- Salt Lake City Councilwoman Eva Lopez Chavez faces a potential residency review.
- Lopez represents District 4, but recently purchased a home in District 5.
- City Council awaits legal guidance on addressing potential district boundary violations.
SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake City Council member who is already facing an investigation into multiple allegations of misconduct may face another review into whether she is living outside of her district's boundaries, which could trigger a vacancy of her seat.
Counciwoman Eva Lopez Chavez, whose District 4 includes downtown and at least parts of the Central City, East Central and Central 9th neighborhoods, owns a home in the East Liberty Park neighborhood, according to Salt Lake County Assessor's Office records.
It's unclear if that's her primary residency, but the listed address falls within District 5, which is currently represented by Vice Council Chairwoman Erika Carlsen. Salt Lake City code states that a vacancy is triggered if a member dies, resigns, is judicially removed from office or terminates "legal domicile within the corporate limits of the city and the appropriate council district boundaries."
Greg Skordas, Lopez's attorney, said he could not comment on the situation. Lopez did not respond to KSL's requests for comment.
The Salt Lake City Council is aware of the situation, but officials told KSL on Thursday they were awaiting word back from city attorneys on the proper process to address the situation, including who the review party will be in the case.
Lopez purchased the home in September, county records show. A local real estate agent posted a photo to Facebook of Lopez standing next to a real estate agent holding a sign that reads "My first home" on Sept. 30, 2025.
"Love you and love receiving your help and services," Lopez wrote in a comment to the post.
Then, in March of this year, she posted a listing on a Facebook group seeking to rent out two bedrooms from a home matching the listed address. The home has four bedrooms, according to county records.
Lopez, who also launched a campaign for Congress in Utah's 1st Congressional District, used a Salt Lake City post office box for her mailing address when she declared her candidacy with the state in March.
Utah State Courts, updated as of July 2025, lists her home address as the same one she used when she ran for City Council in 2023, which is in District 4. Voting registration records list the same address.
Lopez, 29, often talked about being a renter during her 2023 campaign and the struggles of obtaining homeownership for many younger Salt Lakers. She listed "middle housing and homeownership support" as her top policy priority last year, according to the City Council's website.
These included supporting incentives for "homeownership products and housing projects, particularly areas within District 4," as well as "middle housing and unit legalization." She also listed "transparency and accountability" as a priority to "ensure that all perspectives within District 4 are considered in policy decisions, especially those from underrepresented communities."
City Council officials announced last week that they were investigating multiple allegations of misconduct made against her. KSL spoke with five women who said they were harassed, assaulted, or made uncomfortable by comments or actions of Lopez.
Salt Lake City Council Chairman Alejandro Puy wrote in a Feb. 12 email obtained by KSL that he was concerned about a "pattern of conduct that has affected colleagues in our own council, myself and many others in our community, and has shaped our working environment."
Salt Lake City instituted a new policy this month prohibiting City Council members from holding one-on-one meetings with city employees, after a recommendation from the mayor's office that Lopez not have one-on-one meetings with employees, multiple city officials said.
Lopez, through her attorney, has denied any wrongdoing. The City Council's investigations into the allegations and potential changes to conduct policy are still ongoing.
Lopez failed to receive the Democratic nomination for the 1st Congressional District during a party convention over the weekend. She is up for reelection in the City Council next year.
Contributing: Bridger Beal-Cvetko
