Inspired by Mamdani, DSA-LA Mobilizes to Expand Its Power on the Los Angeles City Council

DSA-LA turns Mamdani's New York win into local momentum

The crowd that packed a Tuesday night celebration in Highland Park watched New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's victory speech on large screens and echoed his lines from roughly 2,500 miles away. Many in the room were members of the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), who cheered Mamdani — a DSA member — as he promised measures such as faster, and some shouted back "Free!" when he referenced buses.

Organizers in Los Angeles say Mamdani's unapologetic, inclusion-focused campaign — and its emphasis on pocketbook issues affecting working-class voters — is a model for their strategy heading into June's municipal contests. DSA-LA volunteers have already launched canvass shifts, phone banks and postcard-writing events to support endorsed council candidates.

Local strategy: neighborhood organizing, targeted races

DSA-LA, a membership organization rather than a political party, has helped elect four endorsed council members since 2020, unseating incumbents in three consecutive cycles. Those victories, leaders say, were driven largely by grassroots tactics: knocking on doors, increasing turnout among renters and lower-income households, and cultivating neighborhood-level networks.

"What New York City is saying is that the rent is too damn high," said Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, who won her seat in 2022 with DSA logistical support. "Affordability is a huge issue — not just housing, but groceries, childcare — these are problems Angelenos are feeling every day."

The chapter aims to pick up two more council seats in June and has sketched a longer-term ambition of an eight-member DSA-aligned bloc on the 15-member council by 2028. "We would like a socialist City Council majority," said Benina Stern, co-chair of DSA-LA, calling expanded representation the logical next step.

Why the council, not the mayor

DSA-LA focuses on down-ballot council contests rather than citywide offices in part because of differences in governance between Los Angeles and New York. L.A. uses a relatively weaker mayor system: the council proposes legislation, modifies the mayoral budget and represents districts of more than a quarter-million people. That makes the council the most practical path to influence City Hall, organizers say.

Endorsements, vetting and volunteer power

Since 2020 the all-volunteer chapter has been selective in endorsements, asking candidates a detailed questionnaire with dozens of litmus-test questions: Do they support diverting funds from law enforcement? Do they oppose hosting the Olympics? Do they support repealing L.A.'s ban on homeless encampments near schools?

Once a candidate secures an endorsement, DSA-LA deploys volunteers to knock on doors, staff phone banks and stage fundraising events. At the election-night gathering, organizers recruited new volunteers for the reelection bids of Hernandez and Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez and handed out postcard-size fliers reading, "Hate Capitalism? So do we."

Policy priorities and recent wins

DSA-LA-backed officials emphasize housing affordability, unarmed response teams for non-violent crises and budget priorities that limit police expansion while preserving other city jobs. The four-member DSA-aligned bloc has helped shape the city's budget by supporting reductions in new Los Angeles Police Department recruit classes, Stern said, and by working with other progressive council members to expand teams of unarmed responders.

Some policy proposals championed in New York — free bus fares, city-run grocery stores and rent freezes — have echoes in Los Angeles. During the pandemic, then-Mayor Eric Garcetti issued a moratorium on rent hikes for more than 600,000 rent-stabilized apartments, a measure the council kept in place for four years. L.A. County also temporarily suspended mandatory bus fares, though fares were reinstated in 2022. More recently, Councilmember Nithya Raman — who chairs the council's housing committee — has backed a 3% annual cap on rent increases for certain rent-stabilized units.

Opposition and critique

DSA-LA's growth has generated vocal opposition. Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, criticized DSA-backed council members for supporting a $30-per-hour hotel minimum wage and a $32.35 minimum for construction workers, warning such policies could deter development. The union representing LAPD officers also pledged to fight DSA expansion, accusing socialists of using affordability issues to advance a platform that would "defund the police".

Tenant-rights advocate Estuardo Mazariegos, a DSA supporter running to replace Councilmember Curren Price in South L.A., praised recent victories as part of "taking back America for working people," while expressing skepticism about moderate incumbents. Councilmember Nithya Raman, the first DSA-backed winner in L.A., credited collaboration with Mayor Karen Bass on homelessness initiatives and called Bass "the most progressive mayor we've ever had in L.A."

Outlook

DSA-LA organizers acknowledge that matching New York's breakthrough citywide will take time. Even so, their neighborhood-first approach and emphasis on renter and working-class voters have yielded tangible local influence. With two more seats in play this June and a long-term goal of a DSA-aligned council majority, the chapter is betting that steady organizing — not overnight change — will expand its voice at City Hall.