After more than a decade representing the sprawling 1st District, Supervisor Hilda Solis is termed out, and the scramble for her seat is on. State Sen. María Elena Durazo has emerged as the heavy favorite, but a varied cast - including Republican neighborhood leader Elaine Alaniz, birth doula Noel Almario, La Puente councilmember David Argudo, and others - will crowd the June primary ballot. At stake are big calls on wildfire recovery, a cash-strapped county budget, and a proposed half-cent health sales tax that will land squarely in voters’ hands.
Who’s running and what they say
According to the Los Angeles Times, the candidate roster includes Durazo; Elaine Alaniz, president of the Westlake North Neighborhood Council and the only Republican in the race; Noel Almario, a family-health consultant and birth doula; David Argudo, a La Puente city councilmember; Annabella Figueroa Mazariegos, listed as a county employee; and James Aldana. Durazo, who rose through the labor movement, “has been arrested 13 times fighting for workers, women and immigrants,” the paper notes, and she has the backing of the L.A. County Democratic Party.
Where the district runs and what’s at stake
The 1st Supervisorial District stretches from Silver Lake and Eagle Rock east through Boyle Heights and into the San Gabriel Valley, and it is home to nearly two million residents, according to Los Angeles County. That mix of dense city neighborhoods, suburban cities, and unincorporated pockets gives the supervisor wide-ranging responsibilities, including county hospitals and public health, land-use decisions, and disaster recovery. Whoever wins will be expected to tackle those needs immediately as the county continues recovery from last year’s wildfires and wrestles with how to close looming budget gaps.
Budget squeeze and the health-care tax
County leaders say wildfire recovery costs, federal funding cuts and large legal settlements have all fed into current budget pressures. In response, the Board of Supervisors voted to place a temporary half-cent sales tax, the Essential Services Restoration Act, on the June ballot to support health services. That vote and the county’s estimate that the measure could raise about $1 billion were reported by Pasadena Now. Both Almario and Durazo have said they support the tax, according to the Los Angeles Times, signaling that the measure itself is likely to become a fault line in the campaign even among candidates who back it.
What to watch before June 2
The primary is scheduled for June 2, 2026, per NBC Los Angeles, and county filings show a final lineup of Durazo, Alaniz, Almario, Argudo, Annabella Figueroa Mazariegos and James Aldana. Between now and then, voters will want to keep an eye on early endorsements, labor mobilization and turnout in core neighborhoods, all of which typically decide crowded races for county office. For the official candidate roster, see the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder final list of qualified candidates.
