Four Candidates Qualify for District 5 Seat

Four applicants have qualified for the seat vacated by former District 5 City Councilman Victor Gordo, according to the city clerk’s page on the city’s website.

Gordo gave up the seat after being elected mayor on Nov. 3. 

Required paperwork by former Los Angeles public works employee Michael Warner, attorney Jessica Rivas, consultant Martha Shenkenberg and Patrick M. Amsbry, who works in digital marketing, was confirmed by City Clerk Mark Jomsky before the Jan. 14 deadline expired.

Confirmation of papers filed by litigation attorney Gloria Medel is listed as pending. 

Two other candidates, Charlotte (Mason) Lai and Rosanna Del Rio, appeared to have not turned in the required paperwork. According to the site. Genevieve Clavreul turned in her documents but did not qualify. 

The candidates will be interviewed individually on Zoom at a special meeting of the City Council.

An ad hoc committee will review the interviews and decide on the details of a public interview process. 

During that public meeting, each candidate will be allowed to make a six-minute presentation and take questions from the City Council. The interview process will be broadcast as part of the public council meeting.

After their presentations, each candidate may then be asked to respond to follow-up questions from the council.

The order of presentations will be determined by a random draw of the applicants’ names and will take place at the beginning of the special meeting, just prior to the start of the interview process. The drawing will be conducted in public by City Clerk Mark Jomsky.

Any action by the City Council to appoint an individual to serve requires five affirmative votes. Should the council be unable to muster the necessary five votes for one applicant by Feb. 20, the replacement would then be chosen by lot, following Charter Section 404.

Following the selection of the appointee to serve on the council, the city clerk will immediately administer the oath of office.

In recent times, the council has twice been forced to appoint councilmembers after sitting members resigned to take higher office.

The council selected Joel Bryant as former Councilmember Chris Holden’s replacement in District 3 in 2013 after Holden was elected to the state assembly. 

In 2015, the council selected Andy Wilson to replace Terry Tornek after Tornek’s successful mayoral run.