Wearing her vibrant orange campaign color with pride, Councilwoman Heather Hutt (D-10th District) restated her commitment to addressing homelessness, job creation, and improving public services such as community-based policing, and street and sidewalk maintenance at the kickoff event for her reelection campaign on Sept. 7.
“My grandparents moved to Leimert Park in 1926,” said Hutt to the crowd at her campaign office located at 3653 S. La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles.
“One hundred years later and we’re still in the same basic neighborhood. I love this community! …And so, when we go back into that space and the homeless are getting services, it means something. It means that city resources are working,” she said.
The Los Angeles City Council appointed Hutt to serve the remainder of Mark Ridley Thomas’ term in 2023. She is currently in a race against Grace Yoo to represent one of the city’s most diverse ethnic communities, such as Little Ethiopia, Little Bangladesh, and Korea Town.
Hutt is the only single mother and Black woman with a seat on the City Council at present. It has been decades since a woman has represented this district. Her leadership reflects a trend in politics.
“As a woman who has always pushed to represent people, it feels natural to be a woman in a leadership role here,” said Hutt.
“We have a woman mayor, state senator, our representative in Congress is a woman, and even our U.S. Senator Laphonza Butler – all women,” she said.
With only 60 days left in this election cycle, Hutt and her many supporters mean business.
“This is so exciting,” said Hutt about her campaign kickoff. “I see so much beautiful support that I am so proud to have friends, relatives, neighbors, unions, businesspeople, grassroots organizers, and people from all corners of the district – they are all here today and that just feels great.”
City Councilwoman Traci Park was among the elected officials on hand to participate in Hutt’s campaign kick-off.
“Councilwoman Hutt is a fierce advocate for her community,” said Park of Council District 11. “She means business around that horseshoe (in Council chambers). And a real leader for what it means to be from and for a community.”
As the former representative of the 10th District, Herb Wesson assured the attendees that she was the best person for the job.
“It’s important to me that you have somebody (in this city council seat) who is doing this for all of the right reasons, someone who loves this district, and someone who is just a human being,” said Wesson.
Several Democratic clubs have endorsed Hutt.
“I think Heather has done a great job of representing this district for the L.A. City Council,” said an attendee. “Whether it is access to housing, making sure our streets and parks are safe, that’s what Heather cares about for the residents who live and work here.”
