Yes, voting is important. But it’s also a lot of work, especially in a primary. Dozens of candidate names you’ve never heard of. Entire offices you didn’t even know you had to vote on.

We know that many of you are short on time, or just don’t know where to start when you look at your ballot and see 15+ items on there. That’s why we put together this guide, which will explain what offices have the biggest impact on your daily life.

Here are four local offices to pay attention to:

City Council

Think of your neighborhood and the issues you face in it every day. Is it safe to walk or bike? How does the city respond to homeless encampments or RVs there? Are there new developments being proposed nearby, such as an apartment building, a shopping complex or a shelter?

Your city council member has a lot of power over all of these issues. They can prioritize funding for specific problems, push city departments to address issues that might otherwise go ignored, and make or break proposals like protected bike lanes and big housing developments. And that’s just in your specific district.

When the entire council gets together, it passes laws and approves budgets that affect the city as a whole. How much funding does the police get? How much can rents increase in rent-stabilized apartments? Can you still get a plastic straw at a restaurant? What are we going to do about those oil wells?

Here’s our guide to the races for L.A. City Council in the 2024 election.

Board of Supervisors

If you live in an unincorporated area (that’s anywhere that’s not part of an actual city; Altadena and East L.A. are examples of this), the Board of Supervisors is essentially your local government. It has all the same powers as a city council.

Supervisors also make decisions for L.A. County as a whole, including the 88 incorporated cities, on certain issues, such as jails, public health and L.A. Metro. What kind of mental health support should be available for residents, especially those who are unhoused? When should health workers be required to wear a mask? What needs to be done about personal safety on Metro?

There are only five people on the Board of Supervisors and L.A. County has 10 million people, a bigger population than most states, so even though they get less attention than city council members, each supervisor has a lot of power.

Here’s our guide to the races for L.A. County Board of Supervisors.

District Attorney

One of the biggest questions any community has is how to respond to crime. The district attorney plays a key role in this conversation. They decide whether and how to prosecute crimes: Should a certain crime be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony? When should police officers get charged for using lethal force?

District Attorney George Gascón is running for reelection against 11 challengers. Gascón has spent his term rolling back many penalties for crimes. He’s also charged more police officers than any other district attorney before him. Most of his challengers criticize his approach, saying they would take on a tougher approach toward crime.

Here’s our guide to the district attorney’s race.

Board of Education

School boards set policies that affect all the students, teachers and parents in your school district. This matters even if you’re not connected to the school system directly because those policies affect your community’s access to economic opportunities, structural equality and overall ability to thrive in the long term. And if your neighborhood schools improve in quality, home values often go up with it, and vice versa.

The school board approves the district’s budget (for LAUSD it’s $9 billion) and how it will be distributed among schools. They also have to approve every charter school that wants to open in the district.

And of course, school boards make decisions on thorny questions you may hear about a lot: How much should teachers get paid? Should certain books be restricted from classrooms or school libraries? What kind of mental health support should the district provide for students?

Here’s our guide to the races for LAUSD School Board.