Los Angeles school board President Mónica García will run to replace José Huízar on the City Council next year, the candidate announced Monday.
García, who has served on the Board of Education since 2006, joins former state legislator Kevin de León in her bid for the seat, which Huízar will be termed out of in 2020. Council District 14 includes Boyle Heights as well as neighborhoods from Downtown to Eagle Rock.
The 50-year-old told the Los Angeles Times that her agenda focuses on “community wellness,” including housing, public safety, environmental justice and economic opportunity.
In a video announcing her intent to run, she brought up her school board experience but emphasized that she was in touch with the diverse needs of Los Angeles communities.
“I know who I am, but more importantly, I know who you are,” García told a cheering crowd in the video.
García ran for Huízar’s former seat on the school board in 2006 after he was elected to the City Council, having previously worked as his as chief of staff. During her tenure, she pushed the board to pass a $7-billion bond for new school construction and supported schools with smaller educational environments, including single-gender academies and charter schools.
Her campaign comes at a tumultuous time for CD 14, as Huízar remains under investigation by the FBI for yet-undisclosed reasons and faces calls for his resignation. Huízar’s wife Richelle Huízar announced she was running for the seat last year but dropped out in November after FBI agents raided her home and her husband’s offices.
García would not say whether she will discuss the FBI probe during her campaign, the Times reported.
“I’m interested in talking with our folks about the issues that they want to raise,” she told the Times.
The election is set for March 2020.
Photo from YouTube.
