Hugo Soto-Martinez
Hugo Soto-Martinez | |
|---|---|
| Member-elect of the Los Angeles City Council from the 13th district | |
| Assuming office December 11, 2022 | |
| Succeeding | Mitch O'Farrell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | South Los Angeles, California |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic Socialists of America |
| Alma mater | University of California, Irvine (B.A.) |
| Occupation | UNITE HERE labor organizer |
Hugo Soto-Martinez is an American labor organizer and politician who is currently the member-elect of the Los Angeles City Council to represent the 13th district. After winning the primary by a wide margin, Soto-Martinez defeated incumbent Mitch O'Farrell in the general election.[1]
Early life and career
Soto-Martinez was born and raised in South Los Angeles to two Mexican immigrant parents who worked as street vendors. When Soto-Martinez was 14, his father suffered from a back injury that made him disables and unable to work. Because of that, he dropped out of high school and started working at a hotel to help with his family.[2]
During that time, Soto-Martinez's older brother was arrested after he was placing a call from a phone booth, and after, Soto-Martinez received a ticket for littering which noted his perceived resistance to an officer which was upheld by the presiding judge. Soon after, he and his friend were caught in an entrapment operation, with Soto-Martinez ending up in probation.[3]
Because of his circumstances, he returned to high school and later started studying political science and criminology at University of California, Irvine in 1999 while still working at the hotel. In 2006, his last year of college, a co-worker asked if he would join a trade union they were organizing which he did, winning fair wages and free family healthcare.[4] He became an organizer for UNITE HERE Local 11 and later became involved with the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.[5] He travelled and canvassed for politicians in various states like Barack Obama, Paul Penzone, and Stacey Abrams.[6]
In 2020, he co-chaired Measure J, a ballot initiative that would allocate at least 10% of Los Angeles County's funding for community reinvestment and incarceration alternatives, alongside future Assemblymember Isaac Bryan and future councilmember Eunisses Hernandez.[7] In June 2021, though, the measure was blocked by Judge Mary Strobel as being unconstitutional and the implementation of the measure has been slow.[8]
Political career
Los Angeles City Council
In 2021, Soto-Martinez announced that he was running in the 2022 Los Angeles elections in District 13 against incumbent Mitch O'Farrell.[9] Soto-Martinez criticized O'Farrel's handling of Echo Park's homeless population as well as his policies towards police budget and housing development within the district.[10][11] In the primary, Soto-Martinez led O'Farrell by 9 points, with the pair going into a runoff.[12] In the general election, Soto-Martinez ousted O'Farrell with 57.24% of the vote.[13][14][15]
References
- ^ Zahniser, David (November 15, 2022). "McOsker, Yaroslavsky, Soto-Martinez claim victory in their L.A. City Council races". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ Gallagher, Kate (March 4, 2022). "Hugo Soto-Martínez Is Building Community Power in LA City Council District 13". Knock LA.
- ^ Lucas, Peter (March 13, 2022). "Hugo Soto-Martinez Wants to Represent Working-Class Los Angeles". Jacobin.
- ^ "This Union Organizer is Running for LA City Council to Empower Working People". RIFT Magazine. July 20, 2022.
- ^ Zahniser, David (November 4, 2022). "Guide to L.A. City Council District 13 election: Mitch O'Farrell vs. Hugo Soto-Martinez". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Fuller, Elizabeth (May 17, 2022). "HODG "Looking Local" Candidate Series: Hugo Soto-Martinez". Larchmont Buzz.
- ^ Guerin, Emily (November 5, 2020). "Measure J Appears To Pass As Part Of LA County's Criminal Justice Reform Wave". LAist.
- ^ Slovin, Charlotte (July 1, 2022). "Despite Voter Approval, LA County Has Slow Rolled Measure J Implementation". Knock LA.
- ^ Cagle, Kate (May 16, 2022). "Progressives target Democratic incumbents on LA City Council".
- ^ Zahniser, David (June 5, 2022). "Housing, homelessness and police dominate a race for City Council in Hollywood". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ French, Piper; Nichanian, Daniel (October 27, 2022). "California's 10 Most Critical Elections for Criminal Justice and Policing". Bolts.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Klink, Matt (June 22, 2022). "City of Los Angeles swings further left after June primary". Los Angeles Daily News.
- ^ Botticella, Geovanni (October 3, 2022). "Mitch O'Farrell, Hugo Soto-Martinez fight for City District 13". Los Angeleno.
- ^ "LA City Council Election: Soto-Martinez declares victory, O'Farrell concedes". KTTV. November 16, 2022.
- ^ Patel, Nihar (November 17, 2022). "Socialist on City Council: Hugo Soto-Martinez talks urgency for action in LA". KCRW.