Endorsements: The Times recommends
Mayor: Eric Garcetti. Garcetti, a creative problem-solver, is a better choice than Wendy Greuel to pilot the city through budget problems and contract negotiations, out of malaise and into a more confident future.
City attorney: Mike Feuer. Feuer has the talent, experience, judgment and demeanor needed for the position that incumbent Carmen Trutanich lacks.
Controller: Ron Galperin. Los Angeles changed the job of controller in 1999, making it less about paying the checks and more about critiquing city management. Attorney Galperin is well suited for the job; his rival, 12-year Councilman Dennis Zine, lacks the necessary distance from City Hall.
Council District 1: Jose Gardea. As a City Council staffer, Gardea has shown he does his own thinking on behalf of residents. Gil Cedillo is an accomplished lawmaker but lacks Gardea’s independence.
Council District 6: Cindy Montañez. Smart, confident and ready to lead, Montañez — a former member of the Assembly — is the best of six candidates in this special-election primary.
Council District 9: Curren Price. A state senator and former councilman in Inglewood, Price has the potential to bring needed attention to this job-deprived and resources-poor council district. He’s a better choice than City Hall staffer Ana Cubas.
Council District 13: Mitch O’Farrell. O’Farrell showed his value to constituents as a member of Eric Garcetti’s City Council staff. John Choi is still a newcomer to the district and hasn’t demonstrated a solid understanding of its residents’ needs.
Proposition C: No. This advisory measure calls on Los Angeles’ members of Congress to get to work on a constitutional amendment to change campaign finance laws. There are faster, surer and smarter ways to address this problem.
Proposition D: Yes. This measure would allow about 135 medical marijuana dispensaries to remain open for business. It’s the most readily enforceable of the three cannabis-related measures on the ballot.
Initiative ordinance E: No. Measure E is now an orphan, abandoned by its original backers, who have switched their support to Proposition D.
Initiative ordinance F: No. This measure would allow an unlimited number of medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles — too many for most neighborhoods.
Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education District 6: Monica Ratliff. In the factional fight between the teachers union and reformers, Ratliff is as independent as they come these days.
Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees Office 6: Nancy Pearlman. Incumbent Pearlman refused to follow the crowd — to her credit — as her colleagues approved and failed to oversee wasteful bond spending.
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