If Councilwoman Jan Perry wins L.As mayoral election in 2013, the 56-year-old, three-term City Council member will make history as the citys first woman mayor. A victory would also make Perry L.As first Jewish mayor.

Contenders include Perrys City Council colleague Eric Garcetti, whose lineage is Jewish and Latino; city Controller Wendy Greuel, a non-Jew married to a Jewish filmmaker, with a following among the Hollywood elite; and Deputy Mayor Austin Beutner, a Michigan-born Jewish investment banker and millionaire philanthropist who counts former Mayor Richard Riordan — L.A. City Halls last and only white occupant since 1973 — among his endorsers.

Open gallery view L.A. Councilwoman Jan Perry Credit: Courtesy / Forward

These candidates all have overlapping constituencies, said Raphael Sonenshein, chairman of the political science department at California State University, Fullerton, and a close observer of Southern California politics. He reckons Perry has reasonable prospects of winning. The fact that she is Jewish, in his opinion, doesnt hurt, especially in a city where Jews are 6% of the population but often contribute 16% to 18% of the vote. But the real question is: Will it help?

Read more at the Forward.

