Former tech executive’s mayoral bid

Emanuel Pleitez is fighting an uphill battle for mayor but recent fundraising success allowed him to qualify for public campaign funding, and debate sponsors began including him in events with the four main candidates.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Emanuel Pleitez talks with Julia Wade in her South Los Angeles apartment as he campaigns for mayor of Los Angeles.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Emanuel Pleitez is greeted by a supporter as he campaigns for mayor in South Los Angeles. “I’m the only candidate that is going to some of these neighborhoods,” Pleitez says.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Emanuel Pleitez double-times it to his next stop as he canvasses a Southl Los Angeles neighborhood in search of support for his mayoral campaign.   (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Emanuel Pleitez and his campaign communications director, John Hill, arrive at his Boyle Heights campaign headquarters. Having a dedicated staff and volunteers is a plus for Pleitez, political scientist Franklin D. Gilliam Jr. says.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Emanuel Pleitez meets 5-month-old Naomi Reyes, daughter of Jessica Pineda, left, who like David Reyes, center, is a volunteer in Pleitez’s campaign.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Emanuel Pleitez pounds the pavement in search of votes in South Los Angeles.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Mayoral candidate Emanuel Pleitez walks across 27th Street and Stanford Avenue while canvassing the South Los Angeles neighborhood. Pleitez says he is seeking to engage constituencies that usually stay away from the polls and live in the city’s most “underserved” neighborhoods.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)