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Trying to keep track of the connections among Latino politicians in Los Angeles can get as confusing as a game of Candy Crush. So behold an attempt to decipher the oldest political trees: the Eastside and the San Fernando Valley. Happy reading!
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Eastside
THE PLAYERS
Richard Alatorre
Assembly member, council member. Along with Art Torres, one of the founding architects of the original Eastside machine.
Elizabeth Alcantar
Cudahy council member. Former field deputy for Supervisor Hilda Solis.
Xavier Becerra
Current secretary of Health and Human Services. Former Assembly member, Congress member and California attorney general. Worked as a district director for state Sen. Art Torres. Former Molinista.
Wendy Carillo
Current Assembly member running for the 14th council district. Former SEIU ULTCW communications manager and staffer for ex-Councilmember Jose Huizar.
Gil Cedillo
Ex-union organizer, state Assembly member, state senator and council member. High school friend of Antonio Villaraigosa.
Kevin de León
Ex-union organizer, state Assembly member and state senator. Current council member. Former campaign manager for Fabian Nuñez, a childhood friend.
Maria Elena Durazo
Current state senator. Longtime head of the Los Angeles Labor Federation. Friends with Antonio Villaraigosa and Gil Cedillo since law school.
Alex P. Garcia
Assembly member and state senator. Former field representative for Rep. Edward R. Roybal.
Mónica Garcia
Former Los Angeles Unified trustee. Worked for Supervisor Molina as a legislative director.
Jimmy Gomez
Congress member. Former state Assembly member and staffer for Hilda Solis when she was in Congress.
Mark Gonzalez
Chair of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party. District director for Assemblymember Miguel Santiago, whom he seeks to replace.
Mike Hernandez
Replaced Gloria Molina on the City Council in 1991 with her blessing.
Jose Huizar
Former Los Angeles Unified school board member and L.A. City Council member. Sentenced this January to 13 years in federal prison for corruption and tax evasion.
Gloria Molina
Ex-Assembly member, council member and L.A. County Supervisor. Former assistant to Art Torres and volunteer for Richard Alatorre’s campaigns. Split with them to create a rival Eastside political faction. Worked alongside Esteban Torres in Carter White House.
Fabian Nuñez
Ex-union organizer and speaker of the Assembly. De León’s keeper.
Nick Pacheco
L.A. council member for District 14. His chief of staff was caught up along with the mayoral campaign of Becerra in the infamous “Gloria Marina” phone call scandal during the 2001 mayoral primary that saw a woman pretending to be Supervisor Molina trash the record of longtime ally Antonio Villaraigosa. Villaraigosa obliterated Pacheco in the 2003 race for Pacheco’s seat.
John A. Perez
Chair of the Board of Regents of the University of California. Ex-union organizer and speaker of the Assembly who took over Nuñez’s seat. Cousin of Antonio Villaraigosa.
Richard Polanco
Ex-Assembly member and state senator. Longtime chair of the Latino Legislative Caucus. Worked under Esteban Torres in nonprofit sector, and Richard Alatorre as a legislative aide. Mentor to Tony Cárdenas. His 1982 run for Assembly against Gloria Molina was the original Eastside politics pleito.
Ed Reyes
Former council member. Ex-planning director for former Councilmember Mike Hernandez.
Edward R. Roybal
First Latino L.A. council member in the 20th century. First Latino Congress member from California in the 20th century.
Lucille Roybal-Allard
Former Assembly member who went on to Congress and served for 30 years before retiring in 2023. Daughter of Edward R. Roybal.
Miguel Santiago
Assembly member running for City Council. Former Los Angeles Community College District trustee, staffer for Assembly member Cindy Montañez, and district director for Assembly member John A. Perez.
Hilda Solis
L.A. County Supervisor. Ex-U.S. secretary of Labor, Congress member, Assembly member and state senator. Former chief of staff for state Sen. Art Torres, intern for Esteban Torres. Mentored by Gloria Molina going back to the Carter White House.
Art Torres
Former state senator, Assembly member and chair of the California Democratic Party. Co-architect with Richard Alatorre of the original Eastside machine.
Esteban Torres
Ex-Congress member.
Antonio Villaraigosa
Former speaker of the Assembly and L.A. mayor. Best man at Gloria Molina’s wedding.
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San Fernando Valley
THE PLAYERS
James Acevedo
Developer and co-founder of the Valley Latino political machine. Former intern for Gloria Molina when she was in the state Assembly.
Richard Alarcon
Aide to former L.A. Mayor Tom Bradley. First Latino council member from the San Fernando Valley. Ex-Assembly member and state senator. Convicted in 2014 along with his then-wife on three counts of voter fraud and one count of perjury, which were later overturned.
Marisa Alcaraz
Deputy chief of staff to Councilmember Curren Price. Former aide to Richard Alarcon. Lost to Imelda Padilla in 2023 special City Council election to replace Nury Martinez
Raul Bocanegra
Former chief of staff to Assemblymember Felipe Fuentes. Resigned from the Assembly in 2017 after allegations of sexual harassment surfaced.
Tony Cardenas
Six-term Congress member who’s not running for reelection. Co-founder of the Valley political machine. First Latino elected to the state Assembly from the San Fernando Valley. Ex-council member.
Felipe J. Fuentes
Ex-Assembly member and chief of staff to Councilmember Alex Padilla. Resigned from City Council in 2016 to become a lobbyist.
Kelly Gonez
Los Angeles Unified trustee. Defeated Imelda Padilla for the seat in 2017.
Manny Gonez
Husband of Kelly Gonez. Worked under Cindy Montañez in nonprofit sector. Running to replace Paul Krekorian on the City Council.
Nury Martinez
Ex-aide to Richard Alarcon who became a trusted deputy of Tony Cárdenas and Alex Padilla. Former Los Angeles Unified trustee and City Council president. Resigned in 2022 in the wake of the City Hall tape leak scandal.
Caroline Menjivar
State senator and first LGBTQ+ Latina legislator from the San Fernando Valley. Former field deputy for Nury Martinez.
Cindy Montañez
Former Assembly member and San Fernando council member. Ex-aide to Richard Alarcon.
Ackley Padilla
Brother of Alex. Former chief of staff to Nury Martinez, current chief of staff for Imelda Padilla (no relation).
Alex Padilla
U.S. senator. Former California secretary of state and ex-state senator and council member. Co-founder of the Valley Latino political machine. Campaign manager for Gil Cedillo’s first Assembly race. An earlier version of this description said he was a former assemblymember.
Imelda Padilla
Council member. Former field deputy for Nury Martinez.
Luz Rivas
Assembly member who’s running to replace Tony Cárdenas in Congress. Classmate of Alex Padilla at San Fernando High and MIT.
Monica Rodriguez
Council member. Former aide to Councilmembers Mike Hernandez and Richard Alarcon.
Steven Veres
Los Angeles Community College trustee. Former staffer to Assemblymember Cindy Montañez.
This is part of Gustavo Arellano’s series on how Latino political power has changed Los Angeles.
