Your guide to the L.A. City Council District 2 race: East Valley

Seven candidates are vying to succeed Paul Krekorian and represent parts of the east San Fernando Valley in the only Los Angeles City Council race that does not feature an incumbent. Krekorian, who has served on the City Council since 2010 and was elected council president in 2022, cannot run again because of term limits.

Among those running for the Council District 2 seat are a marriage and family therapist, an environmental policy director, a neighborhood council member, a former state Assembly member and a small-business owner.

If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in the primary on March 5, there will be a runoff between the top two vote-getters in the November general election.

In a crowded race flush with cash, District 2 candidates are focused on issues of homelessness, public safety and government corruption. The candidates have collectively raised over $1 million, more than in any other district.

In an interview, Krekorian emphasized the diversity of his district and the importance of a leader who can navigate transition.

“I hope my successor will focus on public safety, trying to provide solutions for homelessness, creating jobs and opportunity for every neighborhood in the district, and seeing through the important changes going on in the East Valley right now,” Krekorian said.

• Jon-Paul Bird

Bird, 41, is a marriage and family therapist and third-generation Angeleno. He said he’s running for public office for the first time because he wants to help his neighbors feel safe and to build infrastructure for the unhoused, he said. He said he would lead with an emphasis on mental well-being and bring his experience as a mental health professional to city governance. He received his bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Cruz and earned his master’s in marriage and family therapy from the Phillips Graduate Institute. Bird lives in North Hollywood with his wife.

• Jillian Burgos

Burgos is a small-business owner, a licensed optician and an at-large member of the North Hollywood Neighborhood Council, where she also serves on the executive board as treasurer. Burgos, 45, was elected to the Neighborhood Council in 2021 as the arts organization representative and became chair of the Housing and Services Committee. Burgos is running to protect renters and support the unhoused with “wraparound” services, she said. She lives in North Hollywood with her partner.

• Manny Gonez

Gonez, 41, is a housing advocate and policy director at the environmental nonprofit Tree People. Previously, Gonez worked to provide housing and services to those in need with the San Fernando Valley nonprofit LA Family Housing. If elected to the City Council, he said he would make addressing homelessness, improving public transportation and promoting environmental justice his priorities. Gonez lives in North Hollywood with his wife and three children.

• Sam Kbushyan

Kbushyan, 44, owns a small-business consulting firm and is a commissioner serving on the California state Respiratory Care Board. Born in Armenia, Kbushyan immigrated to Los Angeles when he was 10. He said he is running for City Council to change the culture of disconnection between elected officials and community members. Kbushyan said his key issues are homelessness, public safety and government corruption. He lives in Valley Glen with his wife and three children.

• Adrin Nazarian

Nazarian is a former member of the California Assembly and served as Krekorian’s chief of staff in the Assembly and on the City Council. Nazarian fled Iran at age 8 and eventually settled in the San Fernando Valley. He has experience working for other elected officials including former Gov. Gray Davis and Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks). Nazarian, 50, said he’s passionate about affordable housing, transportation and the environment. He lives in North Hollywood with his wife and three children.

• Marin Ghandilyan

Ghandilyan is an attorney whose campaign platform emphasizes economic growth, city modernization and housing inclusivity. Neither she nor candidate Rudy Melendez responded to interview requests.

District 2 includes North Hollywood, Studio City, Sun Valley, Valley Glen, Valley Village, Van Nuys and Toluca Lake.

All five candidates who agreed to be interviewed for this guide listed homelessness as a top issue. Their stances vary on the best ways to tackle the problem and on city ordinance 41.18, which prohibits homeless people from setting up tents within 500 feet of schools and day-care centers and allows the council to designate other areas as off-limits to encampments.

Bird said he would focus on building more housing, expanding supportive services and increasing access to those services. He also envisions a digitized tracking system for available beds so outreach workers have the information they need to help move people off the streets.

Bird is against a repeal of 41.18 but does not support expanding the ordinance to new sites. “It is a response to fear in many communities,” he said. “In some ways the intent is correct because it aims to enhance safety … but sweeping encampments just relocates them.”

Burgos said she supports a housing-first model with wraparound services like mental health support and job programs. “You can’t just get people into housing and then do nothing else,” she said.

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She is strongly against 41.18 and would make its repeal a priority. “The criminalization of poverty is cruel and does not treat people like people,” she said.

Gonez emphasizes prevention, including tenant protections, as a means to mitigate the homelessness crisis. He said he would not work to repeal 41.18, but called the ordinance “a policy of last resort and a sign of failure.” It’s the city’s only option right now, he said.

Kbushyan, who supports Mayor Karen Bass’ Inside Safe initiative, said he would prioritize permanent housing over short-term solutions. He also would advocate for wraparound services and robust enforcement of 41.18.

Nazarian said there was no silver bullet for homelessness in Los Angeles, but a solution involves long-term supportive housing and investment in mental health support. He doesn’t believe police or firefighters should be called on to address homelessness.

He supports Inside Safe and 41.18 because he wants to get people indoors. “You have people languishing on the street,” he said. “That is not humane.”

Policing and public safety are among the most important issues for District 2 candidates. All five who responded said they support the deployment of unarmed crisis response teams for nonviolent situations. Nazarian and Kbushyan also want to increase the number of armed officers in Los Angeles.

Nazarian said he believed the city was safer when there were around 10,000 police officers and would like to see a return to that number. Traditional police officers aren’t trained to handle mental health crises, he said, but he doesn’t want unarmed crisis response teams to come at the cost of police resources.

“It will take a collaboration” between unarmed teams and police officers, he said.

Kbushyan said he would work to increase police funding and add 100 officers to District 2 precincts while emphasizing community-based policing.

Gonez noted that the Los Angeles Police Department currently has its smallest force since the 1990s. He said the city needs to “fully fund” the LAPD and put more resources toward proper recruitment and training. Armed police should be used only in true emergencies, he said.

Bird said the city should utilize unarmed response teams more heavily before assessing whether there is a need for more armed officers. He also wants to see more mental health support for the city’s police force.

Burgos does not believe there is a need for more armed officers, she said, citing a decrease in crime in L.A. She said money should be reallocated from the police budget to fund teams trained to handle crises regarding mental health, substance abuse and homelessness.

Bird, Burgos, Gonez, Kbushyan and Nazarian all support an expansion of the Los Angeles City Council. They have different ideas on how best to restore public trust in government and bring integrity back to City Hall after years of scandals.

Bird believes in more transparency, including making City Council meetings more accessible to the public. One council member should never represent more than 150,000 constituents, he said. He supports expanding the council to 33 members.

Burgos wants to take corporate money out of local politics and put a cap on election fundraising. She supports an expansion of the City Council to 29 or 31 seats.

Gonez emphasized transparency, regular reporting and independent redistricting. He supports expanding the council to 20 to 25 members.

Kbushyan said the corruption in City Hall makes Los Angeles look like “a bad democratic model.” He wants to allocate more resources to the Ethics Commission and expand the council to 23 members.

Nazarian said he would work to establish an independent inspector general and time limit on projects. He’s supportive of smaller districts and more council members, but does not want to “dilute the power of the council” by making it too large. He would support an expansion to 21 or 23 members.

Each candidate interviewed said they support the city’s Mobility Plan and would work to implement it more effectively. The plan, approved in 2015 for completion by 2035, is only 3% complete.

It calls for more bus lanes, bike lanes and other improvements on hundreds of miles of city streets.

The City Council voted in 2022 to send a measure to the ballot this year that would give voters the power to push the Mobility Plan forward. If approved, the measure would allow residents to sue the city if officials fail to implement projects outlined in the Mobility Plan.

All five candidates said the city needs a more robust public transportation network, including bus and bike lanes. Burgos said she would ultimately like Metro to go fare-free. Burgos and Bird both support an expansion of the Metro ambassador program.

Nazarian said the issue of homelessness cannot be addressed without an accessible web of public transportation. Gonez stressed the importance of public transit for a healthier climate. Kbushyan said the Mobility Plan provides a “balanced approach” to the city’s needs.

Bird is endorsed by the UCLA Bruin Democrats, Democrats for Israel-Los Angeles and Black Los Angeles Young Democrats.

Burgos is endorsed by Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia, Culver City Mayor Yasmine-Imani McMorrin, Burbank City Councilmember Konstantine Anthony, former Culver City Mayor Daniel Lee and Feminists in Action Los Angeles.

Gonez is endorsed by former L.A. City Councilmember and River LA Executive Director Ed Reyes, former state Senate Majority Leader Richard Polanco and multiple unions including AFSCME Local 3634 and IBEW Local 40.

Kbushyan is endorsed by former Los Angeles City Atty. Carmen Trutanich, Hawthorne Mayor Pro Tem Angie Reyes English, East Hollywood Chamber of Commerce President Edgar Makhshikyan and multiple small-business owners.

Nazarian is endorsed by the departing incumbent, Krekorian, along with City Councilmembers Bob Blumenfield and Tim McOsker, Mayor Bass, Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) and L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna.