Skip to main content

Nury Martinez Wins L.A. City Council Seat in San Fernando Valley

Support Provided By
Nury Martinez. | Photo: Courtesy Nury Martinez for City Council
Nury Martinez. | Photo: Courtesy Nury Martinez for City Council

Former Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education member Nury Martinez defeated former Assemblywoman Cindy Montanez in Tuesday's special election to fill L.A.'s Sixth District City Council seat.

Martinez received 54.57 percent of the vote with all 63 precincts reporting and all vote-by-mail ballots counted, according to unofficial results released by the City Clerk's Office.

Martinez defeated Montanez, 4,917-4,093. Turnout was 10.22 percent.

Martinez and Montanez were seeking to replace Tony Cardenas, who resigned in January to take the seat in the House of Representatives he was elected to in November.

The two were the top two vote-getters in the May 21 primary election, but neither obtained the more than 50 percent needed to win the seat outright, setting the stage for today's contest.

Martinez will become the sole woman on the 15-member City Council and represent a district that includes Arleta, Van Nuys, Lake Balboa, Panorama City, North Hills East, Sun Valley, and portions of North Hollywood.

Like Montanez, Martinez had been a member of the San Fernando City Council. She was a member of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education from 2009 through June 30 and executive director of Pacoima Beautiful, an environmental justice and health nonprofit organization.

Martinez touted her experience serving in public office and leading a nonprofit organization and said she will cut through politics to bring more city services to San Fernando Valley residents.

Support Provided By
Read More
Gray industrial towers and stacks rise up from behind the pitched roofs of warehouse buildings against a gray-blue sky, with a row of yellow-gold barrels with black lids lined up in the foreground to the right of a portable toilet.

California Isn't on Track To Meet Its Climate Change Mandates. It's Not Even Close.

According to the annual California Green Innovation Index released by Next 10 last week, California is off track from meeting its climate goals for the year 2030, as well as reaching carbon neutrality by 2045.
A row of cows stands in individual cages along a line of light-colored enclosures, placed along a dirt path under a blue sky dotted with white puffy clouds.

A Battle Is Underway Over California’s Lucrative Dairy Biogas Market

California is considering changes to a program that has incentivized dairy biogas, to transform methane emissions into a source of natural gas. Neighbors are pushing for an end to the subsidies because of its impact on air quality and possible water pollution.
A Black woman with long, black brains wears a black Chicago Bulls windbreaker jacket with red and white stripes as she stands at the top of a short staircase in a housing complex and rests her left hand on the metal railing. She smiles slightly while looking directly at the camera.

Los Angeles County Is Testing AI's Ability To Prevent Homelessness

In order to prevent people from becoming homeless before it happens, Los Angeles County officials are using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to predict who in the county is most likely to lose their housing. They would then step in to help those people with their rent, utility bills, car payments and more so they don't become unhoused.