Nazarian Appears on Track to Capture L.A. City Council District 2 Seat
Former Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian held a significant lead and appeared set Wednesday to succeed the termed-out Paul Krekorian in the District 2 seat on the Los Angeles City Council.
Nazarian — who was Krekorian's chief of staff from 2006 to 2012 before being elected to the Assembly — led business owner and political newcomer Jillian Burgos by a roughly 13% margin as of early Wednesday.
Nazarian had received 32,567 votes, or about 56.3% of the ballots, while Burgos stood at 25,309 votes, or about 43.7%, according to results released by the L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's Office.
It was unclear how many ballots remain to be tallied in the district. Mail-in ballots postmarked by election day will also be accepted for up to a week.
The former assemblyman described the voting results so far as "promising."
Nazarian added that his election night party in Sun Valley was filled with family, college and high school friends, and colleagues he's worked with every step of his career.
"It was wonderful to see everyone in one place, and the message I gave them is that Los Angeles is a place of second chances," Nazarian, who migrated to the U.S. with his family from Iran when he was 8, told City News Service in the aftermath of his apparent if not yet official victory.
He also expressed gratitude to CD 2 residents who cast their ballots for him.
"The votes are still being counted, but I'm deeply humbled with all the support that I received over the years," Nazarian told CNS. "This isn't something that I could have done on my own. Along the way, I've had a great deal of individuals who have backed me up, supported me, helped me ... and made me better in the process."
A spokesperson for Burgos told CNS that the campaign was "incredibly proud" of its work, knocking on about 65,000 doors. Burgos' team did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the most updated voting results.
Both candidates were vying to represent the Second District, encompassing the East San Fernando Valley neighborhoods of North Hollywood, Studio City, Sun Valley, Valley Glen, Valley Village, Van Nuys and Toluca Lake. Krekorian, who has served nearly 15 years, will be vacating his position due to term limits in December.
On Oct. 18, Nazarian sat down with CNS to talk about why he thinks CD2 voters should elect him.
"My goal and desire, my personal mission, is to make Los Angeles a sustainable city," Nazarian said. "Sustainability, to me, means a place that continues to prosper as it's growing."
Nazarian said he supports building more housing while protecting the city's limited green open spaces, and would like to invest significantly in public transportation.
He said he hopes to unburden LAPD officers from such responsibilities as calls related to homelessness, mental health and addiction, while expanding unarmed response teams.
"Los Angeles needs to be a place where it is so safe, where young families want to raise their families here and not move away," Nazarian said. "Dreamers and entrepreneurs want to invest in Los Angeles. But if people don't feel safe ... they're not going to want to do that."
Nazarian served as an aide to Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Los Angeles, from 1997 to 1999. Then-governor Gray Davis appointed him as a special assistant to the California Trade and Commerce Agency, and he served as Krekorian's chief of staff from 2006 to 2012.
On Oct. 17, Burgos sat down with CNS on the patio of La Rochelle, a bakery and coffee shop in North Hollywood. The candidate emphasized housing, homelessness and protecting small businesses as among her priorities if elected.
Burgos, a resident of North Hollywood, is a licensed optician and co-owner of a theater company called Dainty Dames Events. She also served on the North Hollywood Neighborhood Council.
