Seventeen Annenberg Media reporters asked California voters casting ballots in Los Angeles a series of questions to gauge the electorate’s mood on Election Day. They asked the voters where they are from, what they do for a living, to describe the election in one word and who they chose in the mayoral race: Mayor Karen Bass or council member Nithya Raman.
Their answers are below.
Heber Rodriguez
Age: 34
Neighborhood/city: West Adams/South Central
Occupation: Security Guard
One word to describe the elections: Mandatory
“There’s lots of things that need to be changed, especially with Trump.”
— Olivia Hau
Martha Reyes
Age: 49
Neighborhood/city: West Adams/South Central
Occupation: Massage Therapist
One word to describe the elections: Deep
Mayoral choice: “I left it empty”
“I’ve always voted, but this time, I made sure the whole family voted. It’s important for people that have a right to vote to do so. People still really think that your vote doesn’t count, but it does.”
— Olivia Hau
Ahtziri Molina
Age: 24
Neighborhood/city: South L.A.
Occupation: Middle School Office Coordinator
One word to describe the elections: Stressful
Mayoral choice: Nithya Raman
“I’m a little optimistic,” but a lot of people support Bass “because she’s been mayor … for a long time and they already know her.”
— Caitlin Roehmholdt and Jules Cox
David Rios
Age: 21
Neighborhood/city: Originally from North Carolina, but registered to vote in L.A.
Occupation: Student majoring in urban planning
Mayoral choice: Nithya Raman
“I think I’m hopeful, but I think that a lot of the voters who voted for [Republican Spencer] Pratt earlier this year are voting for Bass … so I don’t know.”
— Caitlin Roehmholdt
Javier Garcia
Age: 53
Neighborhood/city: Union and Washington
Occupation: Logistics
One word to describe the elections: “Untrustworthy”
Mayoral choice: Said he wrote in Spencer Pratt
“The people that are there in power now don’t do anything for us.”
— Jules Cox
Jelloyd Spencer
Age: 43
Neighborhood/city: South Central
Occupation: Bartender
One word to describe the elections: Confusing
Mayoral choice: Undecided
“I’m still not solidified even as I walk in there.”
— Jules Cox and Caitlin Roehmholdt
Rosa America Blanco
Age: 87
Neighborhood/city: South Central
Occupation: Retired
One word to describe the elections: Calm
Mayoral choice: Karen Bass
“She’s more well known.”
— Katherine Contreras Hernandez, interview conducted in Spanish
Ramiro Guerrero
Age: 46
Neighborhood/city: Los Angeles
Occupation: Food service
One word to describe the elections: Stressful
Mayoral choice: Raman
“We need a change, it should always be changing.”
— Katherine Contreras Hernandez
Manuel Herrera
Age: 73
Neighborhood/city: Los Angeles
Occupation: Retired
One word to describe the elections: We have to vote
Mayoral choice: Bass
“We have to think of the kids, they’re the heroes of tomorrow.”
— Katherine Contreras Hernandez, interview conducted in Spanish
Moises Garcia
Age: 29
Neighborhood/city: South Los Angeles
One word to describe the elections: Long lines
Mayoral choice: Nithya Raman
“Karen Bass’s time is out. We need someone new. It’s always good to have someone new with new insights and perspectives to see how it changes.”
— Aden Max Juarez
Mashante Nicholson
Age: 33
Neighborhood/city: Los Angeles
Occupation: USC Marshall student
One word to describe the elections: Critical
Mayoral choice: Karen Bass
“Top of mind for me would be definitely housing for the homeless, more community, more money throughout community colleges and universities, [and] home ownership for the middle class.”
— Aden Max Juarez
Abraham Lucas-Cruz
Age: 25
Neighborhood/city: Downey
Occupation: Civil engineer
One word to describe the elections: Priority
Mayoral choice: Nithya Raman
“A big thing for me is ICE, and I think we’ve seen no accountability and no action there from our previous [mayor] here.”
— Aden Max Juarez
Gabi Hernandez
Age: 33
Neighborhood/city: West Adams
Occupation: Therapist
One word to describe the elections: “Confusing”
Mayoral choice: Nithya Raman
“I was leaning towards Bass, but then as I kept seeing campaigns for Raman and more research, she caught my eye more, especially because she looks more, I guess energetic, and I like the way she was. Actually, the campaign people more than anything, how much passion they had for her and how much they believed in her.”
— Nicholas Corral
Vanessa Barhona
Age: 32
Neighborhood/city: South Central
Occupation: Tow truck driver
One word to describe the elections: “Hope”
Mayoral choice: Nithya Raman
“I love that black women are in politics. I love that. But sometimes I feel if you’re in there too long you kind of get sidetracked and you forget why you got in there in the first place. I’m not taking away everything, all the good [Bass has] done. It’s more like it’s probably time for somebody new.”
— Nicholas Corral
Antonio Santos
Age: 24
Neighborhood/city: South Central
Occupation: Private security
One word to describe the elections: Important
Mayoral choice: Neither. Voted for Spencer Pratt in the primary and left it blank.
“Bass, she’s already the mayor first. I didn’t see any improvement in the city. For Nithya Raman, I’m gonna be honest. I barely see her speak in public. I barely know any of her policies. But based on what I’m hearing, they’re both pretty much the same.”
— Nicholas Corral
Sharon Jones
Age: 74
Neighborhood: South Central
Occupation: retiree
One word to describe the elections: Anxiety
Mayoral choice: Karen Bass
“I didn’t know nothin’ about her too much, until she started.”
— Sean Campbell, Lizzy Liautaud and Maybeline Tucker
Name: Edi Ave
Age: 21
Neighborhood: South Central
Occupation: student at USC
One word to describe the elections: “Unpredictable”
Mayoral choice: Nithya Raman
“I just think that there needs to be change.”
— Sean Campbell, Lizzy Liautaud and Maybeline Tucker
Name: Brunilda Olivo
Age: 79
Neighborhood: South Central
Occupation: retiree
One word to describe the elections: “OK”
Mayoral choice: Nithya Raman
“I don’t like Bass. I don’t want her anymore.”
— Sean Campbell, Lizzy Liautaud and Maybeline Tucker
Name: Tamika Katon-Donegal
Neighborhood: South Central
Occupation: Actress
One word to describe the elections: “Important”
Mayoral choice: Karen Bass
“It’s important that we course correct.”
— Sean Campbell, Lizzy Liautaud and Maybeline Tucker
Name: Maria Rojas
Age: 80
Neighborhood: South Central
Occupation: retired
One word to describe the elections: “Important”
Mayoral choice: Nithya Raman
“We need change.”
— Sean Campbell, Lizzy Liautaud and Aden Max Juarez
Ashley Meza
Age: 30
Neighborhood/city: South Central
Occupation: A construction worker
One word to describe the elections: propositions
Mayoral choice: For “not Karen Bass”
“I think just get the youth more involved. The 18-year-olds who are freshly ready to, you know, I see a lot of them participating, so that makes me very happy, and I hope that continues to happen.”
— Leo Li and Lindsay Augustine
Hugo Mayorquin
Age: 21
Neighborhood/city: South Central
Occupation: USC student studying mechanical engineering
Voted previously in primaries and 2024
One word to describe the elections: Turf war
“What people could pay more attention to and should pay more attention to are the propositions. I think a lot of the propositions on the ballot today have a lot of potential for real change in California.”
— Leo Li and Lindsay Augustine
Name: Dalvert Saloman
Neighborhood: USC area
Job: Delivery driver
Age: 35
First time voting: No
One word to describe the election: “Joke”
Mayor: Karen Bass
Quote: “Even though we come to vote, everything is rigged.”
— Jose Trejo
Name: Nicole Flores
Neighborhood: West Adams
Job: County worker
Age: 38
First time voting: No
One word to describe the election: “Change”
Mayor: Nithya Raman
Regarding Bass: “She allowed a lot of mismanagement with LAHSA, lack of accountability” … Regarding Raman: “She’ll be more hands on due to experience.”
— Jose Trejo