nonpartisan blanket primary with 12% of the total vote, enough to advance to the November general election. Feinstein received 44%, while the third place candidate, James Bradley, received 8% of the total vote. Republican candidates collectively received 33% of the vote. De León's 12% was the lowest ever recorded for a candidate who advanced to the general election since California instituted its nonpartisan blanket primary rules in 2016. In July, De León won the endorsement of the California Democratic Party at their executive board meeting in Oakland. Despite the endorsement, however, De León's campaign faced fundraising struggles and low name recognition. On November 6, 2018, Feinstein defeated De León 54.2% to 45.8%. The race had an undervote of around 1.3 million votes compared to the gubernatorial election, likely by Republican voters choosing not to cast a vote for either candidate. Los Angeles City Council (2020–present) Prior to joining the Los Angeles City Council, de León was a senior analyst and distinguished policymaker-in-residence at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs; as well as a Distinguished Fellow for Climate, Environmental Justice and Health with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute at the University of Southern California. In 2020, de León was a candidate for a March special election to the Los Angeles city council. The seat had previously been vacated by José Huizar, who was the subject of an investigation into possible corruption charges. In June 2020, Huizar was arrested and charged with several counts of bribery and corruption. De León was elected in the special election to succeed him, and assumed office on October 15, 2020. In 2021, de León advocated against SB 9, which would allow for the construction of duplexes in lots that are zoned as single-family home neighborhoods. The bill was intended to alleviate the severe housing shortage in California. That same year, de León sought to stall the construction of a rapid transit bus line through Eagle Rock, which prompted a critical editorial by the Los Angeles Times which characterized de León as a "spoiler." In 2022, de León championed the "Clean Streets Now" plan, his plan to reduce illegal dumping throughout the city. Additionally, in the first ten months into his term, the City Council unanimously adopted De León's "25×25" plan– 25,000 units by the year 2025 – in order to help house those who are experiencing homelessness. 2022 Los Angeles City Council scandal In October 2022,