2026 CANDIDATE SURVEY
Rich Sarian
Candidate for Los Angeles City Council District 13
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 am a fierce advocate for reforms that increase accountability, transparency, and public trust in City Hall - we need this now more than. In particular, I support expanding the City Council to improve representation, strengthening ethics and anti-corruption measures, improving language access and civic participation, and exploring reforms like Ranked Choice Voting that could increase voter engagement and reduce the influence of insider politics and low-turnout runoff elections. I also support regular future charter reviews so City Hall evolves with the needs of the city instead of waiting decades between reforms.
My biggest concern is ensuring reforms are implemented thoughtfully and in a way that improves results for residents rather than simply adding complexity to government. Any expansion of the City Council, changes to election systems, or restructuring of city offices must come with extensive community feedback, strong public education, transparency, fiscal responsibility, and clear implementation plans. I also believe reforms should prioritize improving city services and accountability to residents above bureaucratic expansion, or any additional costs borne by our residents, for their own sake.
I believe Los Angeles should continue exploring ways to decentralize power at City Hall and make local government more responsive to neighborhoods and residents. That includes stronger neighborhood council reforms, better transparency requirements for lobbying and outside influence – ideally ridding outside spending out of our elections – faster and more accessible public records systems, and exploring additional ethics and procurement reforms that reduce corruption and increase public confidence in city government. I also believe the city should continue evaluating ways to make local government more accessible and understandable to everyday Angelenos.
I absolutely do. Los Angeles has nearly 4 million residents, yet still has the same number of council districts it had a century ago when the city was far smaller. Expanding the Council would allow for smaller districts, more responsive representation, and better access to local government for residents. I am open to discussion around the exact number of districts and broader structural reforms, but I believe the current structure concentrates too much power into too few seats and leaves many communities underrepresented. LA County Supervisors just did the right thing in expanding the number of LA County Supervisor seats, which took political courage. Our LA City Council Members should demonstrate the same courage and support increasing the size of the LA City Council.
I generally support Ranked Choice Voting and believe it has the potential to increase voter participation, reduce negative campaigning, and eliminate low-turnout runoff elections that often fail to reflect the broader electorate. I also believe implementation must include robust voter education to ensure the system is accessible and understandable to all voters. I am open to continued conversations around other voting systems as well, but I support efforts that give voters more voice and create elections that are more representative and participatory.
I will always support exploring ways to increase civic engagement among young people, particularly in decisions that directly affect their schools, neighborhoods, transportation, safety, and future. I am open to lowering the voting age for municipal elections or potentially beginning with LAUSD School Board races first – in my mind this could be the right place for something like this to start. Whatever approach is taken should include rigorous community feedback, and result in even deeper civic education efforts so young voters are informed, engaged participants in local democracy.