Los Angeles City Council District 1 winner
$4.8K
NOV 7, 2026
General Election
Voters choose the office holder.
Overview
Current roleNonprofit executive
GenderMale
LocationCalifornia
BackgroundNonprofit executive
EducationCalifornia State University, Dominguez Hills — B.A., Physical Education (2005)
Show moreShow less
Notable personal detailsRaul Claros is a candidate for Los Angeles City Council District 1 in 2026. He previously served as a member of the Los Angeles Police Permit Review Panel (2014–2015) and as a commissioner on the City of Los Angeles Commission for Community and Family Services (2016–2025). Claros has worked as a nonprofit executive and previously served as executive director of the American Red Cross Northern Valleys (Los Angeles Region) and as a deputy for Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson. He earned a B.A. in Physical Education from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
SourcesShowHide
Positions
Economy & Taxes
The candidate’s campaign platform emphasizes supporting small businesses, job training, fiscal accountability, audits to protect taxpayer dollars, and redirecting wasteful spending toward public safety, housing, and core services. The platform discusses economic development programs and fiscal stewardship but does not state explicit tax-policy proposals (for example, specific tax increases or cuts).
Healthcare
Campaign platform emphasizes expanding mental health services, substance-use treatment, and coordinated wraparound care linked to homelessness response and supportive housing. Public statements reported in local coverage show support for on-site supportive services but also criticism of certain harm-reduction programs (e.g., needle exchanges), producing mixed signals on specific public-health interventions.
Show moreShow less
Immigration & Border
Supports sanctuary city status, advocates for a clear pathway to citizenship for law-abiding immigrants, and emphasizes protecting due process and distinguishing between working immigrants and criminals.
Climate & Energy
Raul Claros has publicly supported a SoCalGas hydrogen pipeline project and his affiliated nonprofits have received sponsorships from SoCalGas; his campaign platform focuses on infrastructure, public works, housing, and basic services but does not articulate aggressive emissions-reduction or Green New Deal–style policies.
Public Safety & Guns
Supports strengthening and fully staffing public safety institutions, increasing LAPD sworn staffing to prior levels and funding civilian support roles and mental-health services to keep officers on patrol. Endorses enforcement measures to remove encampments from sensitive areas and partners with law-enforcement task forces to align criminal-justice resources with homelessness solutions. No explicit public position on specific gun regulations was found in the cited materials.
News
Raul Claros is in the news for making MacArthur Park a central issue in his Los Angeles City Council District 1 campaign. He spent a weekend living in a 30-foot RV at the park to draw attention to crime, drug activity, homelessness, and other conditions he says residents are facing. Claros says restoring the park would be a priority if he is elected, as he challenges incumbent Eunisses Hernandez.
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
- Polls
- Endorsements
- Fundraising