Ysabel Jurado, 34, a lawyer and a political novice, is running for a seat on one of the most powerful city councils in the country.
LA’s Council District 14, covering the East Side of Los Angeles, has over a quarter of a million constituents, among more than ten million in the county. In March, Jurado, a queer single mom, made it halfway to representing the largely Latino neighborhoods between Downtown LA and Pasadena, earning the top spot in the primary among a large field challenging incumbent Councilmember Kevin de Léon, who came in second and will face off against Jurado in November.
If de Léon’s name sounds vaguely familiar to readers outside Los Angeles, it may be because dozens of elected officials, from fellow councilmembers to President Joe Biden, called for his resignation in the aftermath of a scandal in 2022 involving racist and homophobic remarks, insider dealing, and gerrymandering caught on tape and released like a bomb on LA’s political class via Reddit.
De Léon refused to step down.
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It’s not the first scandal to engulf the district. CD14’s previous councilmember, José Luis Huizar, was arrested and indicted in 2020 on federal corruption charges for racketeering and tax evasion. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Jurado spoke from her home in Highland Park on the morning after a high-wattage fundraiser at El Cid in East Hollywood featuring comedians Hannah Einbender, Chris Fleming, Meg Stalter, and Margaret Cho, a veritable who’s who of gender-bending bisexuality.
“I’m still reeling,” said Jurado. “It was pretty fabulous.”
LGBTQ Nation: For our readers not from Los Angeles, your candidacy comes with a lot of backstory. You’ve said you’re running to “break the Council District 14 curse.” Describe what that is.
Ysabel Jurado: So, our district has been led by a bunch of toxic daddies who have gone to jail, who left us high and dry for better pastures, and who have been caught on tape being racist, homophobic, and gerrymandering districts; so, totally contrary to what they are supposed to do. So I am thinking that the district needs a new mommy to fix things up. That’s my little pitch.
The outcry following the publication of those toxic recordings was swift and pretty universal among officials, who condemned your opponent in the upcoming general election, Kevin de Léon, and the other two council members caught on tape. Those calling for their resignations included then-Mayor Eric Garcetti; the candidates running to replace him at the time, Republican Rick Caruso and current Democratic Mayor Karen Bass; former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; California Senator Alex Padilla; current U.S. Senate candidate Adam Schiff and several other LA congresspeople, plus California Gov. Gavin Newsom and even President Biden. And still, de Léon refused to step down. And now, after a crowded March primary that you dominated, he is your general election opponent, and it’s kind of shocking to see that he pulled in almost as many votes as you did. Why are voters in your district still supporting him?
I think they’re holding onto something familiar. But really, at the end of the day, when you look at the data this election cycle, 75% of the voters voted against him. It’s very rare for an incumbent running for their seat to lose to someone like me who has never run for office. This is so unlike LA politics, in which there’s elaborate planning and a machine, and I didn’t come from one and I’m really disrupting the system. So even though he made it to the general with us, he made it to the general by the skin of his teeth. It’s a testament to people wanting something different. They want change.
Some of the most shocking language, and what felt like a real betrayal of a colleague, was about fellow council member Mike Bonin, who is gay and was raising his adopted Black son with his husband at the time. Council president Nury Martinez called him a “changuito” or “little monkey” in Spanish, and said the couple was “raising him like a little white kid … I was like, ‘This kid needs a beatdown.’” That observation earned laughs from the group. De Léon claims he apologized to Bonin profusely, but Bonin refused it, and two days after the audio’s release, Bonin made an emotional speech that said in part, “My husband and I are both raw and angry and heartbroken, and sick for our family and for Los Angeles… Public officials are supposed to call us to our highest selves. These people stabbed us and shot us and cut the spirit of Los Angeles.” Martinez did end up resigning, but somehow de Léon has hung on. You’re a parent. What would your reaction have been if those disparaging comments were about your daughter?
I mean, just like Mike, right? I’ve told this to Mike. The pain that you feel for your child is so much deeper than any pain that you feel for yourself. And I think that what’s worse about his situation is that his son doesn’t know that pain yet. It hasn’t been realized, because that moment hasn’t come yet for him. Because they don’t want to break their son, right? And so there’s going to be a second moment for them to have to relive this with their son, where he’s going to realize he’s part of this conversation and almost the center of it, and why all of these things have happened.
For any parent, it’s just, it breaks your heart that someone could speak that way about your kid, and then later knowing that your kid’s going to endure this pain and grief about knowing that this happened about them so publicly, by people that were your dad’s co-workers, you know? And maybe people that were at your house at some point. It’s just — it’s despicable and awful.
When did you to decide to challenge de Léon and who was most encouraging for you to do it?
It really was after the tapes. I was super-frustrated about it, and then from frustration, I was driven to service. That’s always been my solution; I’m a chronic problem solver. And I thought, you know, this community raised me and took care of my kid when I couldn’t take care of her because I was going to work and school so I could graduate and be a lawyer. Now I have these privileges that I’ve been afforded because of this community. Then maybe it would be my time to serve in this way. And I wasn’t focused on winning. I was running on my values, and if we didn’t win, then it just meant it wasn’t our time yet, right?
One of the first people that I consulted was my mentor, who was my field director on a campaign I worked on ten years ago. And I asked him, should I do it? And he was just so supportive. He had seen that light in me stepping into this role a decade ago, which I never thought I would. I’m a very confident worker bee. I like to be behind the scenes, so being in front in this way is very new for me, but he saw that, and he said, “This is the moment. We can’t keep the status quo.”
And one of my most ardent advocates was current Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, who really stuck her neck out to endorse me early on in the race, despite many people’s advice not to, because they were like, “Why would you get in that?” And I really appreciate her support and mentorship so early on.
You identify as queer. How did you come to that realization and how does it manifest itself in your public and private life?
It’s taken me a while to get there. I’m definitely one that came out when I was older, and it happened during the pandemic. So much of my lived experience has always been about “the other,” right? And queer folks are often “the other” in one way or another, often in intersecting ways. Whether it’s your race, whether it’s your culture, whether it’s your ethnicity, whether it’s your music choices! You’re just kind of like, a little rebellious. Whether it was me being a teen mom, or when you have to create your chosen family, right? You make a family out of scratch. And so much of life, I feel like being “the other” you always have to make things from scratch, and that’s exciting to me, that’s what gives me this like hopeful optimism.
I’m happily together with someone whom I love — I love her — who’s helping see me through this election, and trying to see what our family will look like even after this, which I don’t even know. [laughing] I can’t think past November 5, so.
You segued into my next question, which was, are you in a relationship now, and what can you tell us about them?
I think they’re just a fantastic person, and it is totally a delight and a surprise to me. There was a time where I’d become bitter with life’s romantic offerings to me and was cynical enough to think that I was the problem, or that it was just no longer in the cards for me.
In Plato’s Symposium they talk about the pieces fitting. And I always thought, “Oh, that was so cute and kind of trite.” And then I met this person and was like, “Oh, actually, I understand all of this. The people, all my friends that got married, this is what they’re talking about.” I thought they were lying a little bit! But I’m just so happy to have someone that loves me wholly and supports me.
You studied Political Science at Pasadena City College, next door to your district, and went on to earn your bachelor’s and law degree at UCLA. How did you get there?
I was like, “What is something you’re always interested in, and can help get you to be stable as a single mother?” And it was like, “Oh, I could be a lawyer.” And then I researched and I’m like, there’s a lot of poli sci people. I generally do like politics, so why not? So I majored in poli sci.
I didn’t have a high enough GPA to get to UCLA, so I started at Pasadena City College. I was pregnant with my daughter when I was there. I had her during winter break, and then in January, I went back to school. I was going to school, going home to breastfeed, and then going back to school — from what I remember [laughing].
Pasadena has a great transfer program, and I really availed myself of all the resources that I could find there and that set me on a trajectory to be able to transfer to UCLA. A transfer enrichment program included UCLA classes, and it kind of helped me get over my imposter syndrome by being in those classes and excelling, and being like, “Oh, I can belong here.”
You’ve been a tenants rights attorney and affordable housing activist since your time in school. How has the housing landscape in your district changed since you were growing up there in Highland Park?
We have all seen a stark change in the neighborhood. It was predominantly low-income, minority, and known for its gangs. This is a place where my family could start as immigrants. Now Highland Park is a hip, trending neighborhood, where, if I were to buy now, it would be incredibly unaffordable.
Those changes really sparked an interest in me to want to make sure that as we develop our neighborhoods, that the rents, commercially and residentially, don’t push out the current residents that live there, but instead, we can have this healthy mixture of people that have been here and people that choose to be here. I’ve seen a lot of people have to move out and close out. Gentrification has really, really changed our neighborhood, and I think the folks that are here don’t want to lose more people.
As you say, gentrification is an important issue, and part of that process has historically involved LGBTQ+ people looking for affordable housing and neighborhood “potential.” Have you seen that play out in District 14, and can you describe the tension and the opportunities that come with it?
I haven’t seen that occur in northeast LA in the way that you’re describing. You know, the district is big. There’s Highland Park, there’s Eagle Rock, there’s Boyle Heights, there’s El Sereno, and there’s Downtown, which is Little Tokyo and the Arts District, and so it actually runs the gamut in terms of diverse constituencies. In that way, folks are able to find a home, and we want to make sure that we build homes for people at different access points — income access points — which we’re losing.
But the LGBTQ community that already exists in a lot of the neighborhoods, especially in the northeast, they’re just such a vibrant group, like Latina/Latinx queer women here that have been building community. And I would by no means call them gentrifiers, right? I think there is an opportunity to actually cultivate a neighborhood center almost like WeHo, but in the 14th, for LGBTQ communities to meet and reside, especially communities of color. It shouldn’t be the case that we have to drive all the way to West Hollywood to feel the culture. If we can cultivate that in CD 14 some way, I think that would be a dream.
Would you support mandatory national service for young people in the military, or some other form of public service of their choosing?
Service in the military?
As a choice, or Teach for America or the Peace Corps or another kind of public service.
It’s an interesting question. I mean, I did Justice Corps, which is an AmeriCorps program, and that was focused on the law. That was an informative experience for me that led me to eventually become a lawyer. But I don’t know about mandatory service. I’ll have to think about that more.
What’s the single most important thing the world should do to address the climate crisis?
Hold corporations accountable.
This is a three-parter: What’s your vision for transportation in Los Angeles? What kind of car do you drive? And when was the last time you rode the Metro?
A vision for transportation: multi-modal, accessible and safe, reliable and free.
What kind of car do you drive?
Toyota Rav4 hybrid.
When was the last time you rode the Metro?
Last week?
If your campaign is successful, you’ll be a Los Angeles City Council member when LA hosts the Olympics in 2028. What’s your favorite Olympic event and who are some of the Angelenos you’ll be rooting for?
Oh, my gosh. This year my favorite Olympic event was gymnastics. But historically, it’s been swimming, because I was a varsity swimmer in high school, and during that time the Olympic swimmers were practicing in Pasadena City College next to me in the club that I was in, so I got Michael Phelps’ autograph and Katie Ledecky’s.
There’s a lot of UCLA women’s soccer players that I’m already rooting for, but I’ll be more in tune with who’s from LA at the Olympics in four years.
The Olympics can be an opportunity or a curse for the city hosting them. What’s the legacy you’d like to see the LA28 Olympics leave behind in Los Angeles?
I’d like to see us leverage this opportunity to really attack the problems that we care about most and make deep investments to our infrastructure and to our communities. One of the best outcomes from the 1984 Olympics was the LA84 Foundation, which raised money to make sure that there was gender equity in sports at Recreation and Parks. And because of that, we had more programming for girls, and we had Serena and Venus Williams that were practicing on the courts in South LA. That helped me when I started swimming. I didn’t get far, obviously, but even my daughter has benefited from this program. That is inspirational to see.
Predictions!
For the year?
Any prediction.
My dude, I don’t know. I hate things with such finality.
That’s why they call it the Hot Seat.
You should give me a timer, or else I’m like, analysis paralysis over here.
I think the November election will decide where America is headed. I think either way, either outcome will show the direction of where we’re actually going. And I feel like it’ll be a decisive election, whatever the outcome, right? They’re two very different outcomes, but it’ll be clear.
What are you most looking forward to if you get the chance to represent the constituents of LA Council District 14?
Crafting a hopeful future and just doing the work [laughing]. Is it silly? I’m just like, I’m ready to stop campaigning and do the work, providing city services and really fixing these big problems that seem so insurmountable — and getting my hands in the dirt to really figure out how to do it.
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