Since July we’ve been collecting responses from Council District 14, asking residents what they want their candidates to focus on this election season.
We shared it online, set up listening posts, and visited farmers markets and neighborhood council meetings. Nearly 500 people participated by voting on their top local and national issues and sharing questions for CD 14 candidates.
We’re taking these questions straight to the candidates, Ysabel Jurado and Kevin de León, at our upcoming forum (Update: Our CD 14 candidate forum has been rescheduled for Oct. 9). We’re also using the responses from the Election Beat survey to help guide our reporting this election cycle.
Community voices are the heartbeat of Boyle Heights Beat – and democracy. By highlighting residents’ concerns, we aim to provide an informed conversation around the issues that matter most to this community.
The findings are also a lesson for us – to show us how we can better conduct these surveys and enhance outreach efforts in the future.
Here’s what we found:
When it came to participating neighborhoods, 69% of responses came from Boyle Heights, this is largely because it’s our home base. Northeast L.A. made up 8.7%, followed by downtown L.A. with 5.1% and Lincoln Heights with 2.9%. About 10% of respondents did not live in CD 14 but may work, go to school, or may have attended an event where we surveyed.
The top local issues seem to ring true with most residents in Los Angeles: affordable housing. Crime and safety were next, followed by homelessness. Rounding off the top five issues were job availability and education.
Inflation, health care, and crime and safety topped the list of national issues. Taxes as well as climate and the environment were also among residents’ top concerns.
When it came to write-in questions, nearly half were about government accountability. Questions about housing (18.4%) and homelessness (13%) also dominated. Residents also cared about street cleanup and the environment.
We’ll be following up with how the candidates responded, so check our website for more on this next week.
Thanks to all who submitted questions and voted on top issues during our Election Beat campaign. We’re a small newsroom, and we rely on our readers to guide our mission of “por y para la comunidad” or “by and for the community.”
Boyle Heights Beat Program Coordinator Kate Valdez contributed to this post.
