist, and data expert, who is willing to critically analyze department budgets and make the recommendations for how to steward Los Angeles’ finances. La Defensa is proud to endorse and recommend Kenneth Mejia for Los Angeles City Controller.
CALIFORNIA STATE
STATE SENATE
Caroline Menjivar
Senate District 20
WHY VOTERS SHOULD ELECT THIS PERSON
Caroline is a lifelong resident of the San Fernando Valley and is running for Senate District 20. She enlisted in the Marines and served while under the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy, which forced her to hide her relationship. Caroline is an LGBTQIA+ advocate and works to create a more inclusive learning and family environment for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults. Caroline’s platform includes mental health and supportive services for all, resources for affordable housing, and investments in jobs with thriving wages. Caroline also supports investments in quality public schools, higher education, childcare, healthcare, clean air & water, and infrastructure. La Defensa is proud to endorse and recommend Caroline Menjivar for Senate District 20.
Lola Smallwood Cuevas
Senate District 20
WHY VOTERS SHOULD ELECT THIS PERSON
Lola Smallwood-Cuevas is an educator, labor organizer, and community advocate. She co-founded and is the former Director of the Los Angeles Black Worker Center. Lola currently serves as a Project Director at the UCLA Labor Center, where she directs the Racial Equity at Work project. Lola hopes to increase access to quality jobs, reduce employment discrimination, and improve industries that employ Black workers through unionization. She is committed to long-term solutions for the housing crisis, protecting the right to collective bargaining, and fighting for climate justice. La Defensa recommends Lola Smallwood-Cuevas for Senate District 28.
MEMBER OF THE ASSSEMBLY
WHY VOTERS SHOULD ELECT THIS PERSON
Fatima Iqbal-Zubair is taking on one of the most heavily funded corporate politicians in California. Fatima is, in many ways, the antithesis of a career politician — she is a former high school teacher who taught chemistry, environmental science and robotics at Jordan High School in Watts. She has been quoted saying she decided to run “out of necessity” to defend and uplift her community from corporate special interests. Fatima’s grassroots campaign focuses on environmental justice and divesting from prisons and police. La Defensa is proud to endorse and recommend Fatima Iqbal-Zubair for Assembly District 65.
Tina McKinnor
61/62nd District
WHY VOTERS SHOULD ELECT THIS PERSON
Tina is a longtime organizer and advocate with LA Voice, a multi-racial, multi-faith advocacy organization based in LA County. She supported the passage of over 100 bills as the chief of staff to several State Assembly members, including the one she is campaigning to replace. La Defensa recommends Tina McKinnor for Assembly District 61/62.
Note: Tina McKinnor jumped into this special election race after a sudden resignation by Autumn Burke (Assembly District 62), and a redistricting effort that will be triggered in Dec. 2022, turning it into Assembly District 61. Confusing, we know. The gist is that voters in either district can vote for Tina in the June primary.
PROPOSITIONS
CA Proposition 1:
Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment
WHAT IT MEANS
If passed, would amend the CA Constitution to expressly include an individual’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom, including the fundamental right to choose to have an abortion and the fundamental right to choose or refuse contraceptives.
A “yes” vote supports amending the state constitution to prohibit the state from interfering with or denying an individual’s reproductive freedom, which is defined to include a right to an abortion and a right to contraceptives.
A “no” vote opposes this amendment with no right to reproductive freedom explicitly stated in the state constitution.
LA Measure A:
Charter Amendment Providing Authority to remove an elected sheriff for cause
WHAT IT MEANS
If passed, would amend the County charter to authorize the LA County Board of Supervisors to remove the LA County Sheriff for serious violations of the public trust.
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A “yes” vote supports allowing the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, by a four-fifths vote, to remove the sheriff from office for cause, which is defined to include: violation of laws related to the sheriff’s duties; repeated neglect of the sheriff’s duties; misuse of public funds or properties; willful falsification of documents; or obstruction of an investigation into the department’s conduct.
A “no” vote opposes allowing the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, by a four-fifths vote, to remove the sheriff from office for cause.
LA Measure LH:
5000 more units in Los Angeles for low-income housing
WHAT IT MEANS
If passed, would authorize public entities in the City of Los Angeles to develop, construct, or acquire up to 5,000 additional units of low-income rental housing in each Council District to address homelessness and affordable housing needs.
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A “yes” vote supports authorizing the city to develop up to an additional 5,000 low-income rental housing units per city council district for a total of 75,000 additional units.
A “no” vote opposes authorizing the city to develop up to an additional 5,000 low-income rental housing units per district, thereby maintaining the existing limit of 3,000 units adopted in 2008.
LA Measure ULA:
Funding for Affordable Housing and Tenant Assistance Programs through a Tax on Real Property Transfers over $5 million
WHAT IT MEANS
If passed, would authorize and fund affordable housing programs and resourves for tenants at risk for houselessness through a 4% tax on sales/transfers of real property exceeding $5 millon and 5.5% on properties of $10 million or more, with exceptions; would generate approximately $600 million – $1.1 billion annually
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A “yes” vote supports a ballot initiative to: enact a 4% tax on the sale or transfer of properties in Los Angeles valued at more than $5 million and a 5.5% tax on the sale or transfer of properties valued at more than $10 million; establish the House LA fund within the city treasury to collect additional tax revenue; and allocate revenue to projects that address housing availability at certain income thresholds and prevent homelessness.
A “no” vote opposes enacting a 4% tax on the sale or transfer of properties in Los Angeles valued at more than $5 million and a 5.5% tax on the sale or transfer of properties valued at more than $10 million.
MORE PROGRESSIVE LA VOTER GUIDES
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