Progressive challenger Ysabel Jurado appeared headed for victory Tuesday evening over incumbent Kevin de León for the District 14 seat on the Los Angeles City Council — with de León apparently unable to overcome the political damage incurred when he was heard participating in a secretly recorded 2021 conversation in which crude and racist language was used.
In results as of late Tuesday night, Jurado was leading with 21,814 votes, or about 56%, while de León had 17,086 votes, or about 44%, according to results released by the L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.
The two candidates were vying to represent a district that includes downtown L.A., Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, El Sereno and Northeast L.A.
At an election night party in Highland Park, Jurado said she and her team were celebrating the end of a “nearly two-year journey.” She recounted that she decided to run on the eve of her 33rd birthday because of the tape — leaked in 2022 — in which de León was among several officials recorded.
“And as someone who has lived here my whole life, I was furious that, once again, my community had been betrayed by our leadership,” Jurado said. “And year after year, I’d seen a charlatan after a charlatan use this district as a stepping stone — my home that I care for and has cared for me. And I decided to throw my hat in the ring.”
She continued, “But tonight we celebrate us, all of us.”
Jurado, who would be expanding the progressive bloc on the council, also shared that she faced a lot of obstacles on the campaign trail, including homophobic and sexist behavior.
“But here’s the thing, they must have forgotten that I’m HLP (Highland Park) born and raised. … It takes a whole lot more than that to scare us out of standing up for our community,” Jurado said. “And they tried to bury us, but they didn’t know that we were seeds, and here we are unbroken, unyielding, unapologetically unyielding and present and blooming.”
Meanwhile, de León, at his election night gathering, noted that he faced challenges after the infamous leaked recording, and how he refused to quit.
“It was too much if our district didn’t have representation, so my staff and I rolled up our sleeves and we dug in deep to deliver the services, the programs and the funding we deserve here in CD 14, and even in the face of intense, relentless scrutiny and pressure, we didn’t flinch,” de León said. “We held strong for our community.”
The councilman also touted his accomplishments in the last four years in addressing homelessness.
“We’ve housed more people experiencing homelessness than any other district in the second largest city,” de León said.
“We brought real housing stability and dignity to those living on the streets without care. … We secured more than $210 million in outside funding for our district, more funding than any other district in the entire city of Los Angeles,” he added.
Their Election Day showdown took place two years after the leaked 2021 recording captured de León participating in a conversation with two other now-former council members and a now-former union leader, 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.
Meanwhile, Jurado was recently recorded uttering her own controversial statement — answering “F— the police” when asked at an Oct. 17 meet-and-greet at Cal State L.A. about her position on abolishing the police. The question came from a student who is also a de León staff member.
In the secretly recorded meeting, de León, former Councilman Gil Cedillo, former Council President Nury Martinez and former Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera were heard discussing ways to expand Latino/Hispanic influence by manipulating the redistricting process.
In the tape, de León compared then-Councilman Mike Bonin’s handling of his son at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade to “when Nury brings her little yard bag or the Louis Vuitton bag.” He did not interject as Martinez belittled Bonin, who is white and openly gay; she also called Bonin’s child, who is Black, “ese changuito” — Spanish for “that little monkey.” In addition, Martinez said of L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón: “F— that guy. … He’s with the Blacks.”
De León has apologized multiple times for his participation in the conversation — including telling the Los Angeles Times last year that he should have “shut that meeting down.” And since the leak, he has remained on the council while working to rehabilitate his image.
In the week, leading up to the election, Jurado was recorded quoting a rap lyric with her “F— the police” remark, and has since then defended the comments, despite criticism from the LAPD union, Interim Chief Dominic Choi, police officers and some other City Council members. She has also expressed her commitment to public safety.
She also indicated that her comment was not on the level of the de León recording, calling the latter “disgraceful.”
“L.A. thrives off its diversity and the greatness thereof,” Jurado said. “[The tape] was awful. That’s not who we are, this campaign and the city of L.A.”