Tuesday's Election Could Decide Council District 1 Race

Council District 1 voters will go to the ballot booths on Tuesday, March 5 to choose a successor for Councilman Ed Reyes.

Council District 1 includes parts of Echo Park, as well as Solano Canyon, Elysian Park, Westlake, Angeleno Heights, Temple Beaudry, Lafayette Park and Chinatown.

The candidates vying for the seat are former Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, Reyes' longtime Chief of Staff José Gardea and local businessman Jesse Rosas. Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council Member William "Rodriguez" Morrison is running as a write-in candidate.

The four candidates first squared-off during in a forum held by the Mount Washington Homeowners Alliance on Monday, Nov. 19. On that evening, candidates were asked to answer a broad range of questions, including those pertaining to gang crime in the area and quality of life issues, like illegal dumping.

Click here to see video from the November forum

The candidates met again on Wednesday, Jan. 16 for a forum at Benjamin Franklin High School, where they were asked to discuss how they would improve business prospects along the district's main corridors in Highland Park, North Figueroa and Monte Vista Streets.

Read a recap of the January forum here

Click here to see video of the candidates discussing business improvements on Figueroa and Monte Vista

On Sunday, February 10, the candidates answered questions regarding the district's pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure in a forum hosted by the Los Angeles Bicycle Coalition. During that forum, all four candidates stated their support for implementing bike lanes on North Figueroa Street.

A video of the forum can be seen here

With the race drawing to a close, Highland Park-Mount Washington Patch last week looked into the funding of each candidate's campaign. Gardea and Cedillo hold a strong fund-raising edge over their lesser known opponents, but it is Cedillo who has received the strongest financial backing from outside groups.

Read more about the candidates fundraising here

Registered voters can find their polling place here.

If none of the four candidates is able to earn a majority of the vote on Tuesday, a winner will be decided through a runoff election to be held on Tuesday, May 21.