Businessman Ramit Varma is the latest LA mayoral candidate to qualify for the June primary election ballot after filing a petition with a sufficient number of valid signatures, the LA City Clerk announced Thursday.
LA City Councilmen Kevin de León and Joe Buscaino, as well as real estate developer Rick Caruso, have also already qualified for the ballot.
City Attorney Mike Feuer and Rep. Karen Bass submitted their petitions on Tuesday but the City Clerk's Office had not finalized their status as of Thursday afternoon. The deadline for candidates to file their nominating petitions is Wednesday at 5 p.m.
A tentative field of 27 candidates filed paperwork by the Feb. 12 deadline to run for mayor of LA in the June 7 election.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
But not all candidates who filed will automatically end up on the ballot. Prospective candidates must gather a minimum of 500 valid signatures from voters, but candidates who collect at least 1,000 signatures will avoid a $300 filing fee.
Other candidates who have filed declarations of intent to run, but
have not yet filed their nominating petitions, are:
-- real estate agent and former Metro board member Mel Wilson.
-- businessman Craig Greiwe.
-- social justice advocate and Echo Park Neighborhood Council member Alex Gruenenfelder Smith;
-- Chuck Cho, who did not identify with a title;
-- self-described business owner John ''Jsamuel'' Jackson;
-- self-described housing advocate G. Juan Johnson;
-- self-described entrepreneur Douglas Paul Nichols;
-- William "Rodriguez'' Morrison, who was a Republican candidate in 2017 for the U.S. House of Representatives for the 34th District and won about 3% of the vote;
-- lawyer Andrew Kim;
-- Jesse N. Forte, who identified himself in paperwork as an "astronaut'' but whose LinkedIn account indicates that he seasonally participates in simulation tests for a space architecture and engineering firm;
-- construction professional Sean Isaac Enright;
-- SilentRight CEO Barry "Boenvilla'' Boen;
-- Army veteran and self-described education advocate Austin Dragon;
-- self-described businesswoman Juanita Lopez;
-- self-described community activist Vincent "King Spider-D'' Willis;
-- business administrative consultant Jesseca Harvey;
-- homeless advocate Louis De Barraicua, whose website says he teaches filmmaking;
-- chiropractor Jemiss Nazar;
-- Alycia Tashaunna Lowery, who works in the children's social work field;
-- Chris Gilmore, who identified himself as a business owner; and
-- community activist Gina Viola.
