LOS ANGELES– On April 14, 2026 the LMU Political Science department hosted LA City Attorney Hydee Soto for a conversation moderated by Professor Alexandros Kyriakidis in the Hannon Library Von der Ahe Suite. Elected in 2022, Soto has served the city of LA with specific focuses on protecting residents which recently have included legally challenging ICE raids, and preventing illegal rent hikes that occurred after the Palisades fires.
Soto provided students with an inside look at the inner workings of the complex city attorney’s office. Stressing the importance of maintaining open lines of communication with other city officials. Specifically she highlighted this collaboration in regards to a coalition she formed with the FBI, District and US attorneys to fight the sexual exploitation of children on Figueroa St. She said, “We went to work in April of 2023 and over the next two years, we rescued over 300 victims, over 200 minors,” she said.
She touched on her experience challenging President Trump’s crackdown on immigrants in Los Angeles specifically. Soto stressed her policy that resources from the city of Los Angeles will not be used to support this administration’s deportation campaign, and emphasized that she would use all of her power to oppose deportations. “If you’re coming into my city and taking over my streets with armored cars, with National Guards, with Marines and rounding up our residents without regard to whether they have reasonable suspicion or probable cause … I will step in and say— not on my streets,” she said.
Soto also spoke to the crowd about her pathway to becoming the city attorney. Unlike many other city attorneys, she began with a career in private practice law. Her interest in politics was sparked during the global pandemic in 2020 following the passing of her father, who instilled the importance of serving the community.“I view this as a position of service not as a position of power,” Soto said.
As city attorney Soto has placed an emphasis on increasing the equitability of the criminal justice system. She created a first-of-its-kind “outdoor courtroom,” which intends to help unhoused individuals living near Skid Row with access to deals on any pending court cases. “On the third Thursday of every month … people can come, undocumented folks can come, and get the paperwork that they need for old expungements or convictions so that they can get a visa,” she said. “We have services lined up all around the outdoor courtyard.”
During the event she also answered student concerns about the Olympics coming to LA in 2028. She discussed efforts spanning copyrighting the event’s mascot to obtaining a National Special Security Event designation to ensure the games are safe. “There is almost no aspect of the games other than the PR that we do not touch,” Soto said.
If reelected in the upcoming fall, Soto will serve another four years and focus on ensuring Los Angeles remains equitable and safe for all.
