Eunisses Hernandez
Eunisses Hernandez (born 1990)[1][2] is an American activist and politician, currently serving as a member of the Los Angeles City Council for the 1st district since 2022.[3] A member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, Hernandez defeated incumbent councilmember Gil Cedillo in an upset in the 2022 election.[4][5]
Eunisses Hernandez | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Los Angeles City Council from the 1st district | |
| Assumed office December 12, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Gil Cedillo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1990 (age 32–33) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Long Beach (BA) |
A self-described police and prison abolitionist, Hernandez was endorsed by progressive groups and leaders like City Councilman Mike Bonin and Dolores Huerta, and the Los Angeles Times.[1][6][7] Hernandez declared victory on June 18, 2022, before the final vote tally, which was certified on July 1, 2022.[8] Cedillo conceded the same day.[9]
Early life and career edit
Hernandez was born in 1990 to Mexican immigrants, Juan and Leticia Hernandez, and grew up in Highland Park, Los Angeles.[6][10] Early in her life, Hernandez thought about becoming a police officer. She attended Franklin High School and later California State University, Los Angeles for one year in 2009, where she majored in civil engineering.[11] During her employment at Universal Studios Hollywood, she graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice in 2013. It was during her time at CSU Long Beach where she "experienced [...] a revelation" after she took a class for criminology and the War on Drugs.[12]
Career edit
Hernandez started her career in 2014 as a policy coordinator for the Drug Policy Alliance where she advocated for the passing of Senate Bill 180 and California Proposition 64.[13] In 2018, she moved to JustLeadershipUSA as a campaign coordinator for JusticeLA where she pushed for a halt to a plan to build a new $3.5 million women's jail at the county's Mira Loma facility in Lancaster.[14] In 2019, she was appointed by the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors to be a community stakeholder for an Alternatives to Incarceration working group.[12]
In 2020, she co-founded La Defensa with Ivette Alé, a women-led organization that supports reducing the number of incarcerated people in Los Angeles County.[12] That same year she co-chaired Measure J, a ballot initiative that would allocate at least 10% of Los Angeles County's funding for community reinvestment and incarceration alternatives.[15] She co-chaired the ballot initiative campaign with future Assemblymember Isaac Bryan and future councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez; the initiative passed with 57.12% of the vote.[16] In 2021, the measure was temporarily blocked by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mary Strobel, who ruled that Measure J violated California law by infringing on the County Board of Supervisors' authority to set budgets;[17] in 2023, however, the California Court of Appeals reversed this ruling, allowing the measure to take effect.[18]
Los Angeles City Council edit
On October 8, 2021, Hernandez announced her campaign for Los Angeles City Council District 1 in the 2022 elections.[19] After three other candidates were disqualified, she was the only opponent against incumbent Gil Cedillo.[6] Hernandez was endorsed by multiple progressive groups and leaders, with Council-member Mike Bonin and Dolores Huerta endorsing her in the primary.[1] Hernandez ultimately unseated Cedillo with 53.9% of the vote, avoiding the need for a runoff.[8]
In May 2023, Hernandez was the only member of the Los Angeles City Council to vote against Mayor Karen Bass's first budget. Hernandez cited the $3.2 billion allocated to the LAPD as the motivation for her vote, giving a speech in which she said that "we are celebrating moving pennies around, while we put a quarter of our entire budget into just one department."[20]
In May 2023, Hernandez spoke at a press event to reveal “La Sombrita", a piece of grated metal on a pole intended to provide shade and lighting for bus riders at a bus stop. The bus stop structure was criticized for failing to provide any meaningful shade.[21][22]
Positions on housing edit
In 2023, she reversed an effort by her predecessor to remove housing height limits in a section of Chinatown.[23] During her campaign for the city council, Hernandez blamed rising housing prices and evictions on new housing developments.[24] She said, "My plan to fight gentrification is to be the biggest barrier I can to luxury and market-rate development."[24]
In 2022, she expressed support for the discretionary permit system in Los Angeles, which gives City Council members discretionary power over land-use decisions, allowing them to veto proposed projects.[25] In 2023, Hernandez took no position on a proposal by Mayor Bass to convert the Mayfair Hotel, a 294-room facility in L.A.’s Westlake neighborhood, into housing for the homeless. Hernandez said, "At this time, we are awaiting additional details regarding the project and its potential outcomes."[26]
In 2023, Hernandez supported a motion in the City Council to prohibit the sale or rental of recreational vehicles for use as housing.[27]
Electoral history edit
| Primary election | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Eunisses Hernandez | 16,108 | 53.9 | |
| Gil Cedillo (incumbent) | 13,700 | 45.8 | |
| Elaine Alaniz (write-in) | 80 | 0.3 | |
| Total votes | 29,888 | 100.00 | |
Notes edit
References edit
- ^ a b c Zahniser, David (June 14, 2022). "Eunisses Hernandez pulls ahead of Gil Cedillo in tight L.A. Council race". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
- ^ CASTAÑEDA, MARIAH (May 19, 2022). "O.G. HIGHLAND PARK'S EUNISSES HERNANDEZ HAS A PLAN TO STOP GENTRIFICATION IN CD 1". L.A. TACO. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
- ^ Cagle, Kate [@KateCagle] (June 18, 2022). "INBOX: Progressive challenger Eunisses Hernandez declares victory over incumbent Democrat Gil Cedillo to represent Los Angeles Council District 1. Hernandez is a local community organizer who has been instrumental in pushing the County to build alternatives to incarceration" (Tweet). Retrieved June 18, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Sanchez, Jesús (June 14, 2022). "Incumbents Gil Cedillo and Mitch O'Farrell lose ground to challengers". The Eastsider. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
- ^ Stein, Jeff (August 5, 2017). "9 questions about the Democratic Socialists of America you were too embarrassed to ask". Vox. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
- ^ a b c Regardie, Jon (May 27, 2022). "The Incumbent v. Challenger Battle: Gil Cedillo and Eunisses Hernandez Tangle in a Tense Council Race". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
- ^ "Endorsement: Why the L.A. Times endorsed so many newcomers this year". The Los Angeles Times. May 29, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
- ^ a b Chou, Elizabeth (June 24, 2022). "In June primary, LA City Councilman Gil Cedillo appears to be ousted by newcomer Eunisses Hernandez". Los Angeles Daily News.
- ^ "Councilman Gil Cedillo concedes defeat to challenger Eunisses Hernandez". July 1, 2022.
- ^ https://councildistrict1.lacity.gov/councilmember-hernandez
- ^ "EUNISSES HERNANDEZ". Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles.
- ^ a b c French, Piper (March 4, 2022). "Abolitionist Organizer Wants to Fill Los Angeles Power Vacuum". Bolts.
- ^ Mai-Duc, Christine. "Law clinics offer 'second chance'". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "JLUSA Statement from Los Angeles Campaign Coordinator, Eunisses Hernandez, on the Historic JusticeLA Victory, as the LA County Board of Supervisors Votes to Stop Construction of a $3.5B Women's Jail". JustLeadershipUSA (Press release). February 13, 2019.
- ^ Kelkar, Lyric (March 4, 2021). "What's the Latest on Measure J? A Conversation with Eunisses Hernandez". Inclusive Action for the City.
- ^ Guerin, Emily (November 5, 2020). "Measure J Appears To Pass As Part Of LA County's Criminal Justice Reform Wave". LAist.
- ^ Elizabeth Marcellino, LA County commits to community investment – to match Measure J, which court put on hold, Los Angeles Daily News (August 10, 2021).
- ^ Jaclyn Cosgrove, Measure J, L.A. County's 2020 criminal justice reform measure, is constitutional, appellate court finds, Los Angeles Times (July 30, 2023).
- ^ "Eunisses Hernandez Launches Campaign for LA City Council". Tamarindo Podcast. October 8, 2021.
- ^ "L.A. Council approves Bass' $13-billion budget, greenlighting plan to hire 1,000 cops". Los Angeles Times. 2023.
- ^ Univision (2023). "'La Sombrita', el proyecto piloto que suscita polémica entre usuarios de autobuses en Los Ángeles, ¿por qué?". Univision (in Spanish).
- ^ "What L.A.'s Pilot "La Sombrita" Shade/Light Structure Does and Doesn't Do". Streetsblog Los Angeles. 2023-05-20. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
- ^ "L.A. adopts strategies for bringing 135,000 new homes to downtown and Hollywood". Los Angeles Times. 2023.
- ^ a b "Rising rents and police abolition roil an Eastside race for L.A. City Council". Los Angeles Times. 2022.
- ^ "Fixing City Hall survey: Who supports reducing council members' power over land-use decisions?". Los Angeles Times. 2022-11-02.
- ^ "Bass wants to use the Mayfair Hotel to fight homelessness. The cost? $83 million". Los Angeles Times. 2023-07-28.
- ^ "LA Council approves motion to ban sale or rental of RVs for housing". ABC7 Los Angeles. 2023-08-30.