Meet Aida Ashouri, Candidate For Los Angeles City Attorney

LOS ANGELES, CA — Aida Ashouri, 43, is vying to be elected as the Los Angeles city attorney.

In the June 2 primary, incumbent City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto will face three challengers in her bid to seek a second term. Running against her are Ashouri, John McKinney and Marissa Roy.

Subscribe

Learn more about Ashouri's goals for Los Angeles:

What is your educational background?

I am a graduate of the University of California Berkeley, School of Law; George Washington University, Elliot School of International Affairs with a master's in International Affairs; and the University of California, Irvine, with a bachelor's in international studies.

What is your professional background?

I advised judges at the LA Immigration Court under the Department of Justice, worked at legal aid assisting renters facing eviction and slum landlords that refused to do repairs, worked on complex lawsuits involving multi-million dollar injury complaints, and in the City Attorney’s Office as a deputy city attorney where I conducted many jury trials ranging from domestic violence to DUI, and advised the City Council on issues during Trump’s first term like pro bono legal assistance to immigrants.

Have you ever held public office, whether appointive or elective?

I was elected to the board of the Los Feliz Neighborhood Council from 2021-2025, and appointed to the Griffith Park Advisory Board in 2022-2024.

The Los Angeles city attorney prosecutes misdemeanor offenses. How would you prioritize which cases to pursue?

As the only candidate who has worked in the criminal division of the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, I have seen criminal justice system and its issues firsthand and their impact.

Specifically, I saw the criminalization of poverty through the prosecution of the unhoused for crimes such as sleeping outside, and charging a cell phone at a Metro station. As well, I saw cases filed that were the result of the violation of constitutional rights.

When I was a deputy city attorney in San Diego and had control over my cases, I dismissed many cases where police did not properly investigate the case and there was insufficient evidence to pursue the case. I also allowed for changes in sentencing for non-violent cases to allow for people to seek rehabilitation and schooling.

However, prosecutor offices have a culture of pursuing convictions and jail time over what might be best for the community. As city attorney, I would reform the criminal division and train attorneys to recognize cases where constitutional rights are violated and to not file those cases.

My goal would be to abolish racial profiling in my office. This will also impact the LAPD as they will be disincentivized to arrest when they knew that we would not file those cases.

Additionally, I would make a policy not to criminalize poverty, and to focus resources on violent crimes. I would refocus our office on helping people rather than just racking up convictions. I want to hire social workers to assist domestic violence and sexual violence victims to connect victims to services, so that even if we cannot pursue a conviction, the victims can receive help and eventually independence. I also would prioritize rehabilitation, and not treat substance abuse as a crime but a public health matter, as it was treated prior to the War on Drugs.

As well, I would remove cash bail as a barrier to justice for nonviolent crimes. Our City Attorney’s Office is long needing reform to prioritize people and care over handcuffs.

What is one specific change you would make within the City Attorney’s Office to improve its effectiveness or public trust?

I am actually already doing this. It is connecting directly with the communities and being present where they are at. I have attended many events, conducted meet and greets, and spoken at meetings where I have continuously explained what the office does and how it can work better for the public interest. On my social media, I also break down the office’s roles and how the office can be utilized to better support regular, working class community members.

As city attorney, I will continue doing the same thing, connecting directly with the people, and utilizing social media to make the office more transparent and accountable. Our city has a terrible legacy of corruption and opaqueness, which disenfranchises the community and disincentivizes them from participating or even voting in elections. I am already working to reverse that.

I have been an activist for decades and have seen political power consolidated around wealthy and well-connected people, and not much has changed. That is why I am engaging people outside of the two-party system, who feel disenfranchised and want to build a worker-led movement, instead of operate in corporate-controlled large parties.

My campaign has been more than just my election but also building a movement and community to lift up marginalized voices like my own.

Why are you a better choice than your opponents?

I bring experience and integrity. I have a platform with many specific goals that are achievable and will transform the office without requiring an increase in spending.

I have experience with multiple units in the Office, and have also worked in the San Diego City Attorney’s Office. This is important as (incumbent City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto) has closed many specialized units and created an office catering to real estate interests.

For instance, she closed the Family Violence Unit that worked on domestic violence and sexual violence cases and the Code Enforcement Unit that went after landlords who refused to do repairs. Reopening and expanding these units so they better serve the people requires knowledge of how they operate. I am also the only candidate that has experience in tort law and employment law, which make up the bulk of the lawsuits that the office handles. As well, I am the only candidate that has worked in the criminal division of the City Attorney’s Offices.

There are five offices dedicated to prosecuting misdemeanors across the city, it is important to understand how these offices work to provide recommendations and training. This well-rounded experience means that I am capable of understanding the office to implement my reforms.

I also have my own perspective and knowledge as an immigrant from a working class background that can’t be simply learned. This insight has helped fuel my work and gives me empathy that has helped me center human rights in my campaign.