2026 CANDIDATE SURVEY
Christopher Robert "C.R." Celona
Candidate for Los Angeles City Council District 3
To help foster greater discussion about reforming City Hall, we asked City of LA candidates to participate in a six question survey. Half of the questions seek general feedback, and the rest are issue specific.
Please note survey responses, candidate information, and website links are provided for informational/educational purposes only. Fair Rep LA is presenting these responses as submitted without edit, evaluation, or commentary. Fair Rep LA does not endorse, support, or oppose candidates or their responses in any way.
Survey Info:
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Answers: Respondents were told that questions could be answered in 1-2 sentences, and that while additional context was welcome, the form had a 1,250 character limit for each question (approximately 200 words).
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Resource Document: Additional background information was provided via a resource document.
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Participation: Surveys were sent to all City of LA candidates qualified to appear on the ballot. This is a very busy time for candidates, so we appreciate everyone who made time to respond. Please avoid reading too much into a candidate’s lack of participation. We respect the limited bandwidth campaigns have, and it's possible that our request(s) may have been lost in their inbox.
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Background: The City of Los Angeles is undergoing the first comprehensive review of our city’s governance structure in 27 years. The Charter Reform Commission recently transmitted a report containing over 60 recommendations to the City Council, who will soon be deciding what will be sent to the November ballot for potential approval by voters.
The reforms I most strongly support are the ones focused on transparency, accountability, and reducing insider control at City Hall. People are tired of decisions being made behind closed doors, and they’re tired of watching officials avoid real consequences when public trust is violated.
I support reforms that strengthen the Controller’s fraud, waste, and abuse authority, create a true Ethics Commission Inspector General with independent counsel, and prevent elected officials from using campaign funds to pay certain ethics fines. These reforms help make sure taxpayers can see where the money is going and create stronger consequences when elected officials do something wrong.
I also support reforms that improve representation, such as expanding the City Council, as well as reforms aimed at giving voters more meaningful choices, including ranked-choice voting.
One area where I have concerns is the proposal to expand mayoral powers. I understand the reasoning behind it. Los Angeles does struggle with departments operating in silos, poor coordination, and a lack of clear accountability for results. I support reforms that help departments work together better and make City Hall more functional.
That said, I’m cautious about concentrating too much power in any one office without equally strong transparency and accountability safeguards. I’m also not convinced the Mayor should participate directly in City Council meetings. At a time when many residents already feel decisions are being made by insiders behind closed doors, we should be focused on creating clearer accountability and stronger public trust, not blurring lines in ways that could make City Hall feel even less transparent.
For me, the goal of charter reform should be making government easier to understand, harder to abuse, and better at delivering results for residents.
One area I would like to see explored further in future charter reform efforts is reducing the influence of insiders and big money in City Hall. I believe Los Angeles should continue strengthening campaign finance rules so candidates without political connections or wealthy donor networks have a more realistic opportunity to compete and engage directly with voters.
I would also like to see stronger transparency and accountability requirements around outside consultants and contract awards. Too many residents feel like City Hall relies heavily on connected consultants without enough public visibility into how contracts are awarded, how performance is measured, or whether taxpayers are actually getting good results. Greater transparency in that process would help rebuild public trust and improve accountability.
I support expanding the City Council from 15 to 25 districts. This would allow each councilmember to represent fewer people, which means they can be more responsive, more accessible, and more connected to the neighborhoods they serve. Smaller districts give communities a stronger voice and help reduce the concentration of power at City Hall.
That said, we should not use reform as an excuse to drastically increase the cost of government. I’d be the first to say I would take a pay cut, and I believe City Councilmembers should be paid less. Better representation should not mean City Hall simply spends more money on itself.
I support moving toward ranked-choice voting, and I’m also open to looking at systems like STAR voting. The goal should be simple: give voters more meaningful choices and make people feel like their vote actually matters.
Right now, too many races are shaped by low-turnout primaries, and voters can feel pressured to vote strategically instead of voting for the candidate they actually support. Moving to one regular November election, where turnout is generally higher, could help make election outcomes more representative.
My main concern is implementation. Any new voting system has to be explained clearly and simply so voters trust it and understand how their ballot works. Done right, ranked-choice voting can reduce the “spoiler” problem, eliminate some of the political gamesmanship, and encourage candidates to speak to more voters instead of just narrow bases.
I understand the reasoning behind this proposal, especially because young people are directly impacted by decisions around schools, transportation, safety, and the future of the city. I also think encouraging civic engagement at an earlier age is a positive goal.
That said, I would prefer a measured approach rather than immediately expanding voting to all municipal elections. I’d be more open to exploring it first for LAUSD School Board races, where students are directly affected by the decisions being made.
I also think we need to have an honest conversation about voter participation overall. Even among many eligible voters today, turnout in local and primary elections is often very low, especially among younger voters. Before making major structural changes, we should also focus on improving civic education, increasing participation, and making more people feel connected to local government and the outcome of these elections.