The Ninth District in the city of Los Angeles has long been plagued by unemployment, drugs, gangs, genera-tional poverty, low school test scores, and depression. I am the first to tell you there is no magic bullet to fix an inner city, except staying focused, which at times is nearly impossible with so many distractions outside your home. Growing up in the Ninth District and having a mother who constantly worked alongside Gilbert Lindsay, Jan Perry, Ethel Bradley, and other local politicians, I learned early that politics in South Los Angeles was often about survival. Sometimes the results of that political survival game did little to improve the quality of life for everyday residents. In many ways, people were forced to survive on their own because the benefits promised rarely made a meaningful difference. Today I believe that the real importance is that a Ninth District will weaken the Black voice as a whole, we will have one less individual at the table representing us, as there are high chances that the seat will no longer be held by a Black candidate.
The Beginning of Black Power Poli-tics in South Central Los Angeles
An interesting fact about the Ninth District is that a Hispanic politician helped usher in the first African American member of the Los Angeles City Council. His name was Edward R. Roybal, who vacated the seat after being elected to Congress in 1962, leading to the appointment of Gilbert W. Lind-say to fill the vacancy. Lindsay would remain in office for nearly 28 years, transforming the Ninth District into the symbolic capital of Black political Los Angeles. His political base was support-ed by merchants, Hispanic Americans, blue-collar Whites, and African Ameri-cans — many of whom were part of the coalition first assembled by Roybal.
I first met Councilman Gilbert Lind-say as a teenager. My mother interacted with Councilman Lindsay constantly while wearing many hats in the com-munity. She served on the board of directors responsible for restoring the Dunbar Hotel. She was community di-rector of the Neighbor Housing Service, a community organizer, and involved with numerous community organiza-tions. A mural hangs just south of the Dunbar Hotel alongside Councilman Lindsay, educator Rosie Johnson, and several others, including my siblings, my mother, and me.
Gilbert Lindsay would often visit our home. Shortly after his wife passed away, my mother would occasionally cook him a pot of greens, and I would walk the pot around the corner to his Craftsman-style house, one of several homes in the former gated community designed by architect Paul Williams. His housekeeper, an elderly woman, would usually answer the door. My mother always insisted that I wait while she transferred the greens into one of Councilman Lindsay’s casserole dishes so I could bring our pot back home.
While she transferred the food.
I would often stand in the dining room staring at the west interior wall. Amazingly, it was covered with plaques from Britain, Germany, France, the Netherlands, South Korea, China, and Japan, thanking him for helping facilitate projects like the Bonaventure Hotel. The majority of the plaques were from Japan. I remember seeing one from Germany for a bank building and saying to myself, “Gil is bringing in big bucks from all these foreign countries.” It was then I understood why many called him the emperor of downtown Los Angeles. That was back when the Ninth District was enormous.
One day, he happened to be home and startled me while I was admiring the wall of awards. I complimented him on the plaques, and he smiled and responded, “That’s real Black Power, kiddo!”
Circle of Politics: Hispanic Power – Black Power – Coalition Power –Hispanic Power Again
According to political activist Mary Botello, African American flight from the Ninth District has finally erased Black power politics in the communi-ty once known as South Central Los Angeles. The transformation did not happen overnight; it unfolded gradually through several political phases.
The first phase began with Roybal’s coalition, which helped empower Gilbert Lindsay. Once in office, Lind-say, aided by the migration of African Americans into South Central Los Angeles, transformed Roybal’s coalition into a powerful Black political machine that remained intact until his death.
Many believed Lindsay’s seat would eventually pass to his longtime aide and deputy, Bob Gay, however Lindsey died in office and Gay lost the election to Rita Walters by roughly 200 votes. Rita Walters, according to Botello, was the last Ninth District candidate to ride the wave of Black power politics to victory. When Walters retired in 2001, many believed the Black political machine retired with her.
That first phase of Black political power also helped launch the political career of Tom Bradley. Bradley and Lindsay often clashed politically, and Bradley eventually built what became known as the “Black-Jewish Liberal Coalition,” a political strategy that emerged during the 1970s and helped propel him into the mayor’s office, where he served from 1973 into the 1990s.
Jan Perry, who served from 2001 to 2013, was elected through a coalition tied heavily to redevelopment inter-ests and downtown investment. Her administration represented a new era of coalition politics linking downtown capital and developers with South Los Angeles neighborhoods. Perry’s election may have been the clearest sign that the “Great 9th” was transforming from a historically Black neighborhood-based district into a more economically and demographically hybrid district cen-tered on redevelopment, immigration, and coalition politics.
Curren Price, who represented the district from 2013 to 2026, inherited a district that had already shifted into a predominantly Latino political land-scape. Still, he successfully continued the coalition model that had evolved over the previous two decades.
Impact of an African American Ninth District Gone Forever
Historically, the African Ameri-can-held council districts were Dis-trict 8 (South Los Angeles), District 9 (Central Avenue/South Central), and District 10 (Mid-City/Crenshaw).
The loss of the Ninth District as a Black political seat will reduce the Afri-can American bloc on the Los Angeles City Council from three members to two. What many people fail to under-stand is that this may represent the permanent loss of an African American seat inside the council chamber. Many longtime political observers believe it will never return.
That shift would leave African Amer-icans with two council seats represent-ed by Heather Hutt in District 10 and Marqueece Harris-Dawson in District 8, while the remainder of the council reflects the city’s broader demograph-ic transformation, including Latino, White, Asian American, South Asian, and Middle Eastern representation. The bottom line is we have less influence on City Council decisions.
We requested interviews with candi-dates from the Ninth District and got responses from Elmer Roldan, Chris Martin, Estuardo Mazarariego. We reached out to Jose Ugarte but have not received a response. Each of the three candidates who did respond shared a lot, but I have honed in on their re-sponses to the demographic shift of the Ninth District and their key priorities if they were to be chosen for the seat.
Jose Ugarte who has the largest cam-paign funds totaling $503,907, followed by Estuardo Mazariegos: $245,100. Elmer Roldan: $128,112. Jorge Nuno: $29,743. Martha Sanchez: $18,196.
Chris Martin, the only Black candi-date, said the following:
“District 9’s history of Black leader-ship is deeply important to me because I was raised in that history. I grew up in South Central, on 43rd and Central Avenue, right on the Eastside, un-derstanding the legacy of leaders like Gilbert Lindsay and what Black political representation has meant for communi-ties that were often overlooked. At the same time, I fully recognize and respect District 9’s Latino brothers and sisters, and those families deserve strong repre-sentation, investment, and advocacy as well.”
“I want to create a leadership style that is collaborative and community-centered. That means bilingual outreach (I speak fluent Spanish), regular town halls, direct engagement in neighborhoods, and policy decisions shaped by the people most affected by them. Black and Latino communities in District 9 have many shared concerns, especially around housing affordability, public safety, economic opportunity, and overdevelopment. I believe we move for-ward by focusing on those shared goals rather than division.”
“One of the most important things a council member can do is make sure every community feels seen, heard, and respected. First, most of my time will be spent directly in the community, at the constituent services center on 43rd and Central Avenue, which is literally right down the street from my house, rather than at City Hall. That way, if folks from the community want to meet me, they won’t have to leave the community to do so. I also believe City Hall must be-come more accessible to working-class residents who often feel shut out of the political process.”
Key Priorities:
1. Leading a renaissance of Central Avenue- to restore it as a thriving cultural and economic corridor that pre-serves the history of South Los Angeles.
2. Building a job training center – to provide the youth with technology skills so they can become the next generation of six figure earners who will reinvest into the community, like Chris Martin did.
3. Expanding homeownership op-portunities within the District through the issuance of homeowner grants and loans – so that more Black and Brown folks can own homes in the District and maintain the homes that they already have. He will also work to enforce the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, which requires banks in our communi-ties to help meet the credit and lending needs of Black, Brown, and low-to-mod-erate income residents if the bank wants to do business in our neighborhoods.
4. Reassessing the City’s budget – to implement the “People’s Budget” that eliminates overspending on harmful initiatives and reallocates funds toward real community needs.
Elmer Roldan said the following:
“My commitment to this framework is personal and lifelong. At 13, I was recruited by the Community Coalition, an organization dedicated to building an intersectional network of residents to dismantle systemic racism and eco-nomic inequity. During those formative years, I was mentored by Mayor Karen Bass and Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who taught me that the path to progress in South LA is paved by uniting the voices of our Black and Latino neighbors to fight the root causes of our shared challenges and desires. I learned firsthand that while our demo-graphics may shift, our struggle against economic exploitation and systemic marginalization remains our strongest bond.”
“My 30-year-history of advocating for South Los Angeles continues in my current work as the Executive Director of Communities In Schools (CISLA). I believe the most effective way to advo-cate for our Black community today is by investing in our youth. They are the future of this district.”
Roldan’s vision for the Ninth Dis-trict is simple as he said “the people who built this district should be able to benefit from what it is becoming.” He also pointed out the current crisis in leadership as Curren Price is currently heading to trial on charges of embezzle-ment, perjury, and conflict of interest related to City Council votes, according to Roldan. He also alleged similar legal issues and financial corruption that Price’s current Deputy Chief of Staff, Jose Ugarte, is allegedly in the midst of. He urges Council District 9 to move beyond an era of scandal and toward a “future built on integrity and transpar-ency.”
“This pattern of corruption within the current office demonstrates a broader systemic failure that transcends race. It results in a serious breach of public trust.”
“There is no Council District 9 (CD-9) without Black inspiration, struggle, and success. My vision for this district is rooted in honoring that legacy through active Black and Brown solidarity.”
Key priorities:
1. Homeownership for Black families – through introducing a motion for a Heirs Property Legal Assistance Program. Also, Roldan will ensure the City’s implementation of the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act includes single-family homes.
2. Restoring basic dignity – Roldan will ensure that the council office keeps District 9 clean and free of illegal dump-ing, delayed repairs and ignored service requests. He will launch a Block by Block Response Plan that uses real-time data to identify service gaps and direct resources where they are needed most
3. Keeping District 9 clean – Roldan says that neighborhood beautification is his priority and that families deserve to walk their children to school, church or the park without navigating trash in the neighborhood. Roldan also said he will fight for District 9 to its fair share of the mayor’s proposed $7.5 million Addi-tional Homeless Services fund while enforcing city codes to keep the neigh-borhood clean.
Estuardo Mazariegos said the following:
“This is a historic moment in the Ninth City District, and to me, the Ninth City District has been and will always be a Black district as well. It’s not about one group passing the baton to another group, it’s about honoring our Black history and fighting for a Black future in the Ninth City District, and making sure that Black folks always have a voice in how the city runs in Los Ange-les, no matter what.”
“I’ve spent 20 years of my life building community organizations throughout South Central, Los Angeles, and Califor-nia, where I’ve come into communities of Black and Brown working people.”
“There are aspects of the Black expe-rience that Latino folks, Spanish-speak-ing folks, don’t understand and need to understand better. So, it’s about having an honest conversation around: what does anti-Blackness mean in the immi-grant community? And then it’s also vice versa: looking at how xenophobia plays a role in the immigrant experience across the diaspora… How do we overcome those things—anti-Blackness, anti-immi-grant sentiments? A lot of it comes from actually having those conversations and sharing in decision-making together.”
Key Priorities include:
1. Build trust, accountability and belief in government at the local level – Mazariegos goal is to empower the neighborhood and the district. He plans to show up in a way that folks have not seen in the Ninth District. He plans to listen to his constituents and facilitate a relationship where he is always working with the people in order to build true power.
2. Back-to-basics services – Mazariegos second priority is transpar-ent government and fixing everyday problems. He wants to go back to basics: repair streetlights, add solar streetlights, fix potholes, increase clean-ups, and trim trees so residents finally get the basic services they’ve been denied for generations.
3. Wages, rent, and poverty – His third priority is to build a thriving com-munity by raising wages and lowering rent. He wants every worker to reach
$30 an hour tied to inflation, and to build deeply affordable housing for very low-income residents. With 40 percent of the district and 37 percent of chil-dren below the poverty line, he says that increasing wages, lowering rent, and im-proving basic services will lift people out of poverty and transform District 9 into the most politically powerful district in Los Angeles.