This story was adjusted on March 28 to reflect final certified results.
The religious right gained momentum on Super Tuesday, with an unexpected victory in the City of San Fernando.
Republican candidate Victoria Garcia won a special election, filling the vacancy on the San Fernando City Council left by the passing of Councilwoman Cindy Montañez.
At the same time, Garcia placed second in the Assembly District 43 race and will be in a run-off election against Celeste Rodriguez who is the current Mayor of San Fernando.
Garcia received endorsements and support from both the Los Angeles Hispanic Republican Club (LAHRC) and the SFV Alliance – tapping into and mobilizing conservative religious Latinos within the area.
Political analyst Fernando Guerra – professor of Political Science, International Relations and Chicana/o Latina/o Studies at Loyola Marymount University – said conservative Latinos in California may be increasing in small pocket communities and are unlikely to be as competitive in larger elections.
“In heavily blue California,” said Guerra, conservative movements are only having an impact on “local level school districts and smaller jurisdictions, and San Fernando is a classic example.”
Garcia’s win came as a surprise since she beat out former mayor and councilmember Sylvia Ballin (D) by only 178 votes. Sean Rivas (D), chair of the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley, trailed Ballin by 71 more votes.
Approximately 2,500 votes were cast, a fraction of the about 12,000 eligible voters in the city. Technically votes are still being counted throughout March, but outcomes are unlikely to change.
The council seat, which plays a key role as the fifth seat and potentially tie-breaking vote, will be filled through the remainder of the term and will be on the ballot again in the November general election as a full-term position.
Garcia Gets Support from SFV Alliance
“I owe everything to God,” said Garcia, adding that she had help from members of the community to knock on doors and call residents.
Garcia received strong support from the SFV Alliance, a local community action group focused on “parental rights” that is part of a conservative religious-affiliated anti-vaccination and anti-LGBTQ+ movement in Southern California.
The Alliance was the organizer of the Drag Story Hour protest on Oct. 25, 2023, when demonstrators blockaded the San Fernando County Library, preventing Pickle the Drag Queen from entering for a voluntary drag storytime event.
“I don’t think parents have to accept the premise for the event is okay,” said Garcia about the story hour during a contentious city council meeting last November.
What is masked as protecting families has harmful consequences, especially for queer youth. Seven school boards in Southern California have already passed forced gender identity disclosure policies, which CA Attorney General Rob Bonta claims violate several of the California Constitution and state laws that safeguard students’ civil rights.
SFV Alliance is networked with other conservative “parental rights” groups like Leave Our Kids Alone (LOKA) and Mom Army, who call upon one another to protest and disrupt local communities and school board meetings. Groups often do so with counsel and toolkits from larger political Christian groups like Turning Point USA and California Family Council.
Running Aggressively as Republicans Gains Ground in State Primary
“The Latino Republicans are asserting themselves a lot more than they used to in the past and are running aggressively as Republicans. Where in the past they were run meekly as Republicans… now they’re running as more ideological Republicans,” said Guerra.
“They’re just picking up on the national narrative of Trump and Maga,” added Guerra. “It’s not a surprise that local politics follows up on some of the national narratives that create opportunities.”
Through concerted organizing efforts, conservative groups in the East San Fernando Valley successfully got Garcia and Benny “Benito” Bernal on the November ballot, for the Assembly District 43 and Congressional District 29 seats respectively.
Bernal runs aggressively on a platform against the “Latino political machine” that he claims “turned their back on God” and is “destroying the nuclear family.”
Garcia also reiterated “parental rights” concerns when she said that “keeping parents in the loop when laws or decisions are being made about their families” was one of her priorities in her bid for state assembly.
With only 28.9% of eligible LA County voters casting ballots in the primary according to the registrar, the success of these groups may dwindle in the general election, which tends to have a much higher voter turnout.
“There are going to be twice as many voters in November, which disproportionately will be more Democrats,” said Guerra.
It’s his opinion that Garcia will lose the assembly race in the November general election. He noted that if she were to win, “it would be a tremendous political earthquake, but it would have no policy impact whatsoever,” since Democrats overwhelmingly hold office in Sacramento.
What’s to Come in San Fernando
Starting in April – after LA County Registrar releases certified primary election results at the end of the month – Garcia will sit on the dias alongside San Fernando Mayor Celeste Rodriguez (D), her opponent for the State Assembly District 43 seat.
“A unique situation,” as put by Nick Kimball, San Fernando city manager.
“I think they will all be professional… [and] continue to do what is in the best interest of the city,” he added.
But as candidates often use their local position to push their platforms for their election bid, the city’s best interest may be on the back burner.
Guerra suspects that “the discussion on the council will revolve around a lot of the issues that you’re going to see play out in the assembly race.”
According to the LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, both Rodriguez and Garcia can technically run for state assembly and city council simultaneously but cannot hold both positions.
Rodriguez, whose term also ends this year, said she is not seeking re-election, creating two vacant city council seats in November.
Garcia also said she would focus on her assembly bid but has not confirmed if she would forgo another run at a city council seat.
When Garcia steps into her new council role in April, she will vacate her position on the Transportation and Public Safety Commission. Vice Mayor Mary Mendoza appointed Garcia to the role and will appoint a new commissioner.
Commissioners have no term limit, serving until they either resign or are replaced by a new city council member. Each council member can make one appointment to each of the four commissions – Planning and Preservation; Parks, Wellness and Recreation; Transportation and Public Safety; and Education – with the appointment approved by the full city council.
Garcia inherits Montañez’s appointments – David Bernal, Nicole Mohr and Adriana Gomez – and can decide to replace them.
Candidates will pull papers in July to officially run for San Fernando City Council on the November ballot. The top two vote-getters will win the council seats.
