Guide to the 2022 Los Angeles city attorney’s primary election
Seven candidates are vying to be Los Angeles city attorney, a job now held by Mike Feuer. Unless a candidate gets more than 50% of the vote in Tuesday’s primary, the top two contenders head to a runoff in November.
The candidates
- Hydee Feldstein Soto, finance attorney
- Faisal Gill, a civil rights attorney and former Homeland Security official
- Kevin James, a lawyer turned radio host turned City Hall insider
- Teddy Kapur, treasurer of the California Democratic Party.
- Richard Kim, deputy city attorney
- Marina Torres, former federal prosecutor
- Sherri Onica Valle Cole, a former deputy city attorney.
Fundraising
Here are the latest totals from the L.A. Ethics Commission.
The office
The position has wide duties, according to the city: “As the City’s general counsel, the City Attorney provides advice and opinions on matters of municipal concern, examines contracts and ordinances as to form and legality, and is frequently called upon to interpret the City Charter, federal and state statutes, and other laws that govern Los Angeles.” As the city’s chief prosecutor, the city attorney prosecutes misdemeanor criminal offenses and infractions, working closely with local law enforcement. The office also administers crime prevention programs focused on preserving neighborhoods’ quality of life and litigates civil actions on behalf of the city in court.
The race
The race has a wide field and no incumbent, with Feuer stepping down after nine years. One key topic in the race is the city attorney’s office handling of the DWP scandal and what various candidates would do about cleaning that up. Housing, homelessness and crime have come up as issues. So have the pasts of two of the candidates — James, a former public works commissioner, and Gill, a civil rights lawyer. Both men ran for office at one point as Republicans, and both say their views have evolved since then.
In a break from recent tradition, there’s not an incumbent or a well-known elected official among the candidates running to become L.A. city attorney. There are, however, two candidates with former GOP ties.
Thomas Peters, a former official in the Los Angeles city attorney’s office, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of aiding and abetting extortion.
City Atty. Mike Feuer is one quarter of the way through a months-long tour of L.A. Voters are asking about everything but the scandal involving one of his former top assistants.
A court-appointed investigator hired to look into the Department of Water and Power billing scandal found that “evidence supports a finding that the city directed and assisted in the city suing itself with a sham lawsuit.” A spokesman for City Atty. Mike Feuer disputed some of the findings.
Some
The report concluded the scheme let opposing attorneys collect $19 million in fees, an amount investigators called “excessive”
Reading from other publications
Get to know the candidates
(KNBC)
7 lawyers vie for top attorney job in L.A.
(Daily News)
A guide to the race
(LAist)
Video: Candidates forum for L.A. City Attorney’s race
(LABC)
Video: City attorney candidate debate
(Beverly Hills Bar Assn.)
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