Thread by @StoltzeFrankly

.@EunissesH Hernandez of @LADefensx, who advocates for abolishing the #LAPD as it stands now, has declared victory over incumbent LA City Councilman @cmgilcedillo, who has been something of a political icon in the LA's Latino community. @LAist

This is a bombshell

🧵Threat🧵

The latest @LACountyRRCC vote count had Hernandez leading Cedillo by 2,019 votes - an insurmountable lead, according to the Hernandez camp. Cedillo has yet to concede.

Hernandez leads 53.51%-46.49%.

One analyst told me, yes, Cedillo is sunk.

It's hard to overstate the importance of this outcome.

Hernandez, 32, was given little chance against the 68-year-old Cedillo, who spent 14 years in the state legislature before joining the council in 2012.

Cedillo championed the state law that gave unauthorized immigrants the right to have a driver's license, working his entire legislative career on the issue before finally seeing Gov. Brown sign his bill.

He once led the largest union representing LA County government workers.

Hernandez cut her teeth on criminal justice issues.

She fought the war on drugs w the Drug Policy Alliance, campaigned for Prop 47, and helped craft Measure J, which has spurred the county to commit $287M to social services including alternatives to incarceration over 2 years.

Hernandez' win over Cedillo is not just a victory over him but also over the police union @LAPPL and California Apartment Association @caanet, both of which spent money against her.

(She campaigned on stronger protections for renters too.)

Hernandez tapped into growing discontent among people over a political and economic system that is not working for them - nationally and in LA.

It is about so much more than the homelessness crisis, affordable housing or the conduct of police.

Look what @pewresearch says:

"From 1970 to 2018, the share of aggregate income going to middle-class households fell from 62% to 43%. Over the same period, the share held by upper-income households increased from 29% to 48%. The share flowing to lower-income households inched down from 10% to 9%."

Of course, this was a low voter turnout election. So getting your supporters to actually cast ballots was key.

But that's in part what Eunisses Hernandez does - she is a community organizer.

Gil Cedillo was once that when he organized union workers.