Incumbent Sam Yorty was re-elected over James Roosevelt and six other candidates in the primary election.

[1] Municipal elections in California, including Mayor of Los Angeles, are officially nonpartisan; candidates' party affiliations do not appear on the ballot.

[2] During the campaign, James A. Ware criticized both Yorty and Roosevelt for favoring "federal intervention in city affairs" and "federal encroachment", while City Councilmember Billy G. Mills criticized Roosevelt for disenfranchising minority groups; McGee was criticized by Yorty for running to split the vote.

[3] Roosevelt was backed by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and AFL–CIO, criticizing Yorty on his memberships of a "racially segregated private club" and his leadership.

[6][7] In the primary election, Yorty won outright and defeated Roosevelt with a majority of the vote.