Traci Park

Traci Park
Member of the Los Angeles City Council
from the 11th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 12, 2022
Preceded byMike Bonin
Personal details
Born1976 (age 47–48)
Political partyRepublican (formerly)
Democratic
EducationJohns Hopkins University (BA)
Loyola Marymount University (JD)

Traci Park (born 1976) is an American attorney and politician, who is the Los Angeles City Councilmember for the 11th district since 2022.[1] Having entered the race to challenge incumbent Mike Bonin,[2] Park became a frontrunner for the open seat upon Bonin's announcement of retirement, and defeated civil rights attorney Erin Darling in the general election.[3][4]

Early life and career

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Park was raised in Downey, California and Apple Valley, California.[5] Her mother was a school secretary.[5]

Park graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1997 with a Bachelor's degree in History, later graduating from Loyola Law School in 2001 with a Juris Doctor. In 2009, she started working for Burke, Williams and Sorensen, a law firm specializing in public entities.[6]

Los Angeles City Council (2022—present)

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Park entered politics in 2020 when she organized to block the city of Los Angeles from converting a Ramada Inn on her street into housing for homeless people.[5]

Election

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In July 2021, Park announced her candidacy for Los Angeles City Council, hoping to unseat unpopular incumbent Mike Bonin of the 11th district.[7] After Bonin announced his retirement, the seat became open with Erin Darling becoming the progressive candidate in the race.[8] Both Darling and Park advanced to the general election, with Park narrowly behind Darling in the results.[9] Park was a registered Republican before switching to the Democratic Party years prior to her campaign.[10][11][12]

During the campaigns, Darling criticized Park for representing the city of Anaheim against a city employee who accused a supervisor for their use of the N-word, with Park criticizing Darling for representing "unsavory criminal defendants."[13][14] Park also criticized Darling for his association with Bonin, as well as Bonin's record with homelessness in the district.[15] In the election, Park defeated Darling by a six-point margin.[16]

Tenure

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During her swearing-in ceremony, protesters were removed after trying to interrupt Park's speech.[17] She voted in favor of the 41.18 ordinance, a measure which aimed to curtail homeless encampments by banning sitting, sleeping and storing property within 500 feet of schools, day-care centers, parks, recreation centers, in a contrast to her predecessor's refusal to support the ordinance.[18] In 2024, Park expressed opposition to Measure HLA, which would create hundreds of miles of bus lanes and bike lanes.[19]

Actions on housing

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During her election campaign, Park opposed converting two city-owned parking lots on Venice Boulevard into 140 housing units for the homeless.[5] She opposes California state legislation that restricts the ability of localities to ban new housing.[20] In 2023, she assured residents who were protesting plans to build apartment buildings in Westside, an affluent neighborhood of Los Angeles, that "there's going to be a lot of meetings" about the plans.[21] That same year, she expressed opposition to tearing down the Marina Freeway and replacing it with housing.[22] In 2024, Park took no position on whether a four-story apartment for low-income and moderate-income renters in her Westside district, which the landlord of a neighboring property filed a CEQA lawsuit against, should be allowed to be built without delay.[23]

Ethics reform

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In 2024, Park expressed opposition to a proposed expansion of the Los Angeles City Council, a reform called for by ethics advocates to reduce corruption in the L.A. City Council.[24]

Electoral history

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2022 Los Angeles City Council District 11 election
Primary election
Candidate Votes %
Erin Darling 22,939 34.67
Traci Park 19,168 28.97
Greg Good 6,565 9.92
Allison Holdorff Polhill 5,805 8.77
Michael Newhouse 4,702 7.11
Jim Murez 3,286 4.97
Matthew Smith 2,590 3.91
Midsanon "Soni" Lloyd 1,116 1.69
Total votes 66,171 100.00
General election
Traci Park 50,758 52.06
Erin Darling 46,732 47.94
Total votes 97,490 100.00

References

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  1. ^ Rainey, James (November 17, 2022). "Traci Park elected in Westside district, putting a record 6 women on L.A. City Council". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  2. ^ "Traci Park Challenges Mike Bonin in CD-11 Race". Circling The News. October 27, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  3. ^ Rainey, James (May 28, 2022). "Homelessness and 'the soul of the Westside': Stakes high in race to replace Mike Bonin". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  4. ^ "Park Declares Victory, Darling Concedes in LA Council's 11th District Race". Westside Current. November 17, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d "In West L.A., two lawyers clash over an open City Council seat, encampments and policing". Los Angeles Times. 2022-09-13.
  6. ^ McGregor, Angela (January 31, 2022). "Current Interview: Traci Park Looks to Restore Safety in CD11". Westside Current.
  7. ^ "Traci Park Announces Candidacy for Los Angeles Council District 11". Westside Current. July 2, 2021.
  8. ^ "Civil rights attorney announces campaign to succeed Mike Bonin in District 11". Spectrum News 1. February 4, 2022.
  9. ^ Catanzaro, Sam (June 8, 2022). "Runoff Set for LA City Council District 11 Race". Santa Monica Mirror.
  10. ^ Rainey, James (September 30, 2022). "Your Guide to the L.A. City Council District 11 Race: Traci Park vs. Erin Darling". Los Angeles Times.
  11. ^ Charky, Nicole (May 25, 2022). "Meet Traci Park, Candidate For LA City Council District 11". Patch. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  12. ^ Patel, Nihar (21 December 2022). "Traci Park hopes to rebuild trust with public as she takes City Council seat". KCRW. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  13. ^ Cagle, Kate (October 6, 2022). "LA City Council candidate Traci Park defends legal record". Spectrum News 1.
  14. ^ Rainey, James (October 9, 2022). "Council candidates on L.A.'s Westside bash each other over their legal careers". Los Angeles Times.
  15. ^ Rainey, James (October 23, 2022). "Mike Bonin remains in middle of City Council race, though he dropped out 9 months ago". Los Angeles Times.
  16. ^ "Election 2022: Erin Darling concedes to Traci Park in LA City Council race; LAUSD contests remain tight". Los Angeles Daily News. November 17, 2022.
  17. ^ "Protesters removed from incoming L.A. Councilwoman Traci Park's swearing in ceremony". Los Angeles Times. December 10, 2022.
  18. ^ "LA leaders end Mike Bonin's embrace of encampments on the Westside". Daily Breeze. February 16, 2023.
  19. ^ "Firefighters launch campaign against Measure HLA, saying 'road diets' threaten safety". Los Angeles Times. 2024-02-14.
  20. ^ McGregor, Angela (2023-12-26). "The Current Interview: CD11 Council Member Traci Park". Westside Current.
  21. ^ "Hundreds of Westchester residents say no to city's high-rise plans: 'This is excessive'". ABC7 Los Angeles. 2023-08-29.
  22. ^ "What a refusal to study turning a freeway into housing says about L.A.'s future". Los Angeles Times. 2023-10-28.
  23. ^ "LA's Mayor Promised Environmental Review Wouldn't Hold Up Affordable Housing — Now Some Projects Are Hitting Roadblocks". LAist. 2024-01-22.
  24. ^ "LA City Council Expansion, Once Hailed As Much Needed Reform, Is Dead For Now". LAist. 2024-05-20.
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