What is driving people to vote this election cycle? Boyle Heights Beat has been talking to dozens of residents in L.A.’s Council District 14 about the local, statewide and national issues that matter most to them, and about the candidates they are supporting this Election Day.
We spent time with seniors enjoying their morning coffee at McDonald’s in Boyle Heights and with señoras getting their hair done at neighborhood beauty salons. We attended and hosted debate watch parties and candidate forums, and set up listening posts at local farmers markets in the district to hear how voters were feeling.
As Nov. 5 nears, we’re sharing their perspectives.
Alma Miranda, Boyle Heights
Alma Miranda, 77, will be among those lining up to cast their vote on Nov. 5, just as she has in every election since becoming a citizen in 1996 after arriving in the U.S. from Mexico in 1964.
“You have to take charge of your life… I want to see things change for my grandchildren. I’m at the end of my journey, I could be gone tomorrow.”
Alma Miranda
Over the years, she’s noticed more politicians failing to prioritize the health and well-being of seniors. “We need support,” she said. “The doctor says ‘we’ll see you in three months.’ In three months, you can be dead. We don’t have time anymore to wait.”
In the Boyle Heights neighborhood she calls home, Miranda says public safety and homelessness are among her top concerns.
“I don’t feel safe going to the market or going to church. I don’t feel safe anymore on the street or sidewalk.”
Alma Miranda
When it comes to local leadership, Miranda notes that scandal has been common in CD 14, but because she hasn’t heard much from Ysabel Jurado, she said she’ll most likely vote for the incumbent representative.
“I tell Kevin [de León] every time he comes [to the senior center.] He comes and hugs me and I tell him that we’re still here and not to forget that we elected him.”
By Andrew Lopez
Cinthya Ruiz, El Sereno
Dressed in blue, 68-year-old Cynthia Ruiz attended a watch party at the Women’s March Action hub in Boyle Heights on Aug. 22, to see Vice President Kamala Harris accept her party’s presidential nomination at this year’s Democratic National Convention.
The El Sereno resident said she was excited to be among other women supporting the potential first woman of color leading the United States.
“Our freedoms and our rights are under attack… We almost broke the glass ceiling, but now it’s time to shatter it and have a woman at the helm.”
Cinthya Ruiz
She said she’s recognized more women being politically active this year as reproductive rights are being threatened.
“To me, the future looks bright. Whether it be the future around women’s reproductive rights or the future for Mother Earth and the environment,” Ruiz said.
By Andrew Lopez
Emmanuel De La Cruz, Boyle Heights
Boyle Heights resident Emmanuel De La Cruz is looking for a presidential candidate who will prioritize safety and the economy.
“Either candidate – Republican or Democrat – I want them to talk about what’s going to happen with our economy.”
Emmanuel De La Cruz
As a contractor and architect, De La Cruz has seen first-hand how surging costs have driven workers like him to ask for raises and customers to limit their home remodeling plans.
When it comes to local issues, he says copper wire theft has left many places in Boyle Heights and surrounding areas in the dark. De La Cruz says it all goes back to the economy.
“I want the next president to bring in safety and bring us a good economy,” said De La Cruz. “Where I live, the lights are completely off. If the economy was doing good, people wouldn’t be going out and stealing copper wire… we haven’t had that happening until recently.”
He says Donald Trump is more well suited to address economic concerns facing the nation, which is why he’s voting for the former president on Nov. 5.
By Andrew Lopez and Alex Medina
Camille Lewis, downtown L.A.
Among the more than 300 in attendance at a CD 14 candidate forum on Oct. 9 was 45-year-old Camille Lewis, a downtown L.A. resident who came to hear about housing affordability, an issue affecting the neighborhood she calls home.
“I am a street sweeper in Skid Row, barely housed. I make $1,000 a month and 75% of my income goes to rent. I cannot sustain this.”
Camille Lewis
Another issue she says needs to be addressed is street lighting.
“I wake up at 3 o’clock in the morning to do my job and none of the lights work… There’s no street lights which means there’s rats everywhere,” she said.
A resident in the area since 2020, she says her experience as a CD 14 resident under Kevin de León, as well as his involvement in a racist audio leak, is why Ysabel Jurado has her vote. “I’m definitely going to vote for Ysabel,” she said.
By Edwin Perez and Alex Medina
Eztli De Jesus, Boyle Heights
Eighteen-year-old Eztli De Jesus will be voting for the first time next month.
The daughter of undocumented immigrants from Mexico, De Jesus is the first in her family to vote. Raised in Boyle Heights, she grew up going to community events, protests and rallies and as a child was introduced to spaces like Self Help Graphics & Art and Las Fotos Project, which nurtured her passion for social justice and community engagement.
Despite not being able to vote, her parents always stressed the importance of voting and research candidates to help their daughter make informed decisions.
“Growing up with undocumented parents and watching them want to put their voices out there but not being able to is huge… It means a lot to make my voice heard.”
Eztli De Jesus
She admits some young voters are apathetic and thinks out-of-touch politicians are to blame.
“Our government is made up of all these old white men,” she said. “Our voices are dismissed. They don’t think we understand politics. They’re stuck on the same old ideologies. Politicians make it all about themselves, but in reality, this is our future we’re talking about.”
By Kamren Curiel
Demitri Moreno, El Sereno
Demitri Moreno, an account executive from El Sereno, says he cares about rent control policies and addressing the homelessness crisis in the city.
“Something that’s been a big talk is obviously rent control,” said the 29-year-old. “I think that’s one of the most important policies for me because it impacts me directly.”
Another big issue is making sure public transportation is adequately funded.
“I would definitely like to see more people getting off the road and taking public transit, but of course security needs to be involved.”
Demitri Moreno
He hopes whoever becomes president will support those struggling with a high cost of living and cut unnecessary spending to support citizens.
“I hope the next president will bring more into my pocket… We pay high taxes and California is very expensive. If some of the federal [taxes] can get cut from my check, that’s very important for me,” he said. “Another thing is getting out of wars that we’re not supposed to be involved in.”
By Kate Valdez and Alex Medina
Maria Quezada, Boyle Heights
Born and raised in Boyle Heights, 60-year-old Maria Quezada loves to walk the neighborhood streets she grew up in. Unfortunately though, she says she comes across piles of trash every day and wants whoever represents CD 14 to have a plan to clean the streets.
“We need all agencies to collaborate with each other and work together to get this community cleaned up.”
Maria Quezada
She also wants more to be done about getting the unhoused off the streets, and for police to receive more support to better protect the neighborhood she loves.
On a national level, the economy is what’s most important for her.
“Bring down the prices, make more jobs… lower the interest rates,” Quezada says. “People always promise us a lot of things to get our vote, but at the end of the day, what really counts is what you do when you’re in office.”
By Andrew Lopez and Alex Medina
Sylvia Chamo, El Sereno
Following a debate between Jurado and De León in Lincoln Heights on Sept. 11, Silvia Chamo stood up to applaud the incumbent councilman.
“I will always support Kevin. He supports the community and I think everyone should vote for him.”
Silvia Chamo
The 62-year-old El Sereno resident is hopeful that De León will be re-elected into the CD 14 seat, pointing toward the work he has done for its neighborhoods since 2020.
After watching the presidential debate between Harris and Trump a day before on Sept. 10, she said the vice president did a great job and hopes the performance will contribute to her becoming president. “Kamala Harris needs to win,” Chamo said.
She’s confident a Harris presidency would address safety concerns locally and nationally: “The most important thing is the safety of every American person. No more [violence].”
By Andrew Lopez and Alex Medina
Valerie Ozeta, Eagle Rock
Valerie Ozeta, 60, is a retired teacher from Eagle Rock, an area she says has become unaffordable for many. That’s why she wants to see more efforts building affordable housing and implementing rent control in the city.
“I think there are some very serious issues when working people can’t afford to live in our area.”
Valerie Ozeta
She says the tiny homes De León has been bringing to different neighborhoods are a good start, but only a temporary fix to the much larger cost of living crisis.
On a national level, Ozeta is hopeful that if Harris wins the presidency, she’ll be able to bring a fresh, new look at addressing issues plaguing the nation.
“I’m excited. I think she could bring a new perspective, a diverse perspective. The key is to bring unity amongst a lot of different groups,” she said. “We’ve been in a place of stagnation for a long time and it’s time to break through.”
By Kate Valdez and Alex Medina
A group of seniors, Boyle Heights
Fresh off an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in July, five men in their 60s sat at a McDonald’s in Boyle Heights to talk politics. It was their morning ritual.
“The shooter had bad aim. I don’t think he knew how to use it,” said 67-year-old Benny Gastelum.
“In politics there is a hatred that exists between both of them,” said a man who sat beside Gastelum, speaking of the bipartisan American system he felt encouraged the violent act. The local resident, who chose not to share his name, said he’s most concerned about the state of the job market impacted by political troubles.
“There are some who want improvement for the people and there are others who want improvement just to make money in the stock market. That’s what I think because as it is right now, life here is expensive,” he said. “A poor person who has five children can no longer live. How is he going to support himself? Politicians do not do anything to find jobs for people.”
To Gastelum’s left, Victor Zarate brought the topic back to the Republican presidential nominee.
“Donald Trump is a danger to democracy in this country. He and the Republicans are taking power in an almost undemocratic way. Now, Trump is gaining popularity through hate, through confrontation.”
Victor Zarate
“It’s a very different way of doing politics,” the 65-year-old added.
“What they did there is very wrong, because there should be no violence [between] the two parties. They talk about what can be done in the country, whether people like that or not,” another man said. “We are not going to benefit from [violence]. We are going to remain the same, whoever wins.”
By Andrew Lopez
David Giron, Highland Park
David Giron, who was born in Boyle Heights and lives in Highland Park, says he’s voting in the upcoming election because it’s a chance to share his voice.
“I’m voting because when we don’t vote, people make decisions on our behalf, and that happens every day… I want to make sure my representatives know what issues are most important to me.”
David Giron
Girón, who ran to represent California’s State Assembly District 52 in the primary election and lost, says clean streets is an issue that needs to be addressed by local leaders.
“Every sidewalk here, every street, every tree, every amenity, everything needs maintenance. Things need to be clean and safe.”
By Victor Sauceda and Alex Medina
Ester Petschar, El Sereno
On a sunny day in Lincoln Park, Ester Petschar joined fellow CD 14 residents where De León was set to announce he would seek legal action against Union Pacific Railroad for alleged environmental and public safety violations affecting the neighborhood she calls home.
Petschar, a senior resident of El Sereno, said she’s looking for representatives like De León who are actively addressing issues like the idling trains causing pollution and the homelessness crisis.
“I want [candidates] to talk about how they’re going to improve things in the community, how they’re going to help the homeless without hurting people by just taking their things away,” says Petschar. She finds it unfortunate how the unhoused are often dehumanized.
“[Homeless people] are human, no matter what. We need to help them, they’re human like we are. That can be us one day. A lot of people are just one paycheck away from that.”
Ester Petschar
When it comes to presidential candidates, she says Harris has her vote.
“She’s got her head on right,” says Petschar. “She knows what she has to do, she knows what she’s saying, and she gets along with people, she gets along with leaders unlike Trump who’s trying to become a dictator.”
By Andrew Lopez and Alex Medina
Norma Alicia Galindo, Boyle Heights
On a recent Friday morning a group of women gathered at Norma’s Beauty Salon on Cesar Chavez Avenue for scheduled hair appointments. In between perms and haircuts the women identified public safety, sidewalk infrastructure and homelessness as their top local issues.
Norma Alicia Galindo, who has owned the beauty salon for decades, said she and several of her clients have been injured on broken sidewalks in the neighborhood. “I went to complaint and they told me they didn’t have funds to fix [the sidewalks].”
The group spent time weighing who would be best suited to lead Council District 14 and address those issues. Juana Perez, a 59-year-old home healthcare worker, said she didn’t know much about candidate Ysabel Jurado but had seen incumbent Kevin de León “doing more for us here in Boyle Heights.”
Galicia, didn’t yet seem sure she knew who she supported, but also hadn’t heard much about De León’s opponent.
“Maybe if a new person comes in, whoever that is, they will do better than he did or finish what [De León] started,” said Galindo. “If he stays then I hope he continues to do the community work he started.”
One thing the women did seem to agree on was who would take their presidential vote. “It’s good to see there is more opportunity for women,” Perez said.
By Carol Martinez
