A Tale of Two Newsletters: Traci Park, Hugo Soto-Martinez, and the Politics of a Budget Crisis

This week, two Los Angeles City Councilmembers sent newsletters to their constituents — and the contrast lays bare exactly where their priorities lie.

On one hand, CD11 Councilmember Traci Park sent out a breezy update packed with ribbon cuttings, photo opportunities, and self-congratulations. On the other, Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez of District 13 issued a clear, urgent message: the city faces a serious budget crisis, and residents must act to protect essential services.

The stakes are high. Mayor Karen Bass’s proposed city budget slashes critical services across the board. It calls for the layoff of 1,647 city workers, including hundreds from the Departments of Transportation, Street Services, Planning, and Civil Rights. It guts the teams that inspect housing, maintain streets, and enforce civil rights protections — services Angelenos rely on every day.

Yet anyone reading Traci Park’s newsletter would barely know a crisis exists.

Park tosses off a vague line about "significant fiscal challenges" before pivoting to celebrate hotel developments, groundbreaking ceremonies, and fire station tours. She offers no real explanation of the looming layoffs. She skips over the departments losing a third of their workforce. She says nothing about how renters, working families, and vulnerable communities will bear the brunt of these cuts. Park never calls on constituents to get involved, never invites public comment, and never acknowledges that residents have a role to play.

Instead, she papers over the crisis with photo ops and PR spin.

Hugo Soto-Martinez takes the opposite approach. His newsletter names the crisis directly and explains why it matters. He breaks down the departments facing the deepest cuts and spells out the human consequences behind the numbers. He outlines the budget timeline and urges constituents to get involved immediately — offering not just information, but a plan of action.

This difference in approach shows far more than just a difference in communication style. It shows a fundamental divide in political priorities — and in who each councilmember chooses to fight for.

Traci Park has consistently aligned herself with wealthy homeowners, corporate developers, and the law enforcement lobby — the sectors that lose little when the city slashes public services but gain plenty when police budgets balloon and luxury developments surge ahead. Faced with a budget that guts critical services, Park chooses to distract and deflect rather than fight for the people she represents.

Meanwhile, Hugo Soto-Martinez draws on his background as a labor organizer to treat his constituents like partners, not spectators. He understands that public services are not luxuries — they are the foundation of a livable, equitable city. He doesn’t just inform residents; he mobilizes them to defend what matters.

In moments of crisis, the true character of leaders is revealed. Some use their platforms to protect their political allies and preserve the status quo. Others use theirs to fight for the people they were elected to serve.

Traci Park has made her choice. So has Hugo Soto-Martinez.

The question now is whether Angelenos are paying attention.