Burbank

There are three at-large council spots up for election this November in Burbank. LA Forward is proud to endorse incumbent Councilmember Perez for re-election, along with Mike Van Gorder and Nolan Southerland.

Born and raised in Burbank, Nikki is the daughter of parents who immigrated from El Salvador and Guatemala. She attended Burbank public schools and began her career in public service with her first job as a City of Burbank CREST worker. She then spent her career in public service as a social worker and homeless services project manager. Before being elected to Council, she served as Chair of the Burbank Library Board of Trustees.

Her election made history. Nikki became Burbank’s first Indigenous and openly LGBTQIA+ councilmember. She went on to serve as the youngest Mayor in the city’s history and the first Burbank Mayor to become a mother while in office.

Nikkis is committed to opening City Hall to the people who have too often been overlooked, unheard, or told to wait their turn.

During her first term, Nikki brought that commitment into every decision she made. She fought for renters struggling to remain in their homes, helped secure millions of dollars for homelessness services, expanded support for local nonprofits, protected immigrant families, invested in Burbank’s firefighters and emergency response teams, and worked to preserve the entertainment jobs that support thousands of local households.

She has pushed Burbank to become a city where working people, young families, immigrants, renters, and vulnerable residents have a real voice in the decisions that shape their lives.

Nikki’s approach to public service comes from her career as a social worker. She earned degrees in Psychology and Music Performance from UC Riverside and a Master of Social Welfare from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.

Her work has brought together schools, government agencies, nonprofits, young people, and families to help those facing homelessness and other barriers find stability and opportunity.

Nikki is running for re-election to continue breaking down the barriers that keep people from building a good, quality, life in Burbank.

She is fighting for a city where families and individuals can afford to stay, workers can find quality jobs, renters are treated fairly, children have access to opportunity, and every resident knows that their city government works for them.

LA Forward leaders appreciated her stance record of leadership and her stance on many key issues.

There are three at-large council spots up for election this November in Burbank. LA Forward is proud to endorse Mike Van Gorder, along with incumbent Councilmember Perez and newcomer Nolan Southerland.

Mike is a working parent that is experiencing, alongside you, the daily stress of being cost-burdened; housing, childcare, groceries, gas and the thousand other things that have exploded in price this past decade.

We are in a housing crisis, and he’s a housing policy expert; we are in a democratic crisis, and he’s launched the protest series that put Jimmy Kimmel back on the air; we are facing a federal terror campaign against both citizens and noncitizens, and he’s leading anti-ICE organizers in Burbank. The LGBTQIA community is under attack as a proxy to undermine public education, and he is a proud public school father and fierce ally to the queer community that will call out the culture war as the hateful, counterproductive theater that it is.​

He works as a senior housing policy specialist for the State of California and currently serves on Burbank’s Planning Commission. He’s a founder of the Glendale Tenants Union and served three terms as an elected delegate to the State Democratic Party.

His platform is laser-focused on improving Burbank residents’ everyday lives: Combatting the housing crisis, boosting worker power, protecting public education, and standing up for ALL Burbankers.

LA Forward didn’t endorse him when he ran for Council in 2024 but we were impressed with his relentless commitment to stay involved after he lost that election. We appreciate the expertise and passion he brings to the race and his strong commitments to renter protections.

There are three at-large council spots up for election this November in Burbank. LA Forward is proud to endorse Nolan Southerland, along with Mike Van Gorder and incumbent Councilmember Perez.

Nolan is a father, community organizer, entertainment union member, and Burbank resident for over a decade. He’s organized with tenants, led work protecting our immigrant neighbors, and engaged the city on issues from transit to policing. He’s running because members of the Burbank community asked him to represent our collective interests in City Hall.

LA Forward members were deeply impressed during his interview by his approach to governance and his commitment to the issues we care about. He communicated his positions to our members with clarity and brevity.

Analysis forthcoming