HOLLYWOOD HILLS—On March 21, Los Angeles Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez was scrutinized for voting “No” on the budget due to her ongoing commitment not to fund the Los Angeles Police Department.
On May 20, 2025, the LA City Council approved a contract that authorized LAPD to work security services during special-event services. Councilmember Hernandez has requested security for “El Grito de Dolores,” the 1810 battle cry that sparked Mexico’s War for Independence.
LAPD records indicate that 13 uniformed, armed police officers were assigned to the event using approximately 100 hours of special event overtime for security deployment. The price tag for LAPD to work this event cost the city $134,498.65
“Last year, I was the only one on the council to vote ‘No’ on the budget, because of what I was seeing. I saw that we invested over $6 million in police uniforms for LAPD and just a few pages after, the entire Youth Development Department, that’s supposed to be serving the young people of the city of Los Angeles, only invested $2.3 million.
That, for me, reflected the entire budget of the city of Los Angeles, of how we prioritize our money. The city of LA has a youth population just above 800,000. That’s nearly a quarter of the entire city population. Yet nearly a quarter of our entire city budget goes to one department, which is LAPD.”
Hernandez was elected in 2022, with her abolish police campaign to represent LA residents where she has spent the entirety of her life, in Highland Park. District 1 also covers Glassell Park, Mount Washington, Echo Park, Chinatown, Westlake, and Lincoln Heights.
LAPD has jurisdiction in dozens of cities and most of the Canyon News coverage area, including, but not limited to, Bel Air, Benedict Canyon, Brentwood, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, Melrose, Pacific palisades, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Westwood, and Woodland Hills.
Councilwoman Hernandez, who is non-partisan, received endorsements from; U.S. Rep. Judy Chu (D), U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D), U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon (D), Senator Caroline Menjivar (CA-D), Senator Lola Smallwood-Cueves (D-CA), State Assemblymember Jessica Caloza (D), Sate Assembly member Sade Elhawary(D), State Assemblymember Alex Lee, State Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D), and a long list of Unions.
Hernandez is running for reelection as an incumbent to keep her seat on the LA City Council for District 1. The primary will be held on June 2, 2026, and the General Election will be on November 3, 2026.
There are at least four other nonpartisan candidates running to unseat Hernandez including Mary Lou Calanche, Raul Claros, Nelson Grande, and Sivia Robledo.
By Sharon