Topline:
It's Election Day, the last day to vote in the special election to replace former L.A. City Councilmember Nury Martinez, who resigned after being heard on secret audio recordings making racist, homophobic, and anti-indigenous remarks. City Council District 6, the district up for grabs, stretches nearly 20 miles from Sun Valley west to Lake Balboa in the San Fernando Valley.
Why it matters: There are only 15 seats on the council. Each member represents more than 260,000 people and wields enormous power over issues such as land development, street services, and how to deal with homelessness in their respective districts.
Who’s running: Seven people are on the ballot. There also are four write-in candidates. If no candidate wins a majority of votes, the top two finishers will face each other in a June runoff. You can learn everything you need to know about all the candidates in our comprehensive voter guide.
How to vote: Each registered voter should have received a mail-in ballot by now. It must be postmarked by the end of Election Day April 4 and received within seven days to count. You also may vote in-person at a vote center. We’ve got everything you need to know about how to vote here.
The backstory: Martinez was the powerful city council president when she resigned in disgrace last October. She was heard on the audio recordings talking to Councilmembers Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León, and Ron Herrera, the head of the L.A. County Federation of Labor. Cedillo lost his reelection bid. De León is still a councilmember, despite calls for him to resign. Herrera resigned.
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