Los Angeles City Council, District 3 — Timothy K. Gaspar vs. Barri Worth Girvan
Current as of · voting-clarity.org
November 3, 2026 City of Los Angeles ballot. AI-generated analysis. Your sample ballot and official voter guide are the official documents; the links below let you check each claim. This page explains what is on the ballot; it is not legal advice.
Voting Clarity's research is done by Claude, an AI made by Anthropic. Anthropic gave no money to either candidate in this race [1].
At a glance
Candidates appear in official ballot order. Each bullet points to the section with its sources. More detail is at the end of the page.
Timothy K. Gaspar
Ballot title: "Valley Businessman/Parent" (Key Questions, item 0)
Background: founded an insurance business (item 1)
Public office held: None found (item 2)
Top priorities: safety, homelessness, small business, youth (item 3)
Money raised: about $772,000, plus $358,000 in public matching funds (item 5)
Outside groups' spending: about $2.1 million for him (item 5)
Official records and foreign-influence check: None found (items 7 and 9)
June primary: first place (Summary)
Barri Worth Girvan
Ballot title: "Valley Community Advocate" (Key Questions, item 0)
Background: staff jobs in government, most recently for a county supervisor (item 1)
Public office held: None found (item 2)
Top priorities: safe, clean neighborhoods; local jobs; better city services (item 3)
Money raised: about $365,000, plus $335,000 in public matching funds (item 5)
Outside groups' spending: about $355,000 for her (item 5)
Official records and foreign-influence check: None found (items 7 and 9)
June primary: second place (Summary)
Key questions
Who votes in this race? Only people who live in Council District 3 (Your Vote).
Did anyone win in June? No. The top two go to November (Summary).
Has either candidate held public office? None found for either (item 2).
Can their votes in office be compared? No. Neither has votes to compare (Their records, side by side).
Where both have a stated position, how do they differ? See Positions side by side. A missing position reads "No stated position found."
Do official records show ethics, court or foreign-influence findings? None found for either (items 7 and 9).
Your Vote:
Vote for one. Only voters who live in Council District 3 vote in this race. The candidate with more of the votes cast by those voters wins [2][3]. The race is nonpartisan. No party appears on the ballot [3]. The term is four years. It starts December 14, 2026. A member may serve up to three terms [4].
Summary
The City Council writes the city's laws [5]. It adopts the yearly city budget. It can change the mayor's budget. The mayor can veto budget items, and two-thirds of the Council can override a veto [6][7]. The Council also approves or rejects the mayor's picks for the boards that head city departments, such as police, fire and public works [8][9]. It has 15 members, each elected from a district [5].
The seat is open. Councilmember Bob Blumenfield cannot run again because of term limits [4].
No candidate won more than half the votes cast by Council District 3 voters in the June 2 primary. Gaspar received 46.08% (22,266 votes), Girvan 42.51% (20,541) and C.R. Celona 11.41% (5,512) [10]. Under the City Charter, when no candidate wins more than half the votes cast by Council District 3 voters, the top two candidates meet in November [3].
Key Questions Answered
Timothy K. Gaspar
Ballot designation and order: "Valley Businessman/Parent"; listed first [2][11].
Background (self-reported): Born and raised in Canoga Park. Graduated from El Camino Real High School, Pierce College and California State University, Northridge. Founded Gaspar Insurance in 2008. Has held leadership roles with Discovery Cube Los Angeles, the Metropolitan YMCA of Los Angeles and the Woodland Hills/Warner Center Chamber of Commerce [12]. LAist reports he recently sold the insurance business [13].
Record in public office: None found.
Stated priorities (campaign website, self-reported): "Four priorities": public safety ("Safer Streets"), homelessness ("Our goal is simple: zero encampments in CD3," where CD3 means Council District 3), small business ("Less Red Tape") and youth investment [14].
Positions: see Positions side by side, below.
Money: Through Sept. 19, 2026: $771,726.31 in contributions and $357,550 in public matching funds [15]. Independent spending (money spent by outside groups the campaign does not control), as of Oct. 19, 2026: $2,184,580.78 supporting him [16]; $0 opposing him, as the Ethics Commission's opposing-spending listing for him shows no matching independent expenditures [17]. Member communications (messages organizations send to their own members): None found [15]. The spenders are listed under More detail.
Endorsements (campaign list, self-reported): Los Angeles Police Protective League, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Locals 18 and 40, Valley Industry & Commerce Association, Councilmembers Bob Blumenfield, Monica Rodriguez, Tim McOsker and John Lee, and others [18]. The rest are listed under More detail.
Official-record items: None found [19][20][21]. Criminal charges: None found [22].
Primary result and past races: See Summary for the June 2026 result. Past races and party posts: None found. The County Registrar's results for the March 5, 2024 primary, searched by name across every contest listed, show no candidate named Gaspar [23].
Foreign-influence check: None found [22][24][25].
Barri Worth Girvan
Ballot designation and order: "Valley Community Advocate"; listed second [2][11].
Background (self-reported): Born and raised in the West Valley. Graduated from the University of California, San Diego and holds a master's degree from the University of Southern California. Most recently Director of Community Affairs for County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath. Earlier directed government affairs and community engagement for the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. Held staff posts in the State Legislature and in the office of former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa [26][13].
Record in public office: None found.
Stated priorities (campaign website, self-reported): "Ensuring safe, clean neighborhoods: Focusing on public safety & housing"; "Enhancing the economic vitality of our region"; "Making government work better for the people it represents" [27].
Positions: see Positions side by side, below.
Money: Through Sept. 19, 2026: $365,307.10 in contributions and $335,290 in public matching funds [15]. Independent spending, as of Oct. 19, 2026: $355,131.13 supporting her [28]; $0 opposing her, as the Ethics Commission's opposing-spending listing for her shows no matching independent expenditures [29]. Member communications (messages organizations send to their own members) supporting her: $1,248.13; opposing her: None found [15]. The spenders are listed under More detail.
Endorsements (campaign list, self-reported): Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, Los Angeles County Democratic Party, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Locals 721 and 2015, the Sierra Club, County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, Assessor Jeffrey Prang, former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and others [30]. The rest are listed under More detail.
Official-record items: None found [19][20][21]. Criminal charges: None found [22].
Primary result and past races: See Summary for the June 2026 result. Past races and party posts: March 5, 2024 primary, Member, County Central Committee, 46th Assembly District, Democratic: 11,080 votes (8.18%), seventh of 12 candidates; she was among the seven elected [23][31]. The same search of the County Registrar's results, by name across every contest listed, was run for both candidates.
Foreign-influence check: None found [22][24][25].
Positions side by side
The issues come from the LAist voter guide's list of challenges for the next council (homelessness and federal immigration enforcement) and the topics it covers for both candidates (police and housing) [13]. Where one candidate has a stated position and the other does not, the other reads "No stated position found." A quote that comes only from a news outlet is labeled "as quoted by LAist."
Homelessness.
Gaspar: His plan says that if help is refused, "we'll use every legal tool to clear the encampment" (campaign website, self-reported) [32]. LAist reports he criticized the mayor's Inside Safe program and said the work could cost less if contracted to groups such as the Salvation Army [13].
Girvan: Her campaign website says "LAHSA [the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority] cannot solve this crisis" and that she wants to dismantle the agency and replace it with "a structure that is transparent, accountable and actually works" (campaign website, self-reported) [33]. LAist reports she wants more involvement from county health departments in moving people from encampments to shelter [13].
Police and public safety.
Gaspar: "As a Council Member, I'll work with LAPD [the Los Angeles Police Department] to make sure these crimes are prioritized," referring to quality-of-life crimes such as vandalism and illegal dumping (campaign website, self-reported) [34]. LAist reports he said he would not have voted for the current city budget because it did not give enough money to law enforcement [13].
Girvan: She wants "Police and alternative response teams" to be "properly staffed in our part of the city" (campaign website, self-reported) [33]. LAist reports she has called for growing the police department from under 9,000 officers to 12,000 [13].
Housing and rent.
Rent control. Gaspar: He opposes rent control because it "creates slumlords" and "drives prices up," as quoted by LAist [13]. Girvan: No stated position found.
Where to build. Girvan: "Build near transit, jobs, and existing density — not in high‑fire zones or areas without infrastructure" (campaign website, self-reported) [33]. Gaspar: No stated position found. LAist reports that at a September forum he blamed a state law that overrides city zoning [13].
Federal immigration enforcement.
Gaspar: He opposes raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and wants to support immigrants "working their tail off to make life better," as quoted by LAist [13].
Girvan: She called ICE raids "unconscionable," as quoted by LAist [13].
Their records, side by side
Neither candidate has held an elected public office with official votes or decisions to compare. The table has the same issues as Positions side by side. A cell shows the candidate's official action, or the candidate's own linked announcement of support for or opposition to a specific measure or bill. Where none was found, it reads "No role found." Each cell cites the pages searched.
| Issue | Timothy K. Gaspar | Barri Worth Girvan |
|---|---|---|
| Homelessness | No role found. [14][32] | No role found. [27][33] |
| Police and public safety | No role found. [14][34] | No role found. [27][33] |
| Housing and rent | No role found. [13][14] | No role found. [27][33] |
| Federal immigration enforcement | No role found. [13][14] | No role found. [13][27][33] |
Accusations between the candidates
None found.
Foreign-influence check
Same check for both candidates: travel or gifts paid by a foreign government (Statement of Economic Interests, Form 700, which candidates for city office file with the California Fair Political Practices Commission; each candidate filed a candidate Form 700 in February 2026, and the Commission's search portal lists no gift or travel payments for either) [25]; registration as a foreign government's agent (U.S. Justice Department Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) database; a name search of its Historical List of All Registrants and Historical List of All Short Form Registrants, not a full-text search of filings) [24]; and federal charges involving acting for a foreign government (Justice Department site search) [22]. Result: None found for either candidate.
More detail
Collapsed on the website.
Money: spenders
Supporting Gaspar (independent spending, as listed Oct. 18, 2026) [16]: two committees sponsored by the Central City Association of Los Angeles ($889,247 combined); the California Alliance of Family Owned Business Political Action Committee ($386,139); the California Apartment Association Housing Solutions Committee ($392,749); a committee sponsored by IBEW Local 18 ($279,026); and the Los Angeles Police Protective League committee ($136,404).
Supporting Girvan (independent spending, as listed Oct. 18, 2026) [28]: a Los Angeles County Federation of Labor committee ($191,419) and a committee sponsored by the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters ($163,713).
Opposing either candidate: $0 [17][29].
More endorsements (campaign lists, self-reported)
Gaspar: BizFed (Los Angeles County Business Federation), County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, Rick Caruso [18].
Girvan: Western States Regional Council of Carpenters, Teamsters Joint Council 42, Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters, Congressmember Julia Brownley and Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel [30].
Sources
City of Los Angeles Ethics Commission, campaign contributions and independent expenditures search, contributor "Anthropic", https://ethics.lacity.gov/data/campaigns/contributions/, searched Oct. 16, 2026; and Cal-Access, Anthropic PBC (filer 1491817), https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Campaign/Committees/Detail.aspx?id=1491817, as of Oct. 16, 2026.
LA County Registrar, Final List of Qualified Candidates, Sept. 2, 2026, p. 65.
Los Angeles City Charter, Secs. 424–427 (nonpartisan ballot; results of the primary nominating election).
City Clerk, General Information for Candidates, 2026.
Los Angeles City Charter, Secs. 240–243 (legislative power; Council size).
Los Angeles City Charter, Secs. 311–314 (budget).
Los Angeles City Charter, Secs. 314–315 (mayor's budget veto; Council override).
Los Angeles City Charter, Secs. 500–501 (departments and boards of commissioners).
Los Angeles City Charter, Secs. 501–504 (appointment of commissioners).
LA County Registrar, June 2, 2026 results (results as of June 26, 2026).
City Clerk, certified list of candidates.
Gaspar campaign website, Meet Tim (self-reported).
LAist, voter guide, City Council District 3 (news outlet).
Gaspar campaign website, Priorities (self-reported).
LA City Ethics Commission, 2026 election totals and itemized contribution records, reported through Sept. 19, 2026.
LA City Ethics Commission, independent-expenditure listing supporting Gaspar, read Oct. 19, 2026 (total $2,184,580.78; 48 listings).
LA City Ethics Commission, independent-expenditure listing opposing Gaspar, read Oct. 16, 2026 (no matching independent expenditures found).
Gaspar campaign website, Endorsements (self-reported).
LA City Ethics Commission, enforcement orders (searched by name for both candidates).
California Fair Political Practices Commission, site document search (fines and warning letters; searched by name for both candidates).
State Bar of California, attorney search (neither candidate is listed).
U.S. Department of Justice, site search (names searched in quotation marks, Oct. 16, 2026: "Timothy Gaspar," "Tim Gaspar," "Timothy K. Gaspar," "Barri Girvan," "Barri Worth Girvan"; no results for any), plus web searches of Los Angeles County District Attorney and California Attorney General releases.
LA County Registrar, March 5, 2024 Presidential Primary Election results (final results as of March 29, 2024, the certification date; every contest listed was searched by name for both candidates; Girvan's contest: Member, County Central Committee, 46th Assembly District, Democratic; read Oct. 16, 2026).
U.S. Department of Justice, Foreign Agents Registration Act database, Browse Filings (Historical List of All Registrants, 7,093 entries, and Historical List of All Short Form Registrants, 44,708 entries, both as of Oct. 16, 2026; searched for "Gaspar" and "Girvan").
California Fair Political Practices Commission, Search Filed Form 700s (filer-name and gifts-and-travel searches, Oct. 16, 2026; the portal states it covers candidates for city council).
Girvan campaign website, About Barri (self-reported).
Girvan campaign website, home page (self-reported).
LA City Ethics Commission, independent-expenditure listing supporting Girvan, read Oct. 19, 2026 (total $355,131.13; 11 listings).
LA City Ethics Commission, independent-expenditure listing opposing Girvan, read Oct. 16, 2026 (no matching independent expenditures found).
Girvan campaign website, Endorsements (self-reported).
County of Los Angeles, news release, March 29, 2024 (the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk certified the final results of the March 5, 2024 Presidential Primary Election; the results page cited at [23] is dated the same day).
Gaspar campaign website, Homelessness plan (self-reported).
Girvan campaign website, Issues (self-reported).
Gaspar campaign website, Public Safety plan (self-reported).
Could not be reviewed
Official candidate statements: published only in address-specific sample ballots.
California appellate court docket party search: stopped at a human-verification check.
Los Angeles Superior Court name index and federal court files through Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER): fee-based; not searched.
FARA full-text search of filing documents: not run (it opens in a pop-up the browser blocks); the Historical List of All Registrants and the Historical List of All Short Form Registrants were searched by surname instead. The foreign-principal list was not searched on this page.
Justice Department archive of older releases: separate section; not searched.
Form 700 filing documents (PDF): download not allowed; the portal's gifts-and-travel data was searched instead.
Earlier elections: only the March 5, 2024 primary results were searched by name for past races and party posts, for both candidates; other past elections were not searched.
Council District 3 neighborhood list from an official source: no readable official text (City Clerk redistricting file is a scanned image; cd3.lacity.gov has no boundary description and its FAQ page denied access).
Itemized direct-contribution donor categories: not compiled.