Heather Hutt

Heather Hutt
Member of the Los Angeles City Council
for the 10th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
April 11, 2023
Preceded byHerself
In office
September 2, 2022 – March 30, 2023
Preceded byHerb Wesson
Succeeded byHerself
Personal details
Born (1959-04-05) April 5, 1959 (age 65)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Children3
EducationUniversity of Southern California[citation needed]

Heather J. Hutt (born April 5, 1959) is an American politician who is currently serving as an appointed councilmember representing the 10th District of Los Angeles since April 11, 2023, previously serving for a temporary vacancy from September 2, 2022 to March 30, 2023.[1] She was previously a candidate for California's 54th State Assembly district in 2021 and served as a California State Director for then-Senator Kamala Harris from 2019 to 2020.[2]

Early political career

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In 2011, Hutt was hired as a District Director for Assemblymember Isadore Hall III, which she continued following Hall's election to the California State Senate. In February 2017, Hutt was named the Regional Deputy Director for then-Senator Kamala Harris. On March 28, 2019, Harris announced new hires for senior roles, to which Hutt was hired as the California State Director.[3]

On February 1, 2022, Hutt announced that she would be running for California's 54th State Assembly district after it was vacated by Sydney Kamlager's election to the California State Senate.[4][5] She was endorsed by politicians such as Janice Hahn, Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, and Maxine Waters.[6] In the election, she was led by Isaac Bryan in the initial count, and lost the special primary to Bryan on May 18, 2021.[7][8]

Los Angeles City Council

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Hutt (left) with former councilmember Martin Ludlow and School Board member George J. McKenna III in 2023.

In March 2022, Hutt was appointed by councilmember Herb Wesson to be his chief of staff for District 10 after he fired the previous chief of staff and former caretaker of the district, Karly Katona.[9] Wesson had been appointed himself to the seat after Mark Ridley-Thomas was indicted on bribery charges. Hutt's appointment was historic as she is the first African American woman to serve as chief of staff since 1973, when Maxine Waters was chief deputy to David S. Cunningham Jr.[10] In July 2022, California Attorney General Rob Bonta granted activists against Wesson's appointment to sue, and Wesson was blocked from serving as councilmember; Council President Nury Martinez appointed Hutt as a caretaker of the district.[11]

After a month of no representation, some residents of District 10 asked for voting privileges for Hutt to give them a voice in the City Council, while others expressed concern that residents should have the right to elect their own representative.[12][13][14] On August 26, 2022, Martinez introduced a motion to appoint Hutt as a councilmember, which was seconded by four other members.[2][15] The motion was opposed by Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Mike Bonin, who instead proposed instructing the City Attorney to find eligibility requirements for appointments.[16][17] On August 30, the vote to instate Hutt as a councilmember fell one vote short, with five voting for and five voting against; it was refereed to the Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee for further discussion.[18] The Committee cleared her for reconsideration by the Council the next day, and Hutt was confirmed by the Council in the next meeting and sworn in on September 2, 2022.[19][20] On March 9, 2023, Hutt announced her election campaign for the district.[21]

On March 30, 2023, after Ridley-Thomas was convicted of bribery, Hutt's place on the City Council was no longer in force due to her appointment only being for the temporary vacancy.[1] Council President Paul Krekorian re-appointed Hutt as the caretaker of the district and called on the City Council to re-appoint her as a councilmember for the remainder of the unexpired term.[22] On April 11, 2023, the City Council voted to re-appoint her as council to serve Ridley-Thomas's term.[23]

Electoral history

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Electoral history of Ken Weir
Year Office Party Primary General Result Swing Ref.
Total % P. Total % P.
2021 California State Assembly 54th Democratic 10,538 24.92% 2nd Runoff cancelled Lost Hold [24]
2024 Los Angeles City Council 10th Nonpartisan 13,499 37.78% 1st TBD TBD N/A [25]

References

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  1. ^ a b Wick, Julia (March 30, 2023). "Ridley-Thomas' felony convictions dictate his removal from L.A. City Council". Los Angeles Times.
  2. ^ a b Powells, Darleene (August 26, 2022). "Motion made to appoint Heather Hutt for Mark Ridley-Thomas' LA City Council seat". CBS News.
  3. ^ "Harris Announces Diverse New Hires In Senior Roles". Los Angeles Sentinel. March 28, 2019.
  4. ^ "HEATHER HUTT LAUNCHES BID FOR ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 54". Los Angeles Sentinel. February 1, 2021.
  5. ^ Desai, Ishani (March 12, 2021). "Three candidates contend for District 54 Assembly seat, including UCLA staff member". Daily Bruin.
  6. ^ Gordon, Eric A. (May 3, 2021). "Race heats up in California's 54th Assembly District". People's World.
  7. ^ Desai, Ishan (May 28, 2021). "UCLA alum Isaac Bryan to represent District 54 following special election". Daily Bruin.
  8. ^ "Bryan leads semi-official results in 54th Assembly special election, just short of majority". Daily Breeze. May 18, 2021.
  9. ^ Zahniser, David (March 21, 2022). "With Herb Wesson back at City Hall, two top aides to Mark Ridley-Thomas are pushed out". Los Angeles Times.
  10. ^ Blakewell Jr., Danny J. (March 23, 2022). "Wesson Appoints Heather Hutt as 10th District Chief of Staff". Los Angeles Sentinel.
  11. ^ Regardie, Jon (July 25, 2022). "District 10 Hurled Back In Time as Political Battle Royale Intensifies". Los Angeles.
  12. ^ Jackson-Fossett, Cora (August 18, 2022). "Community Requests CD 10 Voting Privileges for Hutt". Los Angeles Sentinel.
  13. ^ Los Angeles Times, Editorial Board (August 29, 2022). "Editorial: Shouldn't Council District 10 voters have a voice in choosing their representative?". Los Angeles Times.
  14. ^ "Residents of 10th District still without voting member on LA City Council". CBS News. August 16, 2022.
  15. ^ Kevin Andrew, Dolak (August 26, 2022). "L.A. Council President Proposes Heather Hutt Represent District 10". Los Angeles.
  16. ^ Chou, Elizabeth (August 26, 2022). "LA City Council may tussle over the push for Heather Hutt to replace Mark Ridley-Thomas". Los Angeles Daily News.
  17. ^ Smith, Dakota (August 26, 2022). "L.A. City Council splits on how to fill indicted Councilman Ridley-Thomas' seat". Los Angeles Times.
  18. ^ "LA Council members delay Heather Hutt's nomination for 10th District". Spectrum News 1. August 30, 2022.
  19. ^ "Heather Hutt's nomination for vacant LA Council seat clears committee". Los Angeles Daily News. August 31, 2022.
  20. ^ "LA City Council appoints Heather Hutt to fill interim council member for 10th district". CBS News. September 2, 2022.
  21. ^ "Heather Hutt Launches Campaign for CD 10 Councilmember". Los Angeles Sentinel. March 9, 2023.
  22. ^ Lloyd, Jonathan (March 31, 2023). "What's Next for the LA City Council After Mark Ridley-Thomas' Corruption Conviction?". KNBC.
  23. ^ Zahniser, David (April 11, 2023). "L.A. Council reappoints Heather Hutt, skipping special election for Ridley-Thomas seat". Los Angeles Times.
  24. ^ "Final Official Election Results - Assembly District 54". California Secretary of State. May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  25. ^ Tat, Linh (March 6, 2024). "Election 2024: Semi-final results are in for LA City Council races". Los Angeles Daily News.
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