Faisal Gill and Hydee Feldstein Soto, who, respectively, came in first and second in the seven-person race in the June primary, are now facing off.
Gill, a civil rights attorney, was 8 when his family emigrated from Pakistan. Raised in Virginia, he eventually joined the U.S. Navy as an officer in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps and served as a senior policy advisor in the Department of Homeland Security.
A former Republican, Gill says he turned away from the party years ago after experiencing discrimination for his Muslim faith and that he quickly became a “staunch Democrat.” Positioned as the more progressive candidate in the race, Gill has said that, if elected, he will focus on holding the Los Angeles police accountable and implementing criminal justice reform.
Feldstein Soto, a finance law attorney and former neighborhood council member, was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. After getting her law degree, she moved to Los Angeles in 1982 and went on to build a career overseeing multibillion-dollar public deals.
A lifelong registered Democrat — a detail she’s often repeated on the campaign trail — Feldstein Soto says her managerial experience, as well as years working as a transactional lawyer make her the best fit for the job.
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