Jose Ugarte

Why Thrive LA endorses Jose

Jose Ugarte is a longtime community leader and senior City Hall staffer who has spent nearly two decades working in and around Los Angeles City Council District 9. We endorse Jose Ugarte because he brings something rare in this race: deep, preexisting ties to the communities of CD9 and the institutional knowledge to lead from day one. Having served as deputy chief of staff in the council office for approximately seven years across two stints, Ugarte understands the mechanics of city government, from navigating the budget process to coordinating with city departments on public safety, infrastructure, and permitting. That operational fluency matters. District 9 cannot afford a learning curve. Ugarte has identified public safety and community policing as a central campaign priority, and we take that seriously. CD9 residents deserve a councilmember who will work with the LAPD to increase patrols, reduce response times, and ensure that enforcement is part of the strategy for reclaiming public spaces. His years inside the council office give him direct relationships with the departments that deliver those outcomes. On housing and economic development, we will be watching Ugarte closely. His framing around displacement prevention and rent sustainability suggests a tilt toward regulatory approaches rather than the supply-side, deregulatory policies that Thrive LA believes are essential to bringing down housing costs. We urge him to prioritize streamlining permits, reducing fees on new construction, and welcoming private investment into the district rather than layering on new restrictions that drive housing providers out of the market. CD9 needs more housing, not more red tape. Jose Ugarte is the candidate best positioned to hit the ground running for District 9, and we expect him to govern with the accountability and independence that residents deserve.