LA City Stentorians back Eunisses Hernandez for reelection

By AI, Created 11:31 PM UTC, June 01, 2026, /AGP/ – The Los Angeles City Stentorians endorsed Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez on the eve of Election Day, adding to a broad coalition behind her District 1 reelection bid. The endorsement highlights her public safety and community investment agenda as she faces voters in Los Angeles.

Why it matters: - The endorsement adds a prominent Black firefighter advocacy group to Hernandez’s reelection coalition. - The backing reinforces Hernandez’s public safety message centered on a care-first approach, neighborhood investment, and fire department resources. - The Stentorians’ support may help Hernandez with voters focused on safety, equity, and city services in Los Angeles City Council District 1.

What happened: - Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez announced on June 1, 2026 that the Los Angeles City Stentorians endorsed her 2026 reelection campaign. - The announcement came the day before Election Day. - The Los Angeles City Stentorians are an all-Black firefighter advocacy organization in Los Angeles. - The group was founded in 1954 to push the fire department away from segregation and toward equity and integration.

The details: - Hernandez said she was proud to receive the endorsement because the Stentorians were founded to challenge racial injustice and uplift Black firefighters. - Hernandez tied the endorsement to her push for a care-first public safety approach that includes a fully resourced fire department, clean neighborhoods, education and prevention programs, and reliable infrastructure. - A Stentorians spokesperson said Hernandez has shown “structural courage” through her votes, advocacy, and support for community-centered investment. - The spokesperson said the organization looks forward to building a lasting partnership with Hernandez. - Hernandez’s endorsement list also includes the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and more than a dozen unions. - Those unions include SEIU 721, UTLA, NUHW, CIR-SEIU, LIUNA Local 300, Roofers Local 36, ILWU Local 13, UNITE HERE Local 11, IATSE Local B-192, UNAC/UHCP, Teamsters Joint Council 42, and EAA. - Endorsers also include elected leaders across levels of government, among them Senator Bernie Sanders, Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia, City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, and Councilmembers Ysabel Jurado, Hugo Soto-Martinez, Nithya Raman, and Heather Hutt. - Additional supporters include California Assembly Members Alex Lee, Jessica Caloza, Sade Elhawary, and Tina McKinnor; State Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas; and county supervisors Hilda Solis, Holly Mitchell, and Lindsey Horvath. - Other local backers listed in the release include LAUSD Board Members Nick Melvoin and Dr. Rocio Rivas, Culver City Vice Mayor Freddy Puza, Culver City Councilmember and former Mayor Yasmine-Imani McMorrin, Culver City Councilmember Bubba Fish, Santa Monica Councilmembers Caroline Torosis and Natalya Zernitskaya, and West Hollywood Mayor Chelsea Byers. - Since her election, Hernandez has focused on affordable housing, tenant protections, unarmed crisis response, and economic justice. - Her record includes passing the strongest tenant protections in more than 40 years, expanding the unarmed crisis response program, securing $25 million for MacArthur Park improvements, and co-authoring the Sanctuary City ordinance. - As a member of the Budget and Finance Committee during the Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget process, Hernandez helped reshape a nearly $14 billion city budget. - That budget work included funding to prevent layoffs of more than 1,000 city workers. - Hernandez also helped cut police recruitment plans by half. - The budget preserved services for low-income and immigrant communities while opposing deep cuts to departments serving housing, disability, public health, and community investment. - Her broader agenda has included environmental justice work, interim housing, and community safety programs such as the Peace Ambassador program and the Mobile Overdose Response Unit.

Between the lines: - The Stentorians’ endorsement signals alignment between Hernandez and a group with deep roots in the fight for fairness inside Los Angeles public safety institutions. - The release frames Hernandez as a progressive incumbent whose record combines budget fights, tenant policy, and public safety reform. - The breadth of endorsements suggests Hernandez is trying to build a multiracial labor-and-community coalition as the campaign closes.

What’s next: - Voters decide the race on Election Day. - Hernandez’s campaign is likely to lean on labor, reform-minded elected officials, and community organizations as it makes its final case to District 1 voters. - The endorsement gives Hernandez another public signal of support as the campaign enters its final stretch.