1989 Los Angeles mayoral election

• Stewart Alexander, KTYM radio host
• Eileen Anderson, perennial candidate
• Tom Bradley, incumbent mayor since 1973 and Democratic nominee for governor in 1982 and 1986
• Joel Britton
• Khushro Ghandi
• Nate Holden, member of the Los Angeles City Council from Crenshaw and former state senator
• Leonard Miropol
• Maria Elizabeth Muñoz
• Gary Passi
• Raul Reyes
• Baxter Ward, former chair of Los Angeles County and candidate for mayor in 1969

Declined

• Zev Yaroslavsky, member of the Los Angeles City Council from the Fairfax District

Bradley, now in his fourth term, was slowly declining in popularity during his term due to traffic congestion, air pollution, and commercial development threatening residential neighborhoods in the city.^[3] He had also run in the 1986 California gubernatorial election, which he lost again to Republican George Deukmejian in a landslide.^[4] Despite this, Bradley announced that he would be running for a fifth term.^[5][6] He faced minimal opposition at the start, with councilman Zev Yaroslavsky declining to run because of a private poll that had Bradley in the lead.^[7] Bradley was widely expected to easily win re-election.^[8] Councilman Nate Holden and former supervisor Baxter Ward filed late into the filing period, giving Bradley two challengers.^[9] Holden, who was a newcomer in the City Council, was able to drive up some votes, and in the primary election gained one-third of the vote.^[10]