Genny Guerrero hopes to make her mark on Los Angeles city history when the CD-14 seat comes up for election in 2024.
A longtime community activist born to Mexican immigrants in El Sereno in 1982, Guerrero has no experience as a politician but understands the power of political collaboration and community mobilization. When she was nine, her mother started to take her to Chamber of Commerce and El Sereno Bicentennial Committee meetings and was even allowed to participate.
“It was a great learning experience from being that age,” Guerrero said, adding that many local politicians began to quickly recognize her. At these neighborhood meetings, Guerrero was able to see what energized her about leadership roles.
“I got to see the higher ups from different departments of staff coming and actually speaking to the people of our community. And I think that is so important and vital and something that’s been lost,” Guerrero said.
Growing up, Guerrero continued to plant roots in her Eastside community. She met her husband at Wilson High School and then lived all around the world due to her husband’s military career – Asia, the Middle East, Mexico, and down the California Coast. But nothing was quite like her hometown, she said.
Guerrero has yet to log any contributions to her campaign on the Los Angeles Ethics Commission site, but said she’s very careful with where her financial support comes from.
“Fundraising is slow and go,” Guerrero said. “Community contributions are what I’m accepting right now. I’m scrutinizing everything that comes my way.”
Before the March 5 primary, Guerrero is trying to mobilize voters to show up to the polls – something that more than 65% of residents in Boyle Heights historically don’t do, according to Center of Inclusive Democracy data.
Complicated voter information and too many choices on the ballot confuses voters, Guerrero suspects. But she said things can be more clear when constituents are given the resources to be informed.
“What people don’t realize is if you just want to vote on the one thing, go and vote on the one thing. That’s okay. Don’t vote on the stuff that you don’t know. Vote for the stuff that you do know. And that counts, when it counts,” Guerrero said.
“We need to provide those safety nets for those people to catch them before they completely transition into homelessness. They should not be required to get into homelessness before they’re offered services. A safety net is missing. The bridge is missing. And we’re expecting them to take that leap?”
Genny guerrero, cd-14 candidate
When it comes to the historically inequitable housing crisis, the CD-14 hopeful said she’s not satisfied with how the city of Los Angeles has been handling this complex issue.
But Guerrero believes that solving affordable housing in CD-14 shouldn’t rest on the district’s shoulders – the entire city of Los Angeles should be stepping up.
“It’s so frustrating,” she said. “We’re willing to do the job. We’re willing to do the work, but everything gets shifted onto our side and nothing onto [the Westside]. And that’s where I’m full-force. It’s time for the rest of the city to do their share with affordable housing.”
Guerrero said it’s a priority to keep families in their homes and is committed to fighting displacement. She said homelessness is not something too far removed from her life, as one of her own family members recently lost their home and was unable to get adequate services.
“We need to provide those safety nets for those people to catch them before they completely transition into homelessness. They should not be required to get into homelessness before they’re offered services. A safety net is missing,” Guerrero said with a hint of pain in her voice. “The bridge is missing. And we’re expecting them to take that leap?”
CHALLENGING THE STATUS QUO
Guerrero worked as a Senior Field Deputy in El Sereno for a year while José Huízar was in office. She said she saw how disconnected some elected representatives can be with their community and knew what she didn’t want to become.
Huízar, the now disgraced ex-LA city councilman, recently pled guilty to charges of corruption and racketeering and faces up to 13 years in prison.
Working closely with LAPD’s Hollenbeck Division through the Community Police Advisory Board since 2013, Guerrero focused on being the community’s eyes and ears into LAPD affairs across her neighborhood. Guerrero said that as with her experience with holding police accountable, she wants to hold politicians to the same standard.
“I fought way too hard. And they didn’t like that I was fighting too hard. I was supposed to be there just to put out fires, and that’s not me,” Guerrero said. “I’m a person who addresses what’s actually happening and brings solutions to it.”
Frustrations go beyond the lack of action or collaboration from politicians. When the racist-recording scandal that rocked Los Angeles politics a year ago was leaked to the public, Guerrero felt as if the city’s public servants had failed.
“They were acting and making decisions that impacted so many people’s livelihoods. And that’s the part that I wish people would not forget,” Guerrero said. “It’s disgusting. And when it came out, I was saddened by those who thought like, ‘Oh, well. Who doesn’t talk that way?’ Well, I’m sorry, I’ve never talked that way. I was never raised that way.”
Guerrero said in order to truly regain the public’s trust, she needs to be as transparent and receptive as possible if elected. The 41-year-old has a mission to create a direct constituent to representative communication platform for CD-14 residents. Her catch is that users need to live in the district to send notes and comments directly to her team. Think Citizen or Nextdoor, but specifically to CD-14.
“I want to know what the concerns are and I want to be able to address them and work on them responsibly. If I noticed that all of a sudden there’s 50 people from one area saying that this is happening, I have no excuse to say I didn’t know,” Guerrero said.
Whether it’s cleaning the streets, decorating neighborhoods for the holidays, or protecting tenants and small businesses, Guerrero considers all her political goals, even the small ones, as essential. She looks to the future of her campaign with confidence, understanding that she’ll always do things her way.
“I put my money where my mouth is. I walk the walk, I talk the talk because I’m El Sereno home grown. I’m serious. I am me.”
BOYLE HEIGHTS BEAT CANDIDATES PROFILES
Here are the nine candidate profiles published so far, in alphabetical order:
Samir Bitar: ‘I see what’s not being done and I know how to do it’
With a background in museum management, the CD 14 hopeful says his top priority is bolstering the district’s civic arts profile, including creating more affordable housing for local artists and restoring historic sites
Wendy Carrillo: ‘We need a fighter… somebody that’s from here’
The Salvadoran immigrant and assemblymember hopes to bring change to Council District 14 – including Boyle Heights, the community where she grew up
Nadine Diaz: ‘I’m running again because the corruption hasn’t stopped’
Born and raised in Boyle Heights, the 61-year-old educator and healthcare professional looks to lead CD-14 from a health and social-worker perspective
Genny Guerrero: ‘I address what’s actually happening and bring solutions to it’
The El Sereno native and CD-14 hopeful talks about mobilizing voters for the March primary, better ways of handling the city’s housing crisis and her ideas for being ‘transparent and receptive’ as a councilmember
Teresa Y. Hillery: ‘I can be a bridge between communities’
The lawyer and public transportation advocate says she wants to empower neighborhood councils in CD-14, which she aims to represent
Ysabel Jurado: ‘I am in tune with what people are saying on the ground’
Touted as the go-to progressive among CD-14 candidates, the Highland Park attorney believes in ‘development without displacement,’ increasing renter protection and a more holistic approach to public safety
William ‘R’ Morrison: ‘It’s all about neighbors caring for neighbors’
A veteran of multiple political races, the conservative Republican vying for CD 14 is focused on homelessness and public safety as his campaign’s core issues
Nick Pacheco: ‘I have the experience; I’ve done it’
The former CD 14 councilmember is trying once again to recapture his seat, rallying for community involvement but relying mostly on past accomplishments
Eduardo ‘Lalo’ Vargas: ‘I have nothing to lose’
The youngest aspiring candidate to CD 14 –and only Socialist running– believes the city should do more for its working class, including affordable housing and free public transportation
