Joe Brizzolara
It is election season once again in Downey. For those keeping track, with a special election last year to replace recalled Councilmember Catherine Alvarez, the last year that Downey did not have an election was 2021.
While the politicians sharpen their barbs, and the fundraisers build up the war chests, Downey Latino News wanted to give you the lowdown on who is running for city council.
Voters will decide on two city council seats by Nov 5, with vote-by-mail ballots already being sent. District 1 Councilmember Horacio Ortiz is running unopposed and will be re-elected after last year’s special election.
District 5 covers the entire city, while District 3 includes the northwest.
In District 3, incumbent Dorothy Pemberton seeks her first full term after her 2023 special election win. She’ll have to beat Louis Morales, a Planning Commissioner appointed by Mayor Mario Trujillo.
Trujillo is seeking re-election in District 5, running against real estate broker Rudy Sandoval and community organizer Joaquin Beltran.
District 3
Dorothy Pemberton (incumbent): A real estate agent, she was elected in a November 2023 special election and is now seeking her first full term. Her first campaign focused on broad goals like “Community Safety,” “Quality of Life,” and “Economic Development.”
Known for strong constituent services, multiple sources confirm Pemberton’s fast response time to calls from residents.
She has addressed traffic safety concerns by supporting more speeding enforcement and speed bumps in the city. She has not yet secured “a dog park and a community garden in District 3,” a “priority” listed on her campaign website last year–a community garden was approved shortly before her swearing-in last year, a second city dog park in District 1 was approved, and a third dog park in District 3 is being pursued by staff.
This year, her campaign website credits Pemberton for “keeping her commitment to Downey residents” and states: “Dorothy initiated plans for a dog park and community garden which are now moving forward and will enhance the community’s recreational spaces.”
Pemberton has also taken a few controversial votes including supporting a “neutral” flag policy which bars the Progress Pride Flag–a symbol of gender and sexual equality–from being flown at city hall and she also voted, amid community backlash, to nix a townhome project which will demolish a church located in District 3 to make way for 33 condo units.
Pemberton, a longtime member of various community organizations, entered politics by being a lead organizer in the Alvarez recall campaign, which began in 2021. Although the campaign cited an unearthed years-old petty theft conviction as the primary reason for Alvarez’s ouster, they received significant financial backing from real estate and rental property interests. Alvarez advocated for caps on annual rent increases, which are strongly opposed by both Pemberton and the city’s real estate industry.
Although Pemberton benefits from incumbency, her electability remains untested in a regular election. Last year, voter turnout was just 21%, compared to a whopping 78% in 2020, when Alvarez was elected. With a hotly contested presidential race on the ballot this year, a significantly different crop of voters is likely to weigh in than in 2023.
Pemberton will also benefit from a well organized campaign ground game that saw its beginnings with the first recall campaign–in terms of data, donors, and a volunteer base–and has been mobilized in some form each year since.
“She’ll run a better campaign,” former Downey Mayor Fernando Vasquez told Downey Latino News. Vasquez has chosen not to endorse in this race.
Pemberton is being backed by Downey’s old guard including Downey Mayors Rick Rodriguez, Mario Guerra, Alex Saab, and Kirk Cartozian. She also has the support of fellow councilmembers Hector Sosa and Claudia Frometa.
Louis Morales: Morales is a real estate developer consultant with a background in city government and has been endorsed by the Los Angeles County Democratic Party (LACDP) alongside Trujillo. Morales previously ran for city council in 2000 and 2016, finishing third both times. On the Planning Commission, Morales voted against the controversial townhome project twice that Pemberton also opposed on the council.
Last time around, Morales likewise ran on general plans including increasing housing production and being pro-business while also touting the development of Downtown Downey during his tenure on the Planning Commission. Morales has yet to publish a campaign website or a list of policy positions, and unlike Pemberton, his yard sign coverage in the district is limited.
Morales is likely to be benefited by his name identification with a largely Latino electorate more concerned with the presidential contest than local politics, observes one former elected official who asked not to be named.
“This time around, (there will be) huge voter turnout of Democrats and Latinos who have never voted before and don’t (care) about local politics,” the official said in a phone interview. “They are just voting because of Kamala (Harris), she is waking up Gen Z’s and Millenials to come out and vote.”
District 5
Mario Trujillo (incumbent): Appointed mayor last year, Trujillo is seeking a second term on the City Council, having first been elected in 2020. He retired from the LA County District Attorney’s office in 2021 as Community and Government Affairs Liaison. He owns several businesses in Downey and is again campaigning on a pro-business, pro-law enforcement platform.
Trujillo outspent his rivals by over $100,000 in his last race and is expected to dominate fundraising again. He has endorsements from labor unions (IBEW, Carpenter’s Union), the business community (BizFed), and prominent Democrats like US Rep. Robert Garcia, state Senator Bob Archuleta, Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco, and County Supervisor Janice Hahn. Former Mayors Vasquez and Guerra also support him.
His tenure has seen controversies, including ties to former boss DA George Gascón. Prosecutorial reforms ushered in under Gascón have been criticized as leading to a spike in crime. Trujillo opposed a vote of “no confidence” against Gascón, accused council colleagues who supported the neutral flag policy of “align(ing) themselves with a hate group,” and voted to appoint Alvarez to be Mayor Pro Tem.
Trujillo has advocated for street repair while in office. The “Trujillo BRASS Program” instructed staff to prioritize a host of infrastructure improvements including obtaining funding to improve residential streets, repave alleys, and sidewalks. Recently, the city authorized a bid of $5.8 million for the repavement and landscaping of Woodruff Avenue from Firestone Boulevard to Foster Road. In July, they authorized a bid of $9 million to rehab 9.25 miles of residential streets.
An email to City Manager Roger Bradley asking him to explain the scope of the “Trujillo BRASS Program,” as well as a message sent to Trujillo’s campaign requesting details regarding infrastructure funding figures listed on Trujillo’s website, were both unanswered as of press time.
Rudy Sandoval: A real estate agent, Sandoval has not yet released detailed policy positions or a campaign website. He recently used Instagram to criticize Trujillo, linking to an op-ed criticizing Trujillo for his ties to Gascón, saying: “Crime rates have not gotten any better since office.”
Joaquin Beltran: A software engineer and community organizer, Beltran ran for Congress earlier this year on a progressive platform supporting policies including single-payer healthcare and cutting defense spending. Locally, he has continually called for the city council to join over 100 other municipalities nationwide in passing a cease-fire resolution regarding the Israel-Gaza war.
Beltran called out Trujillo at the Sept 24 city council meeting for his inaction on a ceasefire resolution: “I’m running for Downey City Council against our mayor here who has taken no action after nearly a year of a genocide being committed against Palestinians.”
