LA Council District 14 Race: Ysabel Jurado takes early lead over Kevin de León
LOS ANGELES - In the race for LA City Council District 14, Ysabel Jurado took an early lead over incumbent Kevin de León.
By 11 p.m. Tuesday, Jurado led with 55.9% of the vote while de León had only secured 44%.
Juardo, a former tenant rights attorney and single mother, is looking to unseat de León.
District 14 includes downtown L.A., Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, El Sereno and Northeast L.A.
Both candidates have ironically found themselves in the middle of a scandal involving audio recordings.
Weeks before the election, Juardo was captured on audio saying "F*** the police." During a meeting at Cal State LA on Oct. 17, Jurado was asked about her current stance on police and what she thought about spending discretionary funds on overtime for officers. She responded by saying "What's the rap verse? F- the police, that's how I see 'em."
Her comment sparked outrage, with people holding a rally, urging her to step down from the race. But Juardo remained in the race. She told FOX 11's Susan Hirasuna that in the days following the release of the audio, she had gone door to door to talk to constituents and claimed she found plenty of support.
Council District 14 race: The impact of Jurado's comments
Political journalist Jon Regardie joined FOX 11 to talk about the race for council district 14, after candidate Ysabel Jurado was caught on leaked video saying 'F-- the police'. Her opponent, current councilman Kevin de Leon also faced criticism in 2022 for racist rant that was also caught on audio.
Two years ago, de León found himself in the middle of a scandal involving a leaked racist audio recording. The recording captured de León participating in a conversation with two other now-former council members, Nury Martinez and Gil Cedillo, and a now-former union leader, Ron Herrera, during which crude and racist language was used. It sparked a scandal in which multiple officials, all the way up to President Joe Biden, called for de León to resign.
While Martinez and Herrera stepped down from their positions, de León remained on the council and worked to rebuild his image and career.
De León has also survived four recall attempts.
Since the scandal, he has opened new parks and held food distribution events in his district; spearheaded initiatives to address public safety; provided funds to the LAPD for more foot patrols around business corridors in Eagle Rock and other neighborhoods; and led an initiative to crack down on copper wire theft.
The redemption of Kevin de Leon
Embattled city councilmember Kevin de Leon has recently put himself at the forefront of important local issues in LA like reducing crime and stopping copper wire thieves. All of this is a stark contrast from where he was in late 2022 when racist videos leaked of him and his colleagues. The controversial videos took down his colleague Nury Martinez.. she stepped down but he refused.
In addition, he's championed safety measures along dangerous intersections and streets in Boyle Heights and other areas, and advanced more affordable housing, including working with Mayor Karen Bass on Inside Safe operations to reduce encampments.
Jurado said she entered this race to "change the history of corruption" at City Hall -- citing the controversies surrounding former Councilman José Huizar (convicted and now imprisoned for accepting bribes from developers and cheating on his taxes) and de León.
"This district has been used and abused, and we have total mistrust," Jurado stated. "People are asking for honest, accountable, responsive City Council members, and that's the bare minimum."
On other matters, Jurado -- a lifelong resident of Highland Park, first-time candidate and single mother to a 14-year-old daughter -- said she would concentrate on ensuring residents receive their fair share of city services; and work to reduce homelessness, with a focus on Skid Row, the epicenter of the crisis.
She also emphasized working with homeless service providers, community organizations and L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis, who represents the 2nd District, which encompasses Skid Row and CD14 neighborhoods.
In addition, Jurado has expressed concern over the city's anti-camping law and sweeps, noting that these policies can make it more challenging to place unhoused residents in interim or permanent housing.
She said she would focus on public safety through a multi-layered approach; has discussed concerns regarding street lighting and maintenance; and how police officers are overburdened with calls for service that could be handled by unarmed response teams.