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43rd Los Angeles City Attorney · First Woman · First Latina Elected Citywide in LA History
Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Left at 17 for Swarthmore College, then Columbia Law School — where she made Law Review and earned the Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar distinction. Moved to Los Angeles in 1982 and spent more than three decades rising to equity partner at two major international law firms, as a full-time working mother. Retired from private practice in 2016. Served on her neighborhood council. And then — because Los Angeles needed someone who would actually fix what was broken — she ran.
She has no future political ambitions beyond this office. That's not a talking point — it's what gives her the freedom to make hard decisions without fear or favor.
I am not coming to this job as a stepping stone in a political career. I have no future political aspirations beyond this office. That gives me the freedom to tackle the really difficult work of reforming how the office operates — without fear or favor.
— Hydee Feldstein SotoHydee took office after inheriting an office raided by the FBI and censured by a Special Master. She rebuilt it — and delivered results that span every community in Los Angeles.
220+ trafficked minors rescued. 2,000+ sex buyers cited. 6 crime-magnet motels shut down. 72+ sexual predators arrested. 96% of those rescued were Black or Latino. Expanding to Western Avenue with DA Hochman.
Cardona v. City of LA: plaintiff demanded $6.2M+ — jury found for the City in one day's deliberation. Abdullah swatting case: verdict for the City on all counts. Every dollar defended is a dollar for city services.
When the DA wouldn't prosecute a preschool sex abuse case, Hydee's office took it to court and won. Authored SB 680 closing the "Jeffrey Epstein loophole" in sex offender registry. AB 535 protecting trafficking victims from intimidation — both effective Jan 1, 2026.
LAPD at its lowest sworn officer count in 30 years (8,700). Hydee helped secure the City's NSSE designation for the Olympics — resulting in $1 billion in federal security funding. The City Attorney's office must be at full operational strength for these events.
Community Law Corps resolved 4,300+ neighborhood problems — party houses, copper wire theft, illegal cannabis, blight, nuisance properties. $1.3M in grants secured to prosecute impaired drivers. Community Outreach Court connecting homeless to legal services.
Built a 22-city coalition protecting $600M+ in federal transportation and housing grants plus $56M in DHS funds paying for LAPD watercraft, LAFD staffing, radiation detection, and first responder training. Created LA's first Labor Liaison position in office history.
Zero jury trials completed. Zero law enforcement endorsements. Wants prosecutors in the office 24 days a year. Wants to convert the office into a "public interest law firm." Her first jury trial is scheduled for August — after the election.
Leading a legal office of 550+ attorneys serving 4 million Angelenos.
Hydee attends at least 2 events in every Council District annually.
Whether your priority is public safety, environmental cleanup, housing programs, or immigrant services — none of it is possible without sound fiscal management of the City's legal office. Hydee has delivered. Roy would unwind it.
Every dollar lost to corruption or mismanagement is a dollar that cannot be spent on environmental remediation, infrastructure repair, or city services. Good government is the foundation that makes everything else possible.
— Hydee Feldstein SotoRoy's inexperience + plaintiff firm ties = runaway settlements. $320M already over budget. LAPD can't hire. Infrastructure can't be repaired. Every dollar paid to the firms that funded Roy's campaign is a dollar not spent on the city you want.
The $50M in environmental settlements, the PFAS lawsuit, the tenant protections, the immigrant services — all funded from the same general fund that gets drained by avoidable litigation. There is no progressive agenda in a city bankrupted by settlement payouts to the plaintiff firms that financed Roy's campaign.
Every documented contrast below is sourced, on the record, and consequential. The City Attorney manages over $150M in annual legal operations and controls settlement authority on cases that have already blown past $320M in payouts. The qualifications of the person in that office matter enormously.
Incumbent · 3 Years of Results
Challenger
Has tried and won major cases. Plaintiff firms know it. Settlement demands reflect it. Every trial win is money that stays in the city budget.
First trial scheduled August 2026 — after the election. Her own words on camera. Plaintiff firms know this. Settlement demands will reflect it.
Rebuilt in-office culture after inheriting near-full remote. Policy: up to 2 days/week remote for staff. The accountability that produced 4,300+ resolved cases and 220+ trafficking victims rescued.
Roy promised full-time telework with two drop-in days per month — 24 days in office per year for $250K+ lawyers. Hydee: "callow indifference to the accessibility we owe our constituents."
Every major law enforcement organization in LA has re-endorsed Hydee in 2026. LAPPL: April 3. ALADS: February 5. United Firefighters: $4,500 contributed.
Not one endorsement or contribution from any law enforcement organization. Wants to convert the office into a "public interest law firm."
Retired Angelenos (13.6%), business leaders (14.3%), civic organizations, law enforcement. Only $214 total from plaintiff firms. No fossil fuel, tobacco, or gun money — ever.
65+ donors from firms that regularly sue the City. Roy would personally oversee settlement negotiations with those same firms.
Formally opposed SB 79 with a 5-page documented analysis of $1.622B in unfunded costs. Independent, conflict-free legal counsel for the City.
Roy's fundraiser host (LAFLA) received $106.6M in city contracts March 2026. Roy would be legal counsel on SB 79 compliance while her funders push for maximum implementation.
Columbia Law, 3+ decades partner at major firms, 3+ years as City Attorney. General counsel to Mayor, City Council, and all departments. Everything verifiable.
Claimed "Deputy City Attorney." City payroll records: never employed or paid by the City — unpaid volunteer intern for one year. City's official statement on record.
The LA City Attorney's office manages 1,000+ employees, prosecutes misdemeanors, defends the city in court, and protects millions of Angelenos. Marissa Roy has promised full-time telework with two drop-in days a month — for $250K+ lawyers responsible for all of it.
Two days a month isn't hybrid work. It's absence. Public servants serve the public — and that means being present, accountable, and available. Not treating City Hall like a biweekly pop-up.
For those who have actually managed a large workforce, physical presence is inseparable from accountability and public integrity. If you're running to lead one of the most powerful legal offices in California, the least you can do is show up to it — and make sure the people you supervise do too.
"A candidate for this office, unfettered by management experience, has promised full-time telework with two 'drop in' days a month to all my employees. The statement shows a callow indifference to the accessibility we owe to our clients and constituents... That policy — authorizing $250K+ lawyers to be 'in office' only 24 days a year — hampers transparency and accountability and erodes client service and public trust."— Hydee Feldstein Soto · Official Press Response · April 2026
Hydee formally opposed SB 79 on May 23, 2025 with a 5-page letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Her analysis for just 300 new high-density developments (3 per each of LA's 99 Neighborhood Council Districts):
"SB 79 could not be more poorly timed for Los Angeles." — Hydee's letter, May 2025, written just months after the Palisades Fire.
Roy's campaign donor network — LAFLA, Public Counsel, and other housing activist organizations — are the loudest advocates for maximum SB 79 implementation. Roy would be the City's legal counsel on whether to comply, delay, or challenge the law — while her funders are simultaneously pressuring the City to comply.
Cities that don't comply face $10K–$50K/month in state fines plus potential AG prosecution. Getting this advice wrong — in either direction — costs the City enormously. It requires conflict-free, experienced counsel. Roy has neither.
| City Attorney | Trial Experience | Management | Budget | Municipal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hahn 1985–2001 | Extensive · 4 yrs city prosecutor, hundreds of trials | Extensive · 16 yrs, 358 attorneys, 21 offices | Extensive · 4 yrs as elected City Controller | Extensive · Entire career in LA city govt |
| Delgadillo 2001–2009 | Moderate · 6 yrs O'Melveny litigation | Extensive · Deputy Mayor, led 550+ attorneys | Extensive · Deputy Mayor budget authority | Extensive · Senior city executive pre-election |
| Trutanich 2009–2013 | Extensive · County prosecutor, hundreds of trials | Moderate · Founded own firm, managed 507–647 attorneys | Moderate · Cut office from $113M to $77M | Moderate · County prosecutor, deep LA ties |
| Feuer 2013–2022 | Moderate · Private practice, judicial clerk | Extensive · Exec Dir Bet Tzedek, led 500+ attorneys 9 yrs | Extensive · City Council budget chair, Assembly appropriations | Extensive · LA Councilmember 6 yrs, CA Assembly 6 yrs |
| ✓ Hydee Feldstein Soto 2022–present | Extensive · Decades as partner, complex multi-party litigation | Extensive · Partner management; 3+ yrs running 1,000-person office | Extensive · Managed matters exceeding LA's annual budget; ~$150M+ office budget | Extensive · 3+ yrs as elected CA, general counsel to Mayor, Council, all departments |
| Marissa Roy Challenger 2026 | None · First jury trial scheduled August 2026 | None · Zero direct reports ever, per DOJ org chart | None · No budget authority documented anywhere | Intern Only · 1 yr unpaid, misrepresented as "Deputy City Attorney" |
"My lawsuit currently will be my first jury trial — scheduled for August."— Marissa Roy, on camera, March 2026
Plaintiff attorneys price demands based on whether opposing counsel will actually go to trial. The City Attorney's willingness to try cases is the largest single variable in what LA pays out each year.
Experienced attorneys reduce adverse outcomes by 17% vs. first-year attorneys. Effect driven entirely by trial preparedness.
The plaintiff firms that donated $83,057 to Roy know she has never tried a case. If Roy wins, those firms benefit — and every Angeleno pays for it.
When Hydee took office there was no civil environmental enforcement infrastructure. She created the first Public Rights Branch (42 positions) and Real Estate Branch. She does not accept fossil fuel money — and has signed the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge every cycle.
Laborers LiUNA 300 · LiUNA 777 · LiUNA 1309 · Southern CA Laborers District Council
IUOE Local 12 · IATSE Local 33 · IUPAT DC 36
UA Local 250 (Plumbers) · ILWU Local 94
IBEW Locals 11, 18, 47 · UFCW Local 770
BizFed PAC · LA City Attorneys Association
Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project LA County
Women's Political Committee · NWPC California
Citizens for Accountable Leadership · Heart of LA
Brownie Mary Democratic Club · Avance Democratic Club
Southern CA Armenian Democrats · Moms In Office
Marissa Roy: Endorsed by CA AG Rob Bonta (her current boss) and DSA Controller Kenneth Mejia. Zero law enforcement. Zero major editorial boards.
Every law enforcement organization that evaluated both candidates chose Hydee. That's not partisan — that's professional judgment about fitness for office.Our office does not have any personnel or human resources record of Marissa Roy as an employee of the City of Los Angeles or with a title. Our information indicates that Ms. Roy was not paid by the City Attorney's office or by the City, but that she was a volunteer intern through the Justice Catalyst fellowship program.— Official Statement, Los Angeles City Attorney's Office
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