The Harvard-Westlake ballot

There are countless ways to sort candidates on the Los Angeles ballot: Think the Democratic Socialists of America-backed leftist contenders, the police union-endorsed moderates, or those who’ve refused corporate money and the would-be pols getting millions in outside backing from companies like Airbnb.

But this cycle, there was another distinct category of candidates: those who attended one of L.A.’s toniest private schools.

There were no less than five Harvard-Westlake graduates on some Los Angeles ballots this cycle, a somewhat staggering number, though it should be no surprise that a highly academic school favored by L.A.’s elites (annual tuition: $54,900) churns out would-be leaders. Former Mayor Eric Garcetti, former Governor Gray Davis, and the developer and 2022 mayoral hopeful Rick Caruso are all alums. 

But for all the privilege conferred on graduates of this secondary school — including deep-pocketed, well-connected social networks and, for some, millions in family funding — election victory is far from guaranteed. Here’s a look at the Harvard-Westlake caucus and how they fared in the primary.

Race: LAUSD Board

Success? Yes

Nick Melvoin, 40, cruised to reelection for his third term as a member of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education. Melvoin, who also graduated from Harvard University, was a fresh-faced thirtysomething when – backed by supporters of charter schools – he ousted then-board president Steve Zimmer in 2017. Since then, Melvoin has represented a district that spans the Westside and the western parts of the Valley. Melvoin unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2024.

Race: U.S. Congress

Notable family funding: Father, Mel Levine ($7,000); Mother, Jan Greenberg Levine, ($7,000)

Success? No

Jake Levine, 42, seized on criticism of elderly politicians and framed his bid to oust longtime Congressman Brad Sherman as a push for generational change in representing the 32nd Congressional District. (Incidentally, the district also includes the upper school campus of Harvard-Westlake, which is in Coldwater Canyon.) Levine, the son of former Congressman Mel Levine and former Superior Court Judge Jan Greenberg Levine, followed his time at Harvard-Westlake with an undergrad and law degree from Harvard. He worked in the Obama and Biden administrations, for the latter as a chief climate officer. But his first run for office came up short. Levine has just over 14% of votes, trailing Sherman (at 38.9%) and the Republican in the race, Larry Thompson (37.2%).

Race: L.A. City Controller

Notable family funding: Self funding of $1 million; $7.5 million into an independent expenditure from mother Sheryl Sokoloff

Success? No

Real estate executive Zach Sokoloff, 37, took on iconoclastic incumbent City Controller Kenneth Mejia with an attack-heavy campaign that had the backing of the county Democratic party and a slew of heavyweight establishment politicians. Sokoloff’s mother poured $7.5 million into an outside committee backing her son’s campaign — a previously unthinkable sum in a city controller race. (Sokoloff’s father is a managing partner at private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners). The outside money was largely spent on an onslaught of negative advertising characterizing Mejia as unfit for the job. Mejia, in turn, accused Sokoloff of trying to buy the citywide office. Voters appeared unswayed by the negative ads and Mejia beat Sokoloff by more than 18 points, as of last count. 

Race: Superior Court Judge

Success? Yes

Irene Lee, who served as a deputy district attorney for more than a decade, ran for Superior Court judge with the backing of the county Democratic party and several other local Democratic clubs. She left the D.A.’s office after progressive prosecutor George Gascón took office, then returned to a high-level post with the more moderate District Attorney Nathan Hochman. Her campaign had Hochman’s support, along with endorsements from former district attorneys Jackie Lacey and Steve Cooley. 

Lee handily beat her opponent Angie Christides, another prosecutor, and was up by nearly 18 points at last count.

Race: State Senate

Notable Family Funding: Self-funding of $1.85 million; Independent expenditures of more than $800,000 from father, Russell Goldsmith, and $495,000 from mother, Karen Mack Goldsmith, who also donated $11,800 to campaign

Success? Extremely likely

Brian Goldsmith, 44, was among a crowded field vying to fill the seat of state Senate District 24, which stretches from Rancho Palos Verdes to West Hollywood to Malibu and was previously held by Ben Allen, who is termed out (and running for Insurance Commissioner). Goldsmith grew up in West L.A. in a family perhaps best known for its leadership of City National Bank: his grandfather, Bram Goldsmith, and father, Russell Goldsmith, both led the “bank to the stars.”

Goldsmith was a news producer at CBS and CNN, among other gigs, and worked as a media consultant to political campaigns. Those ties to the Democratic establishment helped fuel his first run for public office: He racked up endorsements from Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, Barbara Boxer, Pete Buttigieg and his fellow Harvard-Westlake alum, Caruso. At press time, Goldsmith was in second place, with 18.75% of the vote, while G. Rick Marshall, a Republican, was in first place with 19.62%. Given the district’s deep-blue demographics, Goldsmith is heavily favored to win in November.

(Disclosure: One of the authors of this newsletter is also a Harvard-Westlake grad.) 

For the last 20 years, DJ Eddie One and his sidekick Smoochy have been mainstays on La Mega 96.3. Today they host the morning show La Mega Mezcla. They play reggaeton hits, discuss the latest sports news, and feature recurring segments like Spicy Talk, where callers chime in with questions like: Is it inappropriate for moms to dress provocatively for their kids' graduation?

But last June, when masked ICE agents began snatching Angelenos off the streets, the Spicy Talk segment turned more serious. DJ Eddie One started asking listeners questions like: What would you do if your own son signed up to be an ICE agent?

DJ Eddie, himself an immigrant from El Salvador, became an unexpected civic figure and trusted voice. And the radio station — most known for playing the latest hits from Bad Bunny and Shakira — became a hub for callers to express their grief over what was happening to and within L.A.’s Latino community, L.A. Material’s Antonia Cereijido reports.

STATE OF THE MAYOR’S RACE: It’s still unclear whether Councilmember Nithya Raman or Spencer Pratt will join Mayor Karen Bass on the November ballot. But Raman made more progress in the latest tranche of results Thursday, cutting Pratt’s lead down to just under six points. Plus, here’s how your neighborhood voted in the race. 

SHOCK AND AWE: A military training exercise at an abandoned hospital in Pasadena on Wednesday night miffed residents as helicopters circled the property and troops deployed flash bangs. Flight records reviewed by L.A. Material show that helicopters involved in the Pasadena exercise were the same aircraft that engaged in another training exercise in Irvine the same night. The footage is wild.

NO NEW TAXES: Votes, as you well know, are still being counted, but L.A. voters appear to have rejected a measure to raise the city’s hotel bed tax ahead of the 2028 Olympics. 

NIXONMAXXING: Disgraced President Richard Nixon is having an Instagram renaissance. L.A. Material’s Tomo Chien reveals how the Nixon Foundation has been producing a steady churn of viral content — sleek, sexy edits of archival footage set to trending music — that looks more like promo material for a hip-hop artist than a long-dead president. “In my Nixon era rn” one commenter said.

FEEL THE RAINBOW: It’s WeHo Pride, which means a slew of events, including Saturday’s Dyke March and Sunday’s main event parade, which starts at 12 p.m. on Santa Monica Boulevard between Crescent Heights and San Vicente boulevards. (And plenty of street closures in the area.) Friday is also Pride Night at Dodger Stadium. 

OPA! It’s also the Downey Greek Food Festival on Saturday and Sunday at the St. George Greek Orthodox Church. 

CITRULLUS O’CLOCK: The California Watermelon Festival is this weekend at Hansen Dam Recreation Center all day Saturday and Sunday.

NATIVE ARTS: The Autry Museum also hosts its annual American Indian Arts Marketplace on Saturday and Sunday with more than 100 Native contemporary and traditional artists and artisans. 

CALLING ALL MILLENNIALS: Belle and Sebastian are playing the Hollywood Palladium on Friday and Saturday night.

In this vintage video, Charles Bukowski rides shotgun and gives a tour of an L.A. neighborhood. 

AND FINALLY… A poem to pair with your morning coffee: “The Problem With Travel” by Ada Limón.

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