Three candidates are running to succeed Bob Blumenfield in District 3 City Council seat that covers Woodland Hills, Tarzana, Canoga Park, Winnetka and Reseda. Tim Gaspar leads in fundraising with nearly $430,000, followed by Barri Worth Girvan at $235,000 and Christopher Robert "C.R." Celona at about $12,300.
The southwestern San Fernando Valley is preparing for an open seat on the Los Angeles City Council as incumbent Bob Blumenfield reaches the end of his third term. Three candidates are running to succeed Blumenfield in District 3, which includes Woodland Hills, Tarzana, Canoga Park, Winnetka and Reseda.
The candidates bring different backgrounds and approaches to city government.
Christopher Robert "C.R." Celona calls himself a tech entrepreneur, media executive, influencer teacher, storyteller and "Tik Tok philosopher." He grew up in Connecticut, where he was a volunteer firefighter and where he cared for his father before moving to Los Angeles five years ago. His focus is on the entertainment industry, which he said must be healthy for the city to be able to afford to deal with problems like homelessness. "If I can get entertainment back in, we can fundamentally have this city working," Celona said.
Tim Gaspar is a Valley businessman who founded Gaspar Insurance Services and recently sold the business. Gaspar grew up in Woodland Hills and Canoga Park and became an entrepreneur in high school. He trained to become an insurance broker and graduated from Cal State Northridge. He said he is running for the City Council because he is concerned about the direction of the city.
Gaspar calls himself "the most moderate of the candidates" and "a Democrat through and through" who opposes ICE raids and wants to support immigrants "working their tail off to make life better." He cited insufficient investment in youth services, calls to defund the police and the election of George Gascón as district attorney in 2020 as issues he would address if on the council. Were he on the council now, he would not have voted to approve the city budget because it did not allocate enough money to law enforcement.
Barri Worth Girvan's interest in government began when she was a UC San Diego student spending an academic quarter in Washington, D.C., interning for Rep. Brad Sherman. She earned a master's degree, worked in the field office for Assemblymember Lloyd Levine, was West Valley area director for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and later was district director for state Senate Majority Leader Bob Hertzberg. Most recently, she was community affairs director for county Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, a job in which she focused on fire recovery.
According to finance reports filed this week, Tim Gaspar is leading the pack in fundraising, reporting nearly $430,000. Barri Worth Girvan has raised about $235,000. Christopher Robert "C.R." Celona is far behind with about $12,300.
Insurance company founder Tim Gaspar was leading the pack in fundraising, reporting nearly $430,000. Barri Worth Girvan, an aide to Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath, has raised about $235,000. Tech entrepreneur Christopher Robert "C.R." Celona was far behind with about $12,300.
The Daily News endorsed Tim Gaspar for the position, citing his business background and common sense approach to city government.
Los Angeles City Hall needs fresh perspectives and we think Gaspar's common sense approach to City Hall is just what is needed. Accordingly, we endorse Timothy Gaspar for Los Angeles City Council.
Gaspar is backed by Blumenfield, the business community and the city's police union. Girvan has support from many of the city's public employee unions.
The candidates offer diverging views on housing and development. Both recognize that Los Angeles city government has structural and governance problems and that the San Fernando Valley has too often been an afterthought. Both acknowledge the need for significant permitting reforms to speed up development across the city. And both understand that crime prevention is as important as enforcement.
On housing, they offer different perspectives. Both are critical of Measure ULA, which has stifled development across the city. Gaspar rightly suggests it should be repealed outright while Girvan is inclined to reform it but keep it to keep the revenues coming. Girvan is more of an all-of-the-above advocate for more housing, while Gaspar on the one hand defends local control while on the other hand saying he supports upzoning when it makes sense.
The choice comes down to the type of experience City Hall needs most. While Worth Girvan knows the levers of government, Gaspar's private-sector background offers a necessary corrective to a council often insulated from economic realities.
Los Angeles voters will choose who will be their chief steward of city services in each of eight odd-numbered council districts for the next four years and will determine the ideological makeup and effectiveness of the 15-member City Council. Challenges include federal immigration enforcement, homelessness, the city's readiness for the 2027 Super Bowl and the 2028 Summer Olympics and continuing city budget shortfalls.
Each City Council member represents about 260,000 Angelenos. An annual salary is $244,727. A term lasts four years. Members may serve a maximum of three terms. City elections are nonpartisan. Voters may have a chance to enlarge the council from the current 15 members to 25 members under a charter reform proposal that supporters say will provide better representation.
Candidates who win more than 50 percent of the vote June 2 will be sworn into office in December. If no candidate wins more than 50 percent, a runoff between the top two vote-getters will be held Nov. 3.
The 3rd Council District is in the southwestern corner of the San Fernando Valley and includes Woodland Hills, Tarzana, Canoga Park, Winnetka and Reseda. The hills south of Ventura Boulevard and the Ventura Freeway include iconic ranch-style single family homes, which in the flatter areas to the north are joined by multifamily housing and commercial strips on major streets.
This article was generated with AI assistance.