As Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price’s corruption case moves toward trial, candidates vying to represent Council District 9 are increasingly centering their campaigns around transparency, accountability and public trust — themes several said resonate with frustrated voters across South Los Angeles.
Candidates for District 9 interviewed by the Southern California News Group said many residents increasingly connect ethics and accountability concerns at City Hall with broader frustrations over neighborhood conditions, city services and economic investment in the district.
“What I hear constantly while canvassing is ‘Where is our tax money going?’” candidate Jorge Nuño, a South Los Angeles entrepreneur, said in a statement to SCNG. “People look around at illegal dumping, broken sidewalks, homelessness, streetlights not working, and neglected corridors, and they feel like the community has been left behind. Many residents openly say things like, ‘If there are corruption allegations, no wonder nothing is getting done.’”
Council District 9 covers much of South Los Angeles and downtown-adjacent neighborhoods south of the city core.
Price, who has represented the district since 2013, faces a dozen felony charges, including grand theft by embezzlement of public funds, conflict of interest and perjury.
Prosecutors allege Price failed to disclose payments received by a company owned by his wife from developers and public agencies with matters pending before the City Council, and failed to recuse himself from votes involving those projects.
Price has pleaded not guilty and repeatedly denied wrongdoing. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for June 5.
Price is set to leave office in December 2026 due to term limits, and six candidates are running to replace him in the June 2 primary: Estuardo Mazariegos, Jorge Nuño, Elmer G. Roldan, Jorge Hernandez Rosas, Martha Sanchez and Jose Ugarte — Price’s former deputy chief of staff.
Several candidates said the case has intensified conversations around ethics and accountability, while also highlighting broader frustrations residents already had with City Hall responsiveness and city services.
“Every person I talk to shares a deep concern about broken trust in Councilman Price, Jose Ugarte, and the CD9 staff,” said Roldan, executive director of the student support nonprofit Communities In Schools of Los Angeles. “They also share a great sense of hope that change is possible.”
While the candidates’ proposals vary, many call for stronger ethics oversight, tighter campaign finance restrictions, expanded disclosure requirements and greater transparency around city spending, lobbying activity and constituent services.
Hernandez Rosas, a mental health therapist, said he would support stronger financial disclosure requirements, stricter conflict-of-interest rules and greater transparency around city contracts, lobbying activity and discretionary spending.
In his response to SCNG’s voter guide questionnaire, Hernandez Rosas also called for “zero tolerance for corruption or misuse of public funds.”
Mazariegos, who co-directs the housing and tenants’ rights organization Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment – LA, said his campaign refuses donations from lobbyists, corporations and others with financial interests in City Hall decisions. He also proposed expanding pay-to-play restrictions, increasing disclosure requirements and strengthening whistleblower protections.
Mazariegos described ethics and corruption concerns as “inescapable issues” in the race and said residents often connect City Hall controversies with frustrations over poor city services and neighborhood conditions.
College professor Sanchez said she is running without political or corporate endorsements and supports creating independent civilian oversight bodies with subpoena and investigative powers, along with grassroots oversight efforts aimed at holding elected officials directly accountable to residents.
She added that constituents “are deeply concerned about the history of corruption and systemic favors that have marginalized our community.”
California Common Cause said ethics controversies can shape elections and affect public trust in government.
“Los Angeles has experienced a significant number of ethics and corruption scandals over the past seven years,” said Sean McMorris, transparency, ethics & accountability program manager at California Common Cause. “Repeated controversies can both anger voters and discourage participation in elections and the broader democratic process.”
McMorris pointed to the city’s ongoing charter reform process as a potential opportunity to strengthen Ethics Commission independence and accountability measures.
The proposed reforms include creating an inspector general function within the Ethics Commission, allowing the commission to hire independent legal counsel and clarifying procedures for temporarily suspending councilmembers facing trial.
McMorris also said corruption indictments and convictions have played a significant role in City Council turnover over the last several election cycles.
Price’s case follows several years of high-profile ethics and corruption scandals involving Los Angeles elected officials, including former Councilmember Jose Huizar, Mitch Englander and Mark Ridley-Thomas.
Ugarte, Price’s former deputy chief of staff, has also emphasized accountability and transparency in his campaign platform. In response to SCNG’s voter guide questionnaire, Ugarte called for greater fiscal accountability and support for the ongoing City Charter reform process.
“I believe that the keys to transparency and accountability are open communication and the courage to make necessary demands,” Ugarte said.
Ugarte previously agreed to a $25,000 settlement with the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission over failing to disclose outside income earned through his consulting firm while serving as a City Hall aide to Price. He previously described the issue as “clerical error”.
His campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday.
But Price’s spokesperson pushed back on efforts to frame the race primarily around ethics controversies.
“José Ugarte is on the ballot, not Curren Price,” Price’s spokesperson Angelina Valencia-Dumarot said in a statement to this outlet. “Councilmember Price’s matter is continuing through the legal process, and he remains confident the facts will vindicate him.”
Valencia-Dumarot said Ugarte left Price’s office months ago and is running an independent campaign focused on his public service record. She also noted that he has received endorsements from the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, several City Council members, labor groups representing firefighters and labor leader Dolores Huerta.
“Voters deserve a conversation about public safety, homelessness, housing, jobs, and the future of Council District 9; not political attacks aimed at smearing a candidate through association or recycling baseless allegations for political gain,” Valencia-Dumarot said.
Still, several candidates argued that restoring confidence in City Hall has become inseparable from addressing the district’s day-to-day concerns.
“CD 9 deserves leadership with integrity, transparency, and a deep commitment to the people who live here,” Roldan said. “This moment amplifies the tension between government accountability and the urgent needs of our communities.”