good morning. Welcome to LA on the Record, City Hall’s newsletter. Conducted by Chung Park and Dakota Smith.

2022 will be a historic year for Asian Americans in Los Angeles politics.

Kenneth Mejia He won the city air traffic controller election, becoming the first Asian-American to hold a citywide office.

But a report released this week by the UCLA Center for Asian American Studies argued that Asian Americans, who are now the city’s third largest racial group, remain underrepresented.

reportentitled “Asian, Latino, Black, and White Voters in Los Angeles City Elections: Racial Diversity and Representation in 2020 and 2022,” presents three perspectives on Asian American voters. Identifies major issues.

There aren’t enough Asian Americans running for office in the city of Los Angeles, and only a handful of the 193 candidates for city council between 2011 and 2022 were identified as Asian American, according to the report. It is said that there are 13 people.

Also, community voter registration rates remain low at less than 50% in much of the city, and no city council district is majority or even majority Asian-American.

“Asian-American voters often vote in blocs that support Asian-American candidates, but at the same time they are often not a large enough voter group to influence the outcome of Los Angeles elections.” Natalie MasuokaAssociate Professor of Political Science and Asian American Studies at UCLA, and Nathan ChanLoyola Marymount Assistant Professor of Political Science wrote in the report:

“However, while Asian Americans are visibly increasing in Los Angeles, it is not clear whether their power and growth in electoral politics match the potential that the population growth suggests,” the report said. Says.

Between 2010 and 2020, the Asian-American population living in Los Angeles grew by 8.2%, and the city’s population grew by 2.8%, according to the report.

Asian-American residents make up 11.8% of the population, followed by Latinos (46.9%) and Caucasians (28.9%). Black Angeleno makes up her fourth-most racial group with 8.3% of her.

The report says that only if Asian Americans can form coalitions with other ethnicities can they win their favorite candidates.

That was the case with Council District 1. Unices Hernandez Rejected from current job Jill Zedillo It has strong support from Asian-American and white voters. The report found that an overwhelming majority of white voters supported Hernandez. Zedillo did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the study.

Chan said the numbers are just estimates, and relatively small sample sizes could lead to extreme numbers.

Asian Americans, along with Latinos and Black Angelenos, are members of the Multiracial Coalition. Karen Bass Won last year’s mayoral election Rick CarusoA narrow victory among white voters.

In the controller race, Mejia won an overwhelming majority among Asian Americans, but also gained a lot of support from the Latino and white communities.

However, Asian Americans struggle when acting alone to support candidates. Support for the incumbent was high at the time in the 13th City Council District, where Asian Americans make up 18% of the voting age population. Mitch O’Farrell refuted by Hugo Soto Martinez There is a big gap between Latino voters and white voters.

In 2020, Asian Americans voted overwhelmingly Grace Yu when she challenges Mark Ridley Thomas Even though the district included most of Koreatown, Yu still led by more than 20 points.

At a panel discussion on Tuesday, Masuoka and Chan presented their findings alongside community leaders. Sarah SadwaniAn assistant professor of political science at Pomona College asked, “Is 15 city council districts, after all, too few to properly represent Asian-American voices in Los Angeles?”

Each city council member represents about 260,000 people, and there has been a lot of support in recent years for city council expansion.

Some community leaders expressed support for the council’s expansion.but William T. FujiokaThe chairman of the Japanese American National Museum Board of Trustees and former mayor of Los Angeles County was skeptical that the expansion would work.

“People don’t want to support any more governments or politicians,” he said.

state of play

— thanks, but no thanks: Mayor Karen Bass’s efforts to get people to stay in hotels have stalled in downtown Los Angeles, where she faces “resistance” from crime, addiction and some of the homeless neighborhoods, The Times reported. . In May, there were still at least three dozen tents on streets targeted by buses around El Pueblo, including Main Street, Spring Street, Cesar Chavez Street and Broadway.

– Pay: Metro will release a congestion pricing study this summer that will look at driving costs on major highways and roads, The Times reported. MBass’ office declined to comment for this article, but she told the Times editorial board in an interview with the mayoral candidate last year that she supports a pilot program for congestion pricing.

– on vacation: John ChenThe top DWP executive, who earns more than $320,000 a year, went on administrative leave after The Times questioned the power company about Mr. Chen’s external bitcoin mining business. Chen has denied any wrongdoing.

— 2026 Watch: Former Mayor Antonio VillaraigozaVillaraigosa, who ran for governor in 2018, has not ruled out running for governor again in 2026. “I’ve spent my life active and will continue to do so,” he said. FOX 40 anchor Nicky Lorenzo. Villaraigoza ran multiple times for mayor of Los Angeles, losing in 2001 but coming back in 2005 to win.

— View CD 6: Lin Tat of the Daily News introduced them both. Imelda Padilla and Marisa Alcaraz Before the June 27 election for seats in the 6th district of the city council.

— new leader: Bass chosen on Thursday Stacey Danesthe director of the City of Long Beach’s Animal Welfare Services, will become the next general manager of the troubled city’s animal services division.

– near: Final results released Friday by the LA County Registrar/Recorder show LVMH’s luxury Beverly Hills hotel project failed to pass only 80 votes.

quick hit

• Where is Inside Safe? The mayor’s signature anti-homeless activism reached Harbor City and helped residents of the Lomita Boulevard camp. By Friday, more than 60 people had been moved to nearby motels, according to the mayor’s office.
• Record for next week: The Armenian National Committee for the American West Region will host a forum of two candidates for City Council District 6 on Wednesday at 7:00 pm. Van Nuys’ Vatican Banquet Hall.