Endorsement: The outcome of this week’s L.A. City Council District 6 election could shape the city for years to come

It’s almost special election day in Los Angeles — at least for voters in the central and northeast San Fernando Valley neighborhoods of Van Nuys, Lake Balboa, Panorama City, North Hills, North Hollywood, Arleta and Sun Valley. Tuesday is the last day to cast a ballot for one of two women seeking an open seat on the L.A. City Council to represent District 6.

If past special elections are an indication, voter turnout will probably be low, which is a shame. The decision made by the voters in this one district will have ramifications throughout the city. That’s because she will take office at a crucial point for the council, which has been racked by scandal after scandal. And she will have to repair the trust in the district, which was damaged by the last officeholder: former council President Nury Martinez, who stepped down in October after a leaked audio recording caught her and two other council members making racist, divisive comments.

Of the two candidates, we think Imelda Padilla is the best prepared and suited to do that.

Padilla, 35, has been deeply involved with the people and organizations in the community for two decades, since joining the L.A. City Youth Council as a ninth-grader. She has been a volunteer, organizer, activist and a staffer for local organizations — even a staff member in this very council district. Padilla was a field deputy for Martinez for about 18 months starting in 2013. She also worked in a variety of community engagement and outreach roles for Pacoima Beautiful, the Los Angeles County Women and Girls Initiative, and the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, and served as an elected volunteer on the Sun Valley Area Neighborhood Council.

CD 6 has been historically shortchanged when it comes to city services and investment and needs a leader like Padilla, who will be focused on advocating for and delivering on community needs.

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The other candidate, Marisa Alcaraz, is a City Hall insider who has spent most of her career working on the staff of South L.A. Councilmember Curren Price, who was recently charged with several counts involving embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest. Although Alcaraz has solid policy skills and has worked on major legislation in City Hall, she has less experience building relationships within the district and working on community issues than Padilla.

Because this is a special election, the winner will be sworn in shortly after the results are finalized and is expected to take office in time for the council’s Aug. 1 meeting. No matter who wins the race, we hope that the next council member representing CD 6 will help restore trust in city government that’s been eroded by the leaked audio and other political corruption scandals of recent years.

Importantly, both candidates support reforming L.A.’s broken political structure. Both candidates have said they would support independent redistricting, ethics reform, increasing the size of the City Council and diluting council members’ control over land-use decisions — a power that has been at the heart of recent political corruption cases.

But the next council member must do more than just support such measures; she should push her council colleagues to be ambitious in their reform agenda so Angelenos can see lasting change.

The CD 6 is the first election since Los Angeles was rocked by the leaked audio scandal last fall, exposing the city’s toxic political culture and the need for major change. This may be an election conducted by just one district, but its outcome could shape the future of the entire city. Among two strong candidates, we think Padilla is the one who can best move Los Angeles forward.