ISSUE 2 • JUNE 8, 2026
Hi neighbors,
Here is a mini issue of Eagle Rock Pop featuring the latest election results, a few upcoming events, and a sneak peek at the first installment in the Eagle Rock Confidential series—a look back at historical events that, for better or worse, helped shape our little burg and greater Los Angeles.
— Kathleen Craughwell
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
COMING SOON
This summer, Eagle Rock Pop will publish The District 14 Machine, a series exploring the complicated—and sometimes scandalous—history of Los Angeles City Council District 14.
Few council districts can match District 14's record of producing ambitious politicians and headline-making controversies.
FIRST UP: WILLIAM G. BONELLI
/An Occidental College professor with degrees from USC and Southwestern University, Bonelli was elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 1927.
Over the next three decades, he would become one of the most powerful politicians in California, overseeing the state agency that controlled liquor licenses during an era when a license could make—or break—a fortune.
So why did he spend the last years of his life in exile in Mexico?
Was he the racketeer, power broker, and liquor czar his enemies in the press claimed?
We'll dig into the archives, examine the evidence, and try to untangle the complicated legacy of William G. Bonelli.
Make sure to subscribe so you won't miss the first installment.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ELECTION RESULT UPDATES
U.S. HOUSE, 34TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
As of Sunday evening, Rep. Jimmy Gomez, who has represented the district since 2017, appears headed for a runoff against fellow Democrat Angela Gonzales-Torres. At the time of publication, Gomez had received 46.3% of the vote to Gonzales-Torres' 29.3%, with 64.25% of ballots counted.
Gonzales-Torres, who is running to the left of Gomez, is a grassroots community organizer and academic counselor at Pasadena City College. She is endorsed by the Justice Democrats, which has had notable success backing challengers to more mainstream Democratic incumbents.
Gomez has fended off same-party challengers before, but if CNN's report last week that the House Ethics Committee is investigating allegations involving an improper relationship with a congressional staffer proves accurate, the 2026 runoff could be his most challenging race yet.
STATE SENATOR, 26TH DISTRICT
With current State Senator María Elena Durazo terming out and headed to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, this open-seat contest will feature two relative newcomers in November.
Sara Hernandez, a lawyer and former middle school teacher, has so far received 31.6% of the vote, while Sarah Rascón, a former staffer for Mayor Karen Bass, has received 18.4%.
Both candidates are Democrats, and with more than half of the votes cast for other candidates in the primary, the race could remain competitive. Hernandez, however, enters the runoff with a significant endorsements advantage, having secured support from a broader range of elected officials, labor organizations, and community leaders.
Look for interviews with Hernandez and Rascón in future issues.
The surprise in this race may be that Wendy Carrillo, who represented the area in the State Assembly from 2017 to 2024, did not advance to the runoff, finishing third with 13.7% of the vote.
Carrillo entered the Senate race after a politically difficult period that included a 2023 arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence during her campaign challenging Kevin de León for his City Council seat. She went on to lose that race by a wide margin and now falls short in a second consecutive high-profile contest.
STATE ASSEMBLY, 52ND DISTRICT
Incumbent Assemblymember Jessica Caloza (D) handily secured a second term with 84.8% of the vote.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, 1ST DISTRICT
Current State Senator María Elena Durazo won election to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors with 57.14% of the vote.
In a related note, Hilda Solis, who currently holds the 1st District seat and is terming out, advanced to the general election in her effort to return to Congress representing parts of the Pomona Valley.
EAGLE ROCK CONNECTIONS IN THE RACE FOR GOVERNOR
Democrat Xavier Becerra, who currently leads the gubernatorial field and has secured a spot on the November ballot, represented Eagle Rock in Congress from 1993 to 2017 and, before that, in the State Assembly.
If Becerra eventually becomes governor, he would, to my knowledge, be the first California governor with a direct elected-representation tie to Eagle Rock.
Antonio Villaraigosa, who represented Eagle Rock on the Los Angeles City Council before becoming mayor, has so far received only 1.2% of the vote—a remarkable reversal for a politician once viewed as one of California's brightest Democratic stars and a potential candidate for higher office.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
EVENTS & GATHERINGS
Tuesday, June 9
Eagle Rock High School Graduation
Occidental College
This is a ticketed event.
Congratulations, Eagles!
Tuesday, June 9
Relentless Comedy, College Relentless Brewing & Spirits, Colorado Blvd., 7:30 p.m. $5 suggested donation.
Saturday, June 13
Princess Mononoke (1997)
Billy Bob Thornton, Claire Danes, and Gillian Anderson provide the voices in this English-dubbed version of Hayao Miyazaki’s family friendly classic.
Vidiots, 12:30 p.m.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
THANK YOU FOR READING
Forward this newsletter to a neighbor who loves Eagle Rock.
Every new reader helps support independent local journalism.
SEND TIPS, EVENTS, AND CORRECTIONS
If you have comments, corrections, story ideas, or events for consideration, contact Eagle Rock Pop at:
You can also find Eagle Rock Pop on social media:
@eaglerockpop