Jose Ugarte has emerged because the clear frontrunner within the race for Los Angeles Metropolis Council District 9, pulling in $211,000 in marketing campaign contributions—greater than all 5 of his opponents mixed, in line with the most recent marketing campaign finance filings.
With greater than 200 donations from throughout the district, Ugarte is anticipated to qualify for over $300,000 in public matching funds, a key indicator of grassroots momentum and deep neighborhood assist.
“This marketing campaign is fueled by South Central. The working households, immigrant communities, neighbors and small enterprise homeowners I’ve served for greater than a decade,” Ugarte mentioned.
“We’ve been doing the work, and now we’re constructing on that progress. Collectively.”
Ugarte’s fundraising lead doesn’t simply high the District 9 discipline; it additionally locations him forward of each non-incumbent citywide, and forward of almost each sitting Councilmember. The robust early displaying underscores each his credibility and the neighborhood’s belief in his skill to steer.
A longtime advocate for South Central L.A., Ugarte at present serves as deputy chief of employees to outgoing Councilmember Curren Value, who has endorsed his marketing campaign. Over the previous decade, Ugarte has been instrumental in advancing insurance policies which have delivered actual outcomes for District 9 neighbors, from elevating wages and increasing native job pipelines to addressing homelessness, growing entry to inexpensive housing, and reimagining public security.
If elected in 2026, Ugarte would turn into the primary Latino in additional than 60 years to symbolize Council District 9, a neighborhood the place Latinos now make up over two-thirds of the inhabitants. However for Ugarte, this marketing campaign is about bringing individuals collectively and staying rooted within the values that matter most.
“I’m not working to make historical past. I’m working to make a distinction for everyone,” he mentioned.
“My marketing campaign is about confronting the problems that hit communities of colour the toughest, and doing it collectively as a result of lasting change solely occurs after we all rise.”
