LA City Council District 8: Who's Running In The March 5 Primary And Why It Matters

Fast facts on District 8
Marqueece Harris-Dawson
Jahan Epps
Cliff Smith
Follow the money
In their own words

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If you live in the city of L.A., your city council member is probably the most powerful and important elected office you can vote for.

The makeup of the council determines what kind of laws might get passed that affect the entire city of L.A. How do you feel about issues like rent control? Building more housing? Transportation and pedestrian safety? Consider what solutions you’d like to see to these problems when thinking about which candidate to support.

What does L.A.’s city council do?

Create local laws, known as ordinances (the mayor then approves or vetoes those ordinances)
Order elections
Impose and regulate city taxes
Authorize public improvements
Approve city contracts
Adopt traffic regulations
Vote on the mayor’s proposed budget

If you want to know more about how the city council works and what decisions face the next council, head to our guide to the city council.

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L.A. County Board of Supervisors: Three of the five seats are on the ballot.
L.A. City Council: There are seven seats up for grabs.
L.A. District Attorney: Meet the 12 candidates running to be the county's prosecutor.
LAUSD: Four seats are open for a seat at the table.
Prop. 1: Here's a closer look at the proposal at the center of a debate over how to best help people struggling with mental health, drug and alcohol issues.

Fast facts on District 8

State of the race: Current council member Marqueece Harris-Dawson is running for a third and final term.
Number of candidates: 3
Where: South L.A., from the I-10 near West Adams at the north end of the district to Vermont Knolls in the south
Key issues: Economic development, homelessness, public safety
Notable: The L.A. City Council elected Harris-Dawson as president pro tem (second in command) of the council after Councilmember Curren Price stepped down amid corruption charges. Fifty-two percent of this district's registered voters are Black, the highest concentration of Black voters among all of the 15 council districts.
March outcome: If a candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, they’ll win the election outright. Harris-Dawson, a popular incumbent, could reach that threshold. If he doesn't, the top two candidates are headed to your November ballot.

Marqueece Harris-Dawson

Los Angeles City Councilmember

Incumbent Marqueece Harris-Dawson has served on the city council since 2015 and is seeking his third and last term before term limits hit. He is the city lead on a major project revitalizing the Crenshaw district with art and parks. He’s also been a leading voice on homelessness and represented neighborhoods from Crenshaw to Baldwin Hills.

Platform highlights:

On housing affordability: Harris-Dawson says he would focus on increasing efficiency, including lowering fees and streamlining the permitting process, “specifically in low-resourced areas.” “I have supported the development of over 6,000 market-rate units since 2016, representing 64% of the total housing stock slated for the district,” he says.
On pedestrian and cyclist safety: Harris-Dawson blames “lack of coordination and a failure to prioritize public safety over L.A.’s car culture” as the reason for Vision Zero’s slow progress. He calls for a “comprehensive public education campaign” on the number of fatalities.
On public safety: Harris-Dawson calls for a mix of citywide policies and flexibility to be responsive to communities’ specific needs. “In my district, we have worked closely and successfully with the LAPD on the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) in Harvard Park, once one of our most dangerous and underutilized parks.” He supports more resources for mental health professionals and turning to them more often, not police officers, for handling mental health incidents.
On restoring public trust: Harris-Dawson, a member of the Ad Hoc Committee on City Governance Reform, said that L.A. needs to assess what is needed for more transparent and efficient delivery of city services before deciding whether increasing the number of people on the city council is the solution.
On jobs: Harris-Dawson says he “intends to continue … creating robust apprenticeship and workforce training programs, increasing the number of good union jobs, and connecting underemployed workers to stable career pipelines.” He also would continue supporting “Destination Crenshaw, a transformative infrastructure project focused on community preservation and growing a new generation of workers and artists of color to reap unprecedented new funds for construction and public art.”

Go deeper: Jump to Harris-Dawson’s full answers to the LAist candidate survey

More voter resources:

Website: MarqueeceHarris-Dawson.com
Endorsements: See full list here

Jahan Epps

Real Estate Broker

On housing affordability: “Given that my district is about 85% Black and Latino and the reports of housing discrimination scandals from lending intuitions, I believe there to be more of an affordable mortgage financing problem than an inventory problem.”
On pedestrian and cycling safety: “We have to create more incentives for safe driving and implement harsher punishments for drivers who do not follow.”
On public safety: Epps says he would identify streets that require traffic signals, stop signs, pothole repairs, and street lighting to “ensure safer driving conditions.”
On restoring public trust: “Transparency, increased accessibility and interaction with constituents are needed, as is close contact and communication with the neighborhood council.”
Supporting small businesses: Epps says he would create a rewards program to promote local businesses.

Go deeper: See Epps’ full answers to the LAist candidate survey

More voter resources:

Website: JahanEpps.com

Cliff Smith

Union Community Organizer

Cliff Smith is in his third elected term as business manager for the Roofers Local 36 union. He has served two terms on the South Central Neighborhood Council and was a delegate to the South L.A. Alliance of Neighborhood Councils. He identifies himself as a community activist who has campaigned against excessive use of force and racism in the police force.

Platform highlights:

On housing affordability: Smith calls for new housing construction to be done by local residents with prevailing wages and for a vacancy tax on empty units. He says that “all crime/prostitution motels on the Western and Figueroa corridors should be seized by the city government through eminent domain while paying fair market rate to owners,” then converted into transitional housing with wraparound services such as counseling and job training.
On public safety: Smith calls for the city charter “to enact democratic community control over the police department through an elected, all-civilian, police control board with full authority over the department in all aspects at all levels.”
On public trust and input: Smith calls for a “people’s democracy” with “community control.” He says that the city charter should also be amended to “provide municipal voting rights to the hundreds of thousands of non-citizen residents in L.A. who live, work and pay taxes in our community but who are denied the democratic right to participate in local government.”
On developing an artistic hub: Smith says he wants to make South Central L.A. a “cultural and artistic mecca reflecting the homegrown, indigenous talent and creativity which thrives here in the midst of poverty and oppression.”

Go deeper: See Smith’s full answers to the LAist candidate survey

More voter resources:

Website: CliffSmithWorkersParty.org
Endorsements: The union Roofers Local 36, of which Smith is the business manager, posted on X about its support for his campaign.

Follow the money

Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson has seen almost no competition in terms of fundraising.

In their own words

We gave the candidates the opportunity to speak directly to the voters and answer the following questions in no more than 300 words apiece:

The severe shortage of affordable housing is driving up homelessness. What would you prioritize in order to increase the supply?
Vision Zero — the effort to end pedestrian and cyclist fatalities — has been an abject failure. What specific steps would you take to reduce the number of fatalities among pedestrians and bicyclists?
What’s your top public safety issue and how would you address it?
L.A. city government has gone through a series of corruption scandals. What should be done to restore public trust?
What else should we know about your plans for the district?

On a lighter note, we also asked the candidates to share something surprising about themselves, something voters might find revealing. Answers were lightly edited.

Marqueece Harris-Dawson

Los Angeles City Councilmember

Your priorities to increase the affordable housing supply:

We need to create more efficiency to get projects to completion. In the process of the city codifying ED1, I am also working on cutting red tape, reducing delays, lowering fees and streamlining the permitting process of mixed-use, market-rate, and below-market-rate developments throughout the city and specifically in low-resourced areas to ensure more housing availability. In my own district, I have supported the development of over 6,000 market-rate units since 2016, representing 64% of the total housing stock slated for the district.

Making streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists:

Lack of coordination and a failure to prioritize public safety over L.A.'s car culture have been significant barriers to Vision Zero. Local government needs to lead a comprehensive public education campaign on the number of fatalities among pedestrians and cyclists and how unsafe our streets are. We have alternatives to fast cars ruling our roads — the development of public transit infrastructure, slow streets, road diets and protected bike lanes — and we need to implement those alternatives in earnest.

Public safety priorities:

I believe the key to public safety reform is to allow for a city-wide approach with regard to some policies, while remaining nimble enough to truly serve and protect communities that need specific support. For example, in my district, we have worked closely and successfully with the LAPD on the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) in Harvard Park, once one of our most dangerous and underutilized parks.

Over the past couple of years, we have strengthened the community ties with our CSP officers, and the residents and park are thriving. An important component of supporting LAPD in maintaining the safety of residents is ensuring that there are more resources for mental health professionals who can provide the required expertise and are available for calls involving mental health instead of depending on officers to answer every call for help. I also believe providing funding for job training and connection, community programming and nonprofit services is integral to public safety reform.

Restoring public trust:

As a member of the Ad Hoc Committee on City Governance Reform, I participate in the listening sessions throughout the city and have met with many members of previous charter reform efforts for better framing and context of the process to learn how they would do it differently. We’re in the assessment phase of how to move forward and what issues need to be addressed in the charter for more transparent and efficient delivery of city services. We need to determine and agree on these issues to assess whether increasing the size of the council is part of the solution.

Additional priorities for your district:

I intend to continue:

1) Successfully completing all of the Permanent Supportive Housing (Proposition HHH) developments.

2) Creating robust apprenticeship and workforce training programs, increasing the number of good union jobs, and connecting underemployed workers to stable career pipelines.

3) Supporting Destination Crenshaw, a transformative infrastructure project focused on community preservation and growing a new generation of workers and artists of color to reap unprecedented new funds for construction and public art.

Tell us something surprising about yourself:

I love all things music and culture, have been a DJ for years and have an impressive collection of vinyl records. I’m an avid student of history but plot twist: minored in mathematics at Morehouse.

Jahan Epps

Epps is a real estate broker and developer.

Your priorities to increase the affordable housing supply:

Given that my district is about 85% Black and Latino and the reports of housing discrimination scandals from lending intuitions, I believe there to be more of an affordable mortgage financing problem than an inventory problem.

Making streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists:

Vision Zero puts part of the responsibility on drivers for being safe and reducing speeds. That objective still hasn’t been accomplished. There are still street takeovers with drivers doing circles in the middle of traffic. We have to create more incentives for safe driving and implement harsher punishments for drivers who do not follow.

Public safety priorities:

We are facing persistent issues with street lighting, potholes and traffic accidents. These problems pose a significant risk not only to road safety but also to the elderly and visually impaired who may be traveling at night. Our objective is to pinpoint the streets that require traffic signals, stop signs, pothole repairs and street lighting to ensure safer driving conditions.

Restoring public trust:

Transparency, increased accessibility and interaction with constituents are needed, as is close contact and communication with the neighborhood council.

Additional priorities for your district:

Creating a rewards program created to help promote our local businesse and small business owners. This program will create benefits for local shoppers and more. Info about the rewards program will be at my website: Jepps2024.com

Tell us something surprising about yourself:

Art has always been a favorite pastime of mine. It’s relaxing and fun for me.

Cliff Smith

Union Community Organizer

Your priorities to increase the affordable housing supply:

Housing is a right! The city must provide sufficient low-income, public and affordable housing. Construction of new housing must be done by local residents at area standards with prevailing wages, including apprenticeship programs with a pathway to a skilled trade. There must be a vacancy tax on empty units as predatory property owners purposefully keep units empty to inflate housing costs. All crime/prostitution motels on the Western and Figueroa corridors should be seized through eminent domain, while paying fair market rate to the owners, and then converted into immediate transitional housing including wraparound services, counseling and job training.

Making streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists:

Los Angeles must make a sharp turn toward public transportation investment. The proliferation of automobiles on city streets is harmful in many ways. As an international city, L.A. should adopt best practices worldwide for modern, efficient, clean and safe public transit and end the dependence on individual vehicles and everything that comes with that.

Public safety priorities:

The top public safety issue is the threat to democracy by fascism and white supremacy. We need more democracy, not less! The city charter must be amended to enact democratic community control over the police department through an elected, all-civilian, police control board with full authority over the department in all aspects at all levels. The charter should be amended to provide municipal voting rights to the hundreds of thousands of non-citizen residents in L.A. who live, work and pay taxes in our community but who are denied the democratic right to participate in local government. We must unite the many to defeat the few!

Restoring public trust:

We need to build independent political power that represents the interests of working class and oppressed peoples. A workers party on the basis of People’s Democracy, not paper democracy. This means majority rule, one person one vote, community control! Only People’s Democracy can bring accountability, transparency and trust.

Additional priorities for your district:

We plan to make South Central Los Angeles a cultural and artistic mecca reflecting the homegrown, indigenous talent and creativity which thrives here in the midst of poverty and oppression. Los Angeles is the city of lights and the brightest light shines from South Central L.A. The marathon continues!

Tell us something surprising about yourself:

I’m the business manager of the Roofers Union Local 36, a rank-and-file worker elected four times by the members to represent them. I also was twice elected to the South Central Neighborhood Council by our community where we fought to defeat the racist LAPD drivers license checkpoints and vehicle impounds. I enjoy organizing workers to solve their problems, and taking care of my family and our three children, ages 10, 8 and 5.

What questions do you have about the March 5 primary election?

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City of Los Angeles

City Council: There are seven districts seats on this ballot: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14.
Healthy Streets LA: Take a closer look at Measure HLA, aimed at making streets safer for pedestrians and bicyclists — and holding the city accountable to do just that.

L.A. County

Board of Supervisors: There are three districts on this ballot: 2, 4 and 5.
District Attorney: Compare the 12 candidates running for District Attorney.
Los Angeles Unified School District: Here's an overview of the challenges facing the district. Plus: Meet the candidates vying to represent your child's education in districts 1, 3, 5 and 7.
The judiciary: There are more than two dozen judges up for election or reelection. Plus: Tips to make sure you're putting right person on the bench.
County Central Committees: There are nearly 200 seats up for election for these committees, which govern L.A.'s political parties.

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Statewide races

Prop. 1: Evaluating a $6.38 billion bond proposition that aims to create more housing, treatment and support for people struggling with mental health, drug and alcohol issues. Plus: A guide to understanding California's Proposition system.

Federal races

Senate: Who will replace Dianne Feinstein?
House: A look at the Southern California races

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