Possible Los Angeles Mayoral Election


August 2021

With Mayor Garcetti on his way to becoming Ambassador to India, a vacancy is expected to occur in the Mayor’s office and the political wrangling over a successor will officially begin. If the U.S. Senate confirms Mayor Garcetti’s ambassadorship:
 
•  Council President Nury Martinez will become Acting Mayor until the City Council either appoints a new Mayor or schedules a special election to fill the vacancy. Although the Charter technically requires the Council to either appoint a successor or schedule a special election, the Councilmembers may be unable to reach a consensus on a successor – in which case Council President Martinez will, by default, remain Acting Mayor until the already-scheduled November 2022 Mayoral election.
 
•  The City Council may appoint a successor Mayor – whether Council President Martinez, another Council member, one of the announced Mayoral candidates, or anyone else who meets the requirements – to serve until a new Mayor is elected in the November 2022 election. This appointee could simply serve as a “placeholder” and not seek election next year (which the announced candidates would presumably prefer) or could join the 2022 race.
 
•  Council President Martinez will retain her seat on the City Council while she serves as Acting Mayor. However, if the Council appoints her to serve as a successor Mayor through the November 2022 election, then her Council seat would become vacant – at which point the Council would select her successor, and there would be an election in November 2022 to fill the remainder of her unexpired term.
 
•  Instead of appointing a successor Mayor, the Council may call a special election, to take place between the date of the vacancy and the June 2022 election, to fill the remainder of Mayor Garcetti’s term – although this option seems very unlikely, given the cost and how close such a special election would be to the regular 2022 elections.
 
•  The person elected Mayor in the November 2022 election will be able to serve two full four-year terms, even if appointed successor Mayor by the Council. The period the appointee will be in office – mid-2021 through the end of 2022 – is less than half of a full four-year term and therefore is not considered a “term” for purposes of the City’s term limit laws.
 
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Feel free to contact a Sutton Law Firm attorney with any questions regarding these upcoming elections.
 
THIS ALERT IS INTENDED FOR GENERAL INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE LEGAL ADVICE. 
 
About the Sutton Law Firm
 
The Sutton Law Firm specializes in political and election law, representing businesses, individuals, candidates, ballot measures, PACs and nonprofit organizations involved in the political and legislative processes on the state, local and national levels. The firm offers its clients a full range of legal, reporting and litigation services.