What’s at stake in this race?

There are three seats on the LA City Council, and that includes Paul Krekorian’s seat in Council District 2, which stretches from parts of Toluca Lake to Van Nuys. Krekorian has been in office for 14 years. That means he can’t run again because of term limits.

Why this race mattered

Key issues for Council District 2 voters include housing, green space and mass transit. The two candidates in this race have little overlap in their approach to most of these issues.

Jillian Burgos, who is an optician and owns a small business, said she would prioritize improving transportation safety in areas with high traffic injuries and deaths. Her opponent, Adrian Nazarian, who has served in the California State Assembly for more than a decade, said he is focused on public transportation. Nazarian said he plans to convert Orange Rail to light rail and said the Red Line subway stations in North Hollywood and Universal City could be hubs for development.

On housing, Burgos said he supports cracking down on illegal short-term rentals, enforcing vacancy taxes on empty commercial spaces and updating “outdated” zoning regulations. Nazarian had a different take on rent and said he supports limiting annual rent increases to 3 percent for rent-controlled units.

Follow the money

When it comes to fundraising and spending, Nazarian was the clear winner. His campaign raised over a million dollars and she raised just under $200,000.

Groups like the Los Angeles Police Protective League Political Action Committee have spent about $15,000 opposing Burgos, who does not support the latest LAPD contract that increased officers’ pay. Several outside groups have spent money to support Nazarian, including the Police Protective League, the LA County Democratic Party and Firefighters for a Better Los Angeles.

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