Welcome to The Election Beat, a weekly newsletter bringing you news and information about the election and uplifting the voices of readers like you.
Hola Boyle Heights,
These days, you can’t go far without spotting two names around the neighborhood: Ysabel Jurado and Kevin de León.
From billboards, campaign mailers, contentious debates and appearances at local bars, the two have been hard at work vying for your votes to represent L.A.’s City Council District 14.
For the next month or so, you better get used to it. The candidates will also debate at our upcoming forum (Update: CD14 candidate forum has been rescheduled for Oct. 9),where they’ll be asked questions based on nearly 500 responses collected from our Election Beat survey (scroll down for details).
If you’re already primed on the candidates, great! But if you need to get familiar with what this race means, why it matters and where the candidates stand, read on, and come back next week for a look at how the candidates did or did not answer questions on your top issues.
CD 14 race breakdown
What’s the role of the City Council? Made up of 15 members, the City Council is responsible for creating local laws, which can have a big impact on your community. From directing funds for things like transportation safety improvements to enforcing city ordinances like anti-camping bans, this seat is one of the most powerful jobs in local government.
What area does CD 14 encompass? The communities of Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, downtown, El Sereno and Northeast L.A.
Who are the candidates? Incumbent Kevin de León has been District 14’s council member since 2020 and previously served as president of the state Senate. His challenger, Ysabel Jurado, is a tenants’ rights attorney and affordable housing activist from Highland Park. The two beat out six other candidates in the primary, with Jurado landing in first place, about 400 votes ahead of De León.
What are their platform highlights? Among De León’s top campaign issues are homelessness, clean streets and food insecurity. Jurado has focused on housing, homelessness and labor rights, among other issues. They both told LAist they support capping rent increases to 3% for rent-controlled units but differ on a number of other consequential decisions. Jurado does not support the use of arrests for homeless encampment enforcement, calling it “expensive and ineffective,” while De León believes anti-camping laws are part of a “balanced strategy” to solve homelessness.
Who endorses them? Several unions representing construction trades as well as the Blue Wave Democratic Club have backed De León. Numerous elected leaders, including members of the L.A. City Council, as well as the Los Angeles County Democratic Party and the Los Angeles Times have endorsed Jurado.
How do they stack up in campaign fundraising? As of Sept. 21, De León has raised $736,560 while Jurado has raised $503,825, according to campaign finance totals.
Why this race matters: De León refused continued calls to resign over his participation in a leaked recording of racist remarks in 2022. It did not dissuade him from running for reelection. His predecessor, José Huizar, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for racketeering and tax evasion while in office. If Jurado prevails, she will grow the progressive bloc of council members and help move the L.A. City Council further to the left.
Election News
What Harris can learn from California’s housing crisis: Vice President Kamala Harris pledged to build 3 million additional affordable homes and rentals over the next four years. It sounded much like Gov. Gavin Newsom during his first gubernatorial campaign when he called for California to add 3.5 million housing units by 2025. But transforming the housing market from the top is difficult, as Newsom’s experience has demonstrated. (CalMatters)
Kevin de León’s campaign boost: A ballot measure committee established by De León is spending money to support three state propositions. That means he can send glossy mailers and text messages to his constituents touting his support for the measures, giving him additional publicity. It’s legal, and he’s not the first to do it. (LAist)
VPs hit the debate stage: Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz faced off in last night’s vice presidential debate as a slew of domestic and international troubles plagued the country. The debate was surprisingly friendly – the two mostly had beef with each other’s running mates – with a few jabs. (L.A. Times)
Community voices
Demitri Moreno, an account executive from El Sereno, says he cares about rent control policies and homelessness but would also would like his local leaders to address safety on public transportation.
“I would definitely like to see more people getting off the road and taking public transit but of course, security needs to be involved.”
Moreno
Quick tips
- California ballot measures: Get a rundown on the 10 state propositions on your ballot.
- Next key date: Look out for your mail-in ballots starting next week. You can drop them off as soon as Oct. 8.
- Tracking your ballot: Want to know when your ballot is mailed, received, and counted? You can actually track it using the WheresMyBallot tool.
This weekend’s CD14 candidates forum
EDITOR’S UPDATE THURSDAY, OCT. 3, 2024:
The Council District 14 candidate forum scheduled for this Saturday, Oct. 5, has been postponed. Unfortunately, candidate Ysabel Jurado has tested positive for COVID-19.
We will share information on a new date as soon as it is confirmed.
Stay up to date with our community events.
¡Hasta luego, Boyle Heights!
Jessica Perez
Senior Editor
P.S. If you liked something about today’s newsletter, or didn’t, let me know at editor@boyleheightsbeat.org. It helps us serve you better.
