San Fernando City Council incumbent Victoria Garcia and former California State Assemblymember Patty Lopez are currently leading among five candidates vying for two available full-term seats on the local council.
At press time, Garcia had just over 29% of the vote – nearing 2,300 – and Lopez was in second place with 22%, totaling more than 1,700.
Sean M. Rivas, an administrative assistant for the Los Angeles Unified School District, was in third place, with 21% of the votes counted to date, with more than 1,600. Trailing Rivas were former San Fernando mayor Sylvia Ballin with more than 1,200 votes – more than 16% – and Jason D. Strickler, a program coordinator for the local nonprofit Pueblo y Salud, was in fifth place with nearly 11% , totaling more than 800.
Contemplating a possible victory, Lopez told the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol that if she secures one of the two council seats her day-one priority will be to “start working hand-in-hand with the other elected officials and local businesses [to help] ensure the safety of our community.”
“That’s going to be number one,” said Lopez. “I would start a conversation with [San Fernando Police Department] Chief Fabian Valdez and find out ways to connect with the community because I think communication is one of the keys to making progress in that area.”
Chief Valdez, however, has regularly held ongoing community meetings since his hire.
“I want this to be the best city in all of LA, because I think the City of San Fernando is unique and I want to maintain it that way and keep improving it,” she continued. “And whether or not I get elected I’ll keep doing the same thing – I’ll still be active [in the community] like I have been doing for the past 35 years.”
For Rivas, his biggest goal as a council member would be to respond to one of the most common requests he has heard from many of the residents he has spoken with – to support bringing more family-friendly businesses to San Fernando, which would support local growth, he explained.
“That might mean a movie theater, a family fun center or more family-friendly food establishments – and with that we continue to grow and support the small business community, ensuring that San Fernando continues to thrive,” said Rivas. “In the event that I don’t win, my hope would be to still offer my services as a commissioner to whoever is elected, [but] regardless of whether I serve in a commissioner capacity or not, I’m still going to be an active member in the community.”
Strickler also emphasized his desire to focus on supporting local business owners if he wins a seat on the city council, especially in light of planned big events in LA.
“I want to have a round table with the businesses to figure out how we can support them with the upcoming events that we’ll be having in LA – like the Olympics, the Super Bowl and the FIFA World Cup – because I think we’re going to severely miss out on an opportunity if we don’t prepare ourselves,” said Strickler. “Those types of events bring millions and billions of dollars to cities, so … how are we going to set ourselves up to take advantage of that?”
In the event he does not win a council seat, which he deemed “highly likely” given the vote totals on the evening of the Nov. 5 election, Strickler said he plans to remain involved in the community to continue his work with Pueblo y Salud, and “spend more time with my family.”
As Ballin continues to watch the election results come in, she said she has a growing concern “about a potential shift to an administrator form of government in San Fernando, which could challenge the city’s governance and stability.”
“Unlike the current city manager form of government, an administrator-led model would grant city council members direct hiring and firing authority over department heads who would report to council members,” said Ballin, adding that she believes such a shift could lead to “fragmented oversight and increased conflict.”
“Historically, council involvement in hiring has led to underqualified appointments and internal division, with staff sometimes lobbying council members to favor personal agendas,” she explained. Ballin urges residents to “monitor council decisions closely, as San Fernando’s financial stability and future resilience are at stake.”
San Fernando Councilwoman Garcia, who is currently leading this race, did not respond to requests for comment by press time. She also ran for the State Assembly against San Fernando Mayor Celeste Rodriguez, but lost that election. The latest results indicate she will have a fallback position to serve a second term on the local council.