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Hugo Soto-Martinez
Member of the Los Angeles City Council from the 13th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 12, 2022
Preceded byMitch O'Farrell
Personal details
BornLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of California, Irvine (BA)
Hugo Soto-Martinez's voice
Hugo Soto-Martinez on joining a labor union.
Recorded June 7, 2023

Hugo Soto-Martinez is an American labor organizer and politician, currently serving as a member of the Los Angeles City Council for the 13th district since 2022. A member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, Soto-Martinez defeated incumbent Mitch O'Farrell in the 2022 general election.[1]

Early life and career

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Soto-Martinez was born and raised in South Los Angeles to two Mexican immigrant parents who worked as street vendors. When Soto-Martinez was 14, his father suffered from a back injury that made him disabled and unable to work. He consequently dropped out of high school and started working at a hotel at the age of 16 to help his family.[2]

During that time, Soto-Martinez's older brother was arrested after placing a call from a phone booth, and after, Soto-Martinez received a ticket for littering which noted his perceived resistance to an officer which was upheld by the presiding judge. Soon after, he and his friend were caught in an entrapment operation, with Soto-Martinez ending up in probation.[3]

He later returned to high school and then studied political science and criminology at University of California, Irvine in 2001 while still working at the hotel. In 2006, his last year of college, a co-worker asked if he would join a trade union they were organizing which he did, winning fair wages and free family healthcare.[4]

After graduating from the University of California, Irvine, he opted not to go to law school as planned, and instead became an organizer for UNITE HERE Local 11. Later he also became involved with the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.[5] He traveled and canvassed for politicians like Barack Obama, against Joe Arpaio, and helped flip the two Georgia Senate seats with Stacey Abrams.[6]

Before being elected to City Council, Soto-Martinez also organized against the criminalization of Los Angeles' immigrant street vendors, and worked against the proliferation of deputy gangs inside the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.[7][8]

In 2020, he was designated by his union to be the labor liaison on Measure J, a ballot initiative to allocate at least 10% of Los Angeles County's funding for community reinvestment and incarceration alternatives.[9] In June 2021, the measure was blocked by Judge Mary Strobel as unconstitutional.[10]

Political career

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Los Angeles City Council

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In June 2021, Soto-Martinez announced that he was running in the 2022 Los Angeles elections in District 13 against incumbent Mitch O'Farrell.[11] Soto-Martinez criticized O'Farrell's handling of Echo Park's homeless population as well as his policies towards police budget and housing development within the district.[12][13] In the primary, Soto-Martinez led O'Farrell by nine points, with the pair going into a runoff.[14] In the general election, Soto-Martinez ousted O'Farrell with 57.24% of the vote.[15][16][17] He was sworn into office on December 12, 2022.[18]

As the only renter on City Council, Soto-Martinez pushed to expand tenant protections ahead of the expiration of Los Angeles' eviction moratorium that was instituted during the COVID-19 pandemic.[19][20] Ultimately, the City Council passed universal just cause for evictions, a monetary threshold for nonpayment evictions, and relocation assistance for those displaced by rising rents.[21] The instituted protections were described as a "monumental win" for renters, who make up over 60% of Los Angeles' population.[21][22] Soto-Martinez later joined other councilmembers in introducing a proposal that would give tenants the right to a lawyer when facing eviction by implementing a similar program that has limited wrongful evictions in New York and San Francisco.[23][24]

In early February 2023, news leaked that a staffer of Soto-Martinez had requested extra overnight patrol for his Lexus.[25][26] LAPD launched an investigation into the leak of confidential information.[26] In February 2023, Soto-Martinez introduced a motion with Councilmember Tim McOsker to reform the LAPD disciplinary system by making it easier to suspend or fire officers accused of severe misconduct.[27]

On February 2, 2023, Soto-Martinez announced plans to remove the fence surrounding Echo Park Lake, which was erected following the 2021 police sweep of homeless encampments in the park where numerous protestors and observers were arrested or detained, including 16 journalists.[28][29][30] The fence had long divided the community, with some residents expressing safety concerns and advocating for a permanent fence, while others remained eager for the park to be more accessible.[31][32] Soto-Martinez held town halls to hear from residents about the issue, where he noted that there would be outreach workers in the park seven days a week, and a team of unarmed responders would be available at night.[33][34] In March 2023, workers removed the fence surrounding the park.[35] Despite previously expressed concerns, no major issues at the park were reported in the following months, leading to praise from community members, City Council colleagues, and Mayor Karen Bass.[36][37]

In March 2023, Soto-Martinez introduced a motion with Councilmembers Eunisses Hernandez and Nithya Raman to make Los Angeles a sanctuary city. The motion would codify existing policies, including a 2017 executive directive issued by then-Mayor Eric Garcetti that prohibits all city employees from using public facilities or resources to assist or cooperate with federal civil immigration enforcement.[38]

In June 2023, during a protest led by UNITE HERE Local 11, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested Soto-Martinez after he refused to disperse. The protest was held after two months of contract negotiations between the union and local hotels, with workers seeking higher wages and healthcare benefits. Soto-Martinez issued a statement saying the act of civil disobedience aimed to bring attention to working people and single mothers working multiple jobs.[39]

In August 2023, Soto-Martinez along with Nithya Raman and Eunisses Hernandez voted against a four-year package of raises and bonuses for rank-and-file police officers. They argued that it would pull money away from mental health clinicians, homeless outreach workers and many other city needs. They warned of the financial consequences for other agencies, particularly if the city is confronted with a major economic downturn.[40] In May 2024, the Los Angeles City Council adopted a budget that slashed funding to nearly all city departments apart from the LAPD. Once again Soto-Martinez, Raman, and Hernandez dissented.[41]

In 2024, the Los Angeles City Council faced a significant push for ethics reform following a series of corruption and harassment scandals. During the negotiations for stricter ethics regulations, Soto-Martinez introduced a series of amendments that were ultimately approved by City Council.[42] Critics claimed the amendments watered down reforms, while supporters, like the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, argued that they improved the proposals.[43][44]

In June 2024, Soto-Martinez helped remove U-Turn signs that were considered discriminatory as they had been installed in the neighborhoods in 1997 to deter gay men from cruising the streets.[45]

References

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  1. ^ Zahniser, David (November 15, 2022). "McOsker, Yaroslavsky, Soto-Martinez claim victory in their L.A. City Council races". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  2. ^ Gallagher, Kate (March 4, 2022). "Hugo Soto-Martínez Is Building Community Power in LA City Council District 13". Knock LA.
  3. ^ Lucas, Peter (March 13, 2022). "Hugo Soto-Martinez Wants to Represent Working-Class Los Angeles". Jacobin.
  4. ^ "This Union Organizer is Running for LA City Council to Empower Working People". RIFT Magazine. July 20, 2022.
  5. ^ Zahniser, David (November 4, 2022). "Guide to L.A. City Council District 13 election: Mitch O'Farrell vs. Hugo Soto-Martinez". Los Angeles Times.
  6. ^ Fuller, Elizabeth (May 17, 2022). "HODG "Looking Local" Candidate Series: Hugo Soto-Martinez". Larchmont Buzz.
  7. ^ "Hugo Soto-Martinez Wants to Represent Working-Class Los Angeles". jacobin.com. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  8. ^ Gallagher, Kate (2022-03-04). "Hugo Soto-Martínez Is Building Community Power in LA City Council District 13". Knock LA. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  9. ^ Guerin, Emily (November 5, 2020). "Measure J Appears To Pass As Part Of LA County's Criminal Justice Reform Wave". LAist.
  10. ^ Slovin, Charlotte (July 1, 2022). "Despite Voter Approval, LA County Has Slow Rolled Measure J Implementation". Knock LA.
  11. ^ Cagle, Kate (May 16, 2022). "Progressives target Democratic incumbents on LA City Council".
  12. ^ Zahniser, David (June 5, 2022). "Housing, homelessness and police dominate a race for City Council in Hollywood". Los Angeles Times.
  13. ^ French, Piper; Nichanian, Daniel (October 27, 2022). "California's 10 Most Critical Elections for Criminal Justice and Policing". Bolts.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ Klink, Matt (June 22, 2022). "City of Los Angeles swings further left after June primary". Los Angeles Daily News.
  15. ^ Botticella, Geovanni (October 3, 2022). "Mitch O'Farrell, Hugo Soto-Martinez fight for City District 13". Los Angeleno.
  16. ^ "LA City Council Election: Soto-Martinez declares victory, O'Farrell concedes". KTTV. November 16, 2022.
  17. ^ Patel, Nihar (November 17, 2022). "Socialist on City Council: Hugo Soto-Martinez talks urgency for action in LA". KCRW.
  18. ^ "It's The First Day For LA's New Councilmembers. For The Council's Progressive Voices, Housing Issues Are Dire". LAist. 2022-12-12. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  19. ^ "Long Invisible In LA Politics, Renters Are Now Winning Major Elections". LAist. 2023-02-16. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
  20. ^ Wick, Julia (2023-01-20). "L.A. City Council votes to dramatically expand tenant protections ahead of deadline". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
  21. ^ a b Slayton, Nicholas (2023-02-17). "How Los Angeles Tenants Beat the Landlords—for Now". The American Prospect. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
  22. ^ Chiland, Elijah (2018-08-09). "LA's rate of homeownership is one of the lowest in the nation, new study finds". Curbed LA. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
  23. ^ Service • •, City News (14 February 2023). "LA City Council Members Propose Program Giving Tenants Facing Eviction a Right to Counsel". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  24. ^ "Tenants facing evictions should get free legal representation, LA councilmembers say". Daily News. 2023-02-15. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  25. ^ "Anti-Police Councilman Fuming Over LAPD Call". Los Angeles Magazine. 2023-02-04.
  26. ^ a b "A city staffer's call to police made Fox News. LAPD wants to find the leaker". Los Angeles Times. 2023-02-08. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  27. ^ Zahniser, David (2023-02-18). "L.A. council members want to give the police chief more power to fire officers for misconduct". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  28. ^ "Fence surrounding Echo Park Lake to be removed, LA council member says". ABC7 Los Angeles. 2023-02-04. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  29. ^ Folkenflik, David; Rivers (31 March 2022). "When police cracked down on reporters on one chaotic night in LA's Echo Park". NPR. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  30. ^ Ray, Lexis-Olivier (2023-02-13). "Activist Anger and New Councilmember's Promises Return Echo Park's 'Anti-Homeless' Fence to the Spotlight". L.A. TACO. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
  31. ^ "Debate over Echo Park Lake fence removal divides community". KCRW. 2023-03-23. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  32. ^ Zahniser, David; Campa (2023-03-23). "The fence around Echo Park Lake is coming down. The debate over it rages on". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
  33. ^ Zahniser, David; Campa, Andrew J. (2023-03-23). "The fence around Echo Park Lake is coming down. The debate over it rages on". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  34. ^ Sanchez, Jesús (2023-03-22). "Echo Park Lake Fence Feud: Councilman Soto-Martinez struggles to persuade residents". The Eastsider LA. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  35. ^ X; Instagram; Email; Facebook (2023-03-27). "Workers begin removal of the Echo Park fence, as L.A. officials vow to keep area safe". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-09-11. {{cite web}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
  36. ^ X; Instagram; Email; Facebook (2023-09-22). "Echo Park Lake encampment is gone. So is the fence. The controversy now? Geese". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-09-11. {{cite web}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
  37. ^ City of Los Angeles (2023-12-15). LA City Council Meeting, Friday, December 15, 2023. Retrieved 2024-09-11 – via YouTube.
  38. ^ "3 City Council members want a law designating L.A. a 'sanctuary city'". Los Angeles Times. 2023-03-07. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  39. ^ Wick, Julia; Childs, Jeremy; Martinez, Christian (June 22, 2023). "L.A. City Council members, California assemblywoman arrested as hotel workers protest". Los Angeles Times.
  40. ^ "L.A. City Council signs off on police raises amid warnings of financial risk". Los Angeles Times. 2023.
  41. ^ "L.A. City Council approves Mayor Karen Bass' budget, cutting 1,700 vacant positions". Los Angeles Times. 2024-05-24. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  42. ^ "Why ethics reform in scandal-plagued LA isn't so easy". Politico. 2024.
  43. ^ "Ethics reform measure will go to L.A. voters. Critics say it's watered down". Los Angeles Times. 2024-05-15.
  44. ^ "Los Angeles City Council advances ethics reform aimed for November ballot". Daily News. 2024-05-15.
  45. ^ Deng, Jireh (June 12, 2024). "Silver Lake removes last traffic signs of its anti-gay past". Los Angeles Times.
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