Estuardo Mazariegos, running as a Democratic candidate for Los Angeles City Council District 9, has put tenant protections and community safety at the center of his campaign. District 9 covers downtown's western edge, the Convention Center, USC, Vermont Square, South Park, and Florence-Graham. Mazariegos, a longtime community organizer, co-directs the Los Angeles chapter of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, a grassroots group focused on housing rights and economic justice. In a recent interview with Annenberg Radio News, Mazariegos explained his plan to address the spread of rent by bed housing models and to push for a moratorium on this type of development in South Central Los Angeles. His campaign's housing argument connects rising rents and displacement pressure to the need for preserving existing housing alongside new construction, instead of relying only on market-rate development.
Mazariegos has joined citywide planning efforts, including the South L.A. Community Plan Implementation Overlay, which aims to protect tenants and long-term residents during new development. He says the current trend of rent by bed housing has brought instability for renters and calls for stronger steps to stop tenant harassment and rent gouging. Mazariegos points to conversations with students who have faced these problems directly. He frames his policy agenda against what campaign coverage calls displacement of low-income residents and the influence of real-estate money in the District 9 election, criticizing companies backing his opponent, Jose Ugarte, and arguing that their financial support threatens neighborhood accountability.
Affordable housing and public safety priorities
Alongside housing, Mazariegos has proposed building more affordable units in the community and improving conditions for pedestrians and cyclists. He supports violence prevention efforts, such as gun buy-back programs, and calls for expanded mental health services, better street lighting, and improved accessibility for residents with disabilities. Mazariegos describes himself as a "corporate free candidate," saying he does not take contributions from large corporations like Airbnb, to keep accountability with neighborhood residents. Ugarte, in response, has said he would work with any group if it could identify policies that help South Los Angeles, including renter protections.
His campaign also backs recent efforts by non-tenured USC faculty to unionize, arguing that the university should play a more constructive role in the community. Mazariegos has helped advance local tenant protections, including the Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance, the Resident Protection Ordinance, and Measure ULA, known as the "mansion tax." Measure ULA, passed in 2022, set a real-estate transfer tax of 4% on sales above $5.4 million and 5.5% on sales above $10.9 million, with revenue dedicated to affordable housing and homelessness programs. The measure also sets limits on how revenue can be used, including restrictions on which entities may acquire ULA-funded foreclosed properties and rules on raising below-market rents when projects face financial distress, as analyzed by RAND Corporation. In November 2026, Proposition TE appeared on the ballot as a proposed exception to Measure ULA for residential properties damaged or destroyed in the Palisades fire, offering a one-time exemption for qualifying sales within five years of the fire.
Mazariegos has received endorsements from the Democratic Socialists of America and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. The local Democratic Socialists of America chapter's endorsement matches his focus on tenant protections, social housing, and shifting spending toward basic services instead of expanded policing. Reporting also notes that Mazariegos aimed to make the district safer for immigrants and LGBTQ residents through stronger anti-discrimination protections, affordable housing, and wraparound services. Both Mazariegos and Ugarte are Democrats and immigrants from Latin America who grew up undocumented, but reporting shows a sharp policy divide over policing, homelessness, and housing priorities. In the June primary, Ugarte received nearly 40% of the vote while Mazariegos received about 26%, sending both to the November general election and putting Ugarte ahead before the runoff, according to The Real Deal.
As Los Angeles continues to debate the future of renter protections, earlier reporting on mayoral housing policies has shown the stakes for tenants across the city, as seen in this previous breakdown. The District 9 race remains a close contest focused on housing affordability, policing, homelessness, and basic municipal services, with the outcome set to shape the local rollout of renter protections, affordable-housing programs, and the use of city resources tied to Measure ULA.
For more on Mazariegos's platform and the broader context of the District 9 race, see our previous coverage.
