LOS ANGELES — It’s the last push for both candidates to get voters to the polls in the race for Los Angeles City Council District 6.

Each campaign had volunteers ready to go, including Sean Pilz.

“It’s about going and knocking on those doors and making those phone calls, reminding people to make sure they get out and vote,” he said.

Pilz is a 19-year-old college student who got involved after the scandal broke that forced former City Council member Nury Martinez to resign.

“I didn’t want to just go around and complain and talk about the horrors that are happening with our city. I wanted to do something,” he said.  

He researched all the candidates, and he said Imelda Padilla stood out. He liked her vision and her experience.

At the Marissa Alcaraz campaign, Nicolas Reyes was busy handing out shirts.

“Marisa Alcatraz would be a good fit for City Council because she understands our issues, the working men and women of this city,” he said.

Reyes is a carpenter and came to volunteer with his union for Alcaraz. He said this race is important because “it’s just one more vote that either is going to advance our issues of the Valley or not.”

Dr. Fernando Guerra, a professor of political science at Loyola Marymount University, has been following the election for CD6 closely too.

“Whoever wins today will be on the council for two years, then get to run for re-election three more times, each time for four years. I mean, you’re talking about electing a person who will probably be on the City Council for 14 years,” he said.

During the primary, turnout was low with just over 11% of eligible voters cast their ballot during the primary in April.

Guerra said because it’s a special election, he doesn’t expect a large turnout this time around either.

He said if a candidate figured out a way to mobilize a couple thousand people, they would “change the course of that election, that district and maybe even the politics of LA.”