LOS ANGELES, CA – Levon Baronian’s campaign for Los Angeles City Council, District 4 announced on Wednesday that Baronian has officially qualified as a certified candidate by the Los Angeles City Clerk’s office. In doing so, Baronian becomes the first candidate in the district to officially qualify to be on the ballot in the March 5, 2024 election, beating the incumbent Nithya Raman to the important milestone. Raman’s candidacy has not yet been certified per the latest information published by the Los Angeles City Clerk’s office on Wednesday, November 29.
An article in the Los Angeles Times on Saturday discussed how difficult it is for candidates in Los Angeles City Council races to collect the required number of valid signatures to qualify to get on the ballot.
Baronian, an award-winning former NASA engineer and Neighborhood Councilmember, sent ripple waves across the Los Angeles political ecosystem on Wednesday by being the first to qualify for the Los Angeles City Council District 4 election despite being the last candidate to announce his candidacy.
Rostom Sarkissian, a Los Angeles based public affairs professional with over 20 years of experience in political campaigns, who ran for Los Angeles City Council in 2015 stated that, “Levon qualifying first to get on the ballot, even before the incumbent, is a great signal of grassroots strength and sets him up as a serious challenger for the position.”
On Wednesday, Baronian’s campaign stated, “I was the last to declare my candidacy for the district. The incumbent and another challenger have been campaigning (and spending thousands of dollars) for months. But no amount of astroturfing can overcome the power of grassroots. Thanks to the overwhelming support of the registered voters in the district, we were able to efficiently and quickly qualify to get on the ballot. I plan to bring the same efficiency, work ethic, and collaborative spirit to City Hall if entrusted and elected by you.”
As of the last expenditure filings at the end of September, Raman and another challenger Ethan Weaver had each spent nearly $100,000 already in an effort to get their names out before collecting signatures.
The three other yet-to-be certified candidates are the incumbent, Nithya Raman, along with Stacey Segarra-Bohlinger and Ethan Weaver.
Los Angeles City Council District 4 encompasses the neighborhoods of Sherman Oaks, Encino, parts of Reseda and Studio City, Los Feliz, Mount Olympus, Hollywood Hills, Silverlake, and Hollywood. A full district map is available here.
