A Los Angeles City Council race that was already too close to call has gotten even tighter, with José Ugarte’s lead over challenger Estuardo Mazariegos shrinking from 156 votes to just 41 as election officials continue counting ballots. The outcome in District 9, which spans southernmost downtown Los Angeles through South Los Angeles, will determine whether the city’s Democratic Socialists of America bloc grows in size on the council.
In a tally reported Tuesday night, Ugarte led Mazariegos by 156 votes, 19,200 to 19,044, according to the Los Angeles Times. By the time NBC Los Angeles checked in, that margin had fallen to just 41 votes, with Ugarte ahead 19,434 to 19,393. County officials have estimated roughly 15,000 ballots remain to be processed countywide, though it remains unknown how many of those come from District 9, per the station’s report.
Mazariegos’ campaign has also filed a complaint with the county Registrar-Recorder over reports concerning voters’ blank ballots, the same outlet reported, and county officials said they forwarded that complaint to the District Attorney’s Office for review. Ugarte, a former deputy chief of staff to term-limited Councilmember Curren Price, was widely viewed as his clear successor and picked up an endorsement from the Greater Los Angeles Realtors Association, according to The Real Deal.
What a Mazariegos Win Would Mean for the DSA
If Mazariegos pulls off a win, the Democratic Socialists of America would retain four seats on the Los Angeles City Council, per The Real Deal, bringing the bloc to roughly 27 percent of the body’s membership. That existing DSA presence includes Eunisses Hernandez in District 1, Hugo Soto-Martínez in District 13, and Ysabel Jurado in District 14, according to the same report.
Mazariegos has been backed by the Los Angeles chapter of the DSA, the Los Angeles Times notes, and has worked to bolster tenant protections through the Resident Protection Ordinance and the Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance, according to The Real Deal. He also pushed to pass the Measure United to House L.A. ballot initiative in 2022, the outlet reports.
The District 9 contest is unfolding alongside a broader citywide story about DSA momentum. DSA-LA endorsed nine candidates this past election cycle, and seven were winning their races at the time LAist published its report, with the outlet noting that District 9 remained the lone unresolved contest among them. LAist also reported that Nithya Raman will be the city’s next mayor, while Hernandez and Soto-Martínez won their respective races outright in the primary.
Raman’s Win Leaves a Council Seat and a Question Mark
Raman, a two-term councilmember and DSA member, unseated incumbent Karen Bass without a single endorsement from her City Council colleagues, LAist reported — notably, 13 of the 14 councilmembers had endorsed Bass, including other DSA-affiliated members. Raman is set to take office as mayor on December 14, and her ascension will leave her District 4 council seat vacant.
The Los Angeles City Council has several options for filling that seat, including a special election, an interim appointment, or a nonvoting caretaker, according to the Los Angeles Times, which reported the council had not planned to decide until the following year. Homelessness was a major campaign issue for both Raman and outgoing Mayor Bass, The Real Deal notes, a backdrop that has also shaped recent fights over how the city funds its anti-homelessness efforts.
Beyond LA, DSA Eyes a Burbank Majority
The DSA’s momentum isn’t confined to Los Angeles proper. In Burbank, two DSA members were on track to join sitting Councilmember Konstantine Anthony, which would give Democratic Socialists a majority on that city’s five-member council, LAist reported.
Tax Fights Loom Over the Real Estate Market
The council’s political makeup matters for real estate watchers because of ongoing fights over transfer taxes and development incentives. Raman had sought a 15-year carve-out from the city’s mansion tax for new multifamily and commercial developments, but the council did not adopt that proposal, according to The Real Deal.
Separately, the council scrapped its own reform proposal for the Measure ULA transfer tax, known as the mansion tax, while the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association withdrew its measure to limit transfer taxes like ULA and similar statewide levies this year, per the outlet. Statewide, Proposition 43 — which would have required two-thirds voter approval instead of a simple majority for local special taxes — failed, with 57.5 percent of voters opposing it against 42.5 percent in support.
Voters also rejected a proposed billionaire tax backed by labor groups and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders that would have assessed a one-time 5 percent tax on individuals with at least $1 billion in assets, applied retroactively from January 1, 2026, and funneled toward health care, food and education assistance programs, The Real Deal reports. Real estate agents told the outlet they fielded more client calls asking to proceed with listings or showings after the billionaire tax’s defeat.
Los Angeles real estate agents have generally come to accept Measure ULA after the city has administered it for more than three years, according to The Real Deal, even as the tax continues to kill some deals, per Carl Gambino of Compass’ Gambino Group. Gambino said some clients struggle to see tangible results, such as reduced homelessness, from the ULA funding that is meant to address it, while some sellers want to see broader quality-of-life improvements in the city if they are going to pay the tax. Some real estate professionals expect the end of election-season activity to free up remaining 2026 deals, with agent Aaron Kirman noting that people tend to move forward after elections regardless of the outcome.
