Business-backed Gaspar and labor-supported Girvan clash in LA's 3rd District council runoff

Tim Gaspar and Barri Worth Girvan will face off on Nov. 3 for the vacant Los Angeles City Council seat in the West Valley, with Gaspar backed by business interests and Girvan endorsed by labor and Democratic officials.

Los Angeles voters will decide the successor to term-limited councilmember Bob Blumenfield in the West San Fernando Valley on Nov. 3, after the June primary left former insurance entrepreneur Tim Gaspar and public-sector veteran Barri Worth Girvan as the top two contenders. Gaspar captured 46.1% of the primary vote, edging Girvan's 42.5%, and has been endorsed by the outgoing councilmember and by business allies including Airbnb, Uber, the California Apartment Association, the L.A.

Police Protective League and IBEW Local 18, which together spent $1.39 million on independent expenditures. Girvan, who has worked for County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath and former mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, relies on a slate of Democratic endorsements and labor support from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, SEIU and the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. Fund-raising totals show Gaspar with over $180,000 raised versus roughly $31,000 for Girvan.

Policy-wise, Gaspar emphasizes a business perspective, opposes rent control and favors limited density increases, while Girvan pushes for more transit-adjacent housing and highlights core city services. Both candidates say public safety and expanding the LAPD are top priorities, framing the runoff as a contest between business-driven growth and labor-focused community advocacy.