2026 CANDIDATE SURVEY
Estuardo Mazariegos
Candidate for Los Angeles City Council District 9
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.
I strongly support the recommendations to "Expand City Council to 25 Single-Member Districts," "Establish Ethics Commission Inspector General team & Executive Director," and "Independent Ethics Commission Counsel & secured budget" to root out corruption. Given my campaign's focus on green space, safe streets, and getting special interest money out of politics, I also strongly support the recommendations to "Double Parks Funding to 0.065%," "Allocate 2% of Budget to Infrastructure," and "Permit additional public financing models beyond matching funds".
I have concerns about the recommendation to "Amend FAR limit in Section 104 (e) to allow Council to exceed 13:1 by ordinance". While I support increasing density, especially near transit and in high-resource areas, any ordinance allowing developers to exceed density limits must be explicitly tied to strict, deeply affordable housing requirements and robust anti-displacement measures. Without these guarantees, we risk handing a blank check to luxury developers rather than building the working-class housing Los Angeles actually needs.
First, we must formally codify a Bill of Rights for Tenants directly within the City Charter to ensure permanent protections for renters. Second, we should explore establishing a Citizens' Assembly where a randomized, demographically representative group of everyday Angelenos examines specific issues and recommends policies to ensure working people have a direct voice in policymaking. Finally, we should implement a strict four-year ban on lobbyists, consultants, and City Commissioners running for elected office.
Yes, I absolutely support expanding the Los Angeles City Council to 25 single-member districts by 2032. Currently, each council member represents roughly 260,000 residents, making our districts the largest in the country. Reducing the size of each district to approximately 155,000 residents will create more geographically compact districts and drastically improve constituent access and responsiveness. This structural change is critical to guaranteeing fair, equitable representation for the historically underserved and working-class families of South Central Los Angeles.
Yes, I fully support the adoption of Ranked Choice Voting. Allowing voters to rank candidates in order of preference promotes majority-supported outcomes while eliminating the need for a costly, low-turnout primary and runoff system. Our campaign is deeply committed to leveling the playing field for grassroots candidates, and I believe we should combine this reform with the Commission's recommendation to "Permit additional public financing models beyond matching funds" to establish a "Democracy Vouchers" pilot program, further empowering everyday residents to fund campaigns.
Yes, I strongly support lowering the voting age to 16 to permit 16 and 17-year-old residents to vote in elections for City offices and the LAUSD Board of Education. Expanding the electorate in this way will broaden civic participation and give representation to the youth who are already on the frontlines organizing in their schools and neighborhoods for climate justice, safe streets, and better education. Because they will inherit the consequences of the decisions we make today, they absolutely deserve a formal voice and a vote.