Meet Hugo

Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez was born and raised in Los Angeles, the proud son of Mexican immigrants and street vendors who worked tirelessly to provide more opportunities for their six children than they had in Mexico.

Growing up in a working-class neighborhood shaped by the effects of racist redlining, Hugo saw firsthand how government systems can harm communities who need help the most. He experienced how the lack of a social safety net can push families into poverty, and witnessed how the city’s harassment of street vendors impacted families like his.

When his father became disabled at work, Hugo started a job at a non-union hotel at 16 years old to help support his family. While putting himself through college, Hugo helped organize his workplace and win a union contract — a life-changing experience that launched his 16-year career as a labor organizer with UNITE HERE Local 11. There, he fought alongside immigrant hotel workers for higher wages, healthcare, and dignity on the job – helping to pass local minimum wage laws and supporting progressive leaders across the country.

Through his interaction with working Angelenos, Hugo came to understand the power of collective action and what it means when ordinary people have a seat at the table. For families across LA — a union job doesn’t just mean a raise — it means your family can afford to see a doctor, pay rent, and maybe even go on a vacation. It showed that policies supporting workers provide stability for families and open up opportunities for the next generation, in a city where far too many workers are treated as disposable.

In 2022, Hugo was elected to represent Los Angeles City Council District 13, becoming the first rank-and-file union organizer ever elected to the Council — and currently, its only renter. He brings this lived experience to City Hall with a clear mission: to build a city that truly works for working-class Angelenos.

Hugo represents some of LA’s most vibrant and diverse neighborhoods, including Echo Park, Silver Lake, Hollywood, Koreatown, Thai Town, Atwater Village, Glassell Park, Larchmont, Historic Filipinotown, and Little Armenia. 

Since his election, he’s championed bold, community-driven policies – like making Los Angeles a ‘Sanctuary City’ and passing the biggest package of tenant protections in a generation – to uplift those who’ve historically been left out of LA’s prosperity.