With Councilman Bob Blumenfield term limited after representing his San Fernando Valley district since 2013, residents of Los Angeles’ 3rd District have an open seat to fill on the LA City Council.
Three names will appear on the ballot to succeed Blumenfield.
One is Christopher Robert Celona, a self-described “compassionate capitalist” who “refuses to accept a future where families are priced out and neighborhoods feel less safe.”
Second is Timothy Gaspar, the entrepreneur who founded Gaspar Insurance, who is backed by Blumenfield, the business community and the city’s police union. He is running on a back-to-basics platform and is notably opposed to the growing democratic socialist influence on the council, telling us that the current council is too focused on ideology and rhetoric over results.
Third is Barri Worth Girvan, who most recently worked as director of community affairs for Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and touts extensive experience working in government. Though backed by many of the city’s public employee unions, she also has a sensible platform of supporting housing development and focusing on public safety.
Among the three candidates, the race is best understood as between Timothy Gaspar and Barri Worth Girvan, who both have considerable support and would both actually be credible council members in their own ways.
Both recognize that Los Angeles city government has structural and governance problems and that the San Fernando Valley has too often been an afterthought. Both acknowledge the need for significant permitting reforms to speed up development across the city. And both understand that crime prevention is as important as enforcement.
On housing, they offer diverging perspectives. Both are critical of Measure ULA, which has stifled development across the city. Gaspar rightly suggests it should be repealed outright while Worth Girvan is inclined to reform it but keep it to keep the revenues coming. Worth Girvan is more of an all-of-the-above advocate for more housing, while Gaspar on the one hand defends local control while on the other hand saying he supports upzoning when it makes sense.
Ultimately, the choice comes down to the type of experience City Hall needs most. While Worth Girvan knows the levers of government, Gaspar’s private-sector background offers a necessary corrective to a council often insulated from economic realities.
Los Angeles City Hall needs fresh perspectives and we think Gaspar’s common sense approach to City Hall is just what is needed. Accordingly, we endorse Timothy Gaspar for Los Angeles City Council.