Could De León Be Facing Tenant Rights Attorney Jurado?
On their way to ousting the embattled city councilman in the 14th District who refused to resign amid scandal, his two most formidable challengers self-destructed and wilted — and Ysabel Jurado has not only moved into the runoff in November but has also overtaken de León.
By Ashley Chase
Call her Cinderella.
Certainly in Los Angeles politics this year, Ysabel Jurado has earned that name.
Once a teenage mom in the barrio with limited signs of a future, she worked her way through UCLA as an undergraduate and then a UCLA law degree — and today, as a political neophyte,
Jurado could be on the verge of perhaps the biggest upset in Los Angeles city politics.
She is now the leader in the 14th Council District race and apparently headed for a general election runoff in November against incumbent Kevin de León.
Jurado — a tenants rights attorney — overtook de León Tuesday, a day after she had moved into second place ahead of Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, an unexpected comeback as last week’s primary election vote-counting continued.
Jurado’s showing is all the more remarkable because she accomplished it with the grassroots campaign and budget that has not even allowed the money for an office.
She has raised less than $250,000 from donors along with $174,000 in public funding, a fraction of what the incumbent and other leading candidates had at their disposal.
But she was able to send 20 paid staffers and about 250 volunteers to 85,000 doors across the district, which stretches from Boyle Heights and downtown north to Eagle Rock and El Sereno.
And what she has done is daunting.
“Today, I am immensely grateful and honored to announce that our campaign has earned the support of our community, propelling us into the runoff election as the first-place candidate in District 14,” Jurado said in a statement.
“This victory is a testament to the power of the people, the power of community, and the power of grassroots organizing.”
Who would’ve thought?
As of Tuesday, Jurado moved past de León to claim the top spot, 318 votes ahead of the incumbent councilman.
Jurado had 24.46% while de León had 23.49%. Santiago, once in second place, is now third with 21.24%.
On Monday Jurado added 466 votes to her lead over Santiago to move 717 votes ahead.
Jurado had a 251-vote lead entering Monday’s resumption of the ballot count, according to figures released by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.
Jurado has 7,172 votes, 23.85%, to 6,455, 21.46% for Santiago.
It was unclear how many ballots remain to be counted.
Jurado had moved into second place Friday with 5,214 votes, 21.51%, while Santiago had 5,193, 21.42%, a 21-vote lead. Her lead grew to 251 votes, 6,056-5,805, 22.52%-21.59%, according to Saturday’s update. There were no ballots counted Sunday.
Jurado was in third with 18.92% in the count released Wednesday morning with Santiago in second with 20.27%, 250 votes ahead of Jurado.
Jurado trailed Santiago by 291 votes in the count released Wednesday afternoon and by 148 votes in the count released Thursday afternoon.
But now it’s an entirely new game, and the momentum is clearly with Jurado, the daughter of a formerly undocumented Filipino worker who says said that her background from a working-class immigrant family has been a driving force throughout her life and legal career.
“I’m a daughter of undocumented immigrants,” she said it interview with the Daily Bruin. “I was a single teen mom that transferred from Pasadena City College to UCLA and then to go to UCLA again to become an attorney for my community, defending workers against wage theft and tenants against evictions.”
Her mother migrated from Laguna province in the Philippines with her grandmother as a young adult in the 1980s. Jurado’s father, who is from Iligan, then followed despite not having legal status.
Her parents then built a life in Highland Park, where she eventually had a child at 18 before going into college. Jurado said that her father’s experiences as an undocumented worker inspired her to pursue social justice causes.
“Working in labor and employment non-profits and eventually inspiring me to go to law school because I know the status quo was not working for people and I wanted to help my own people so I became an attorney,” she said in another interview.
Her campaign has the backing from progressive officials, such as District 1 Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, and organizations including Ground Game L.A. and the Democratic Socialists of America.
“I’ve lived in this district all my life, even when I was an undergrad commuting to UCLA via bus,” she told do UCLA student newspaper. “Through that time, we’ve had four council members — all men who have run this district down, resigned in disgrace — one is in prison, carpetbaggers, and now a guy that refuses to resign despite evidence of a shady backroom deal.
“I’ve always been so invested in my community, given my upbringing of working so hard to get a modicum of stability.
“If you look at the past three years, we have had four council members indicted for federal charges, some have already been in prison, and some of them come from Sacramento down to LA.
“I think there’s something to be said about the Sacramento career politician coming to City Hall — they’re not really here to serve the community.”
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“We’ve had four council members — all men who have run this district down, resigned in disgrace — one is in prison, carpetbaggers, and now a guy that refuses to resign despite evidence of a shady backroom deal.”
- City Council Candidate Ysabel Jurado
