At Boyle Heights Beat, we understand the impact elections have on our communities, so we’re covering the 2024 election season with your priorities in mind. This isn’t about what the candidates want to discuss — we want to hear what’s important to you. 

If you live in Council District 14, you will get to choose a council member to represent you. The City Council is responsible for creating local laws, which can have a big impact on your community. 

So tell us: What do you want your candidates to talk about as they compete for votes this year? What are the problems you want solved and the questions you want answered? 

To participate, please fill out the following form and write in any other questions you might have.

Your answers will help us build The Election Beat and guide our reporting. We’ll also select from the pool of questions and take them directly to your CD14 candidates at our Candidate Forum on Oct. 5 (RSVP here). We’re accepting responses through Sept. 15. 

Boyle Heights Beat is launching an election newsletter in September. Want to stay informed? Sign up here.

My background: I was born in Mexico and raised in Boyle Heights, where I got my start in journalism by launching a community blog. Most recently, I worked at the Los Angeles Times and have spent most of my career covering local news in LA, with a focus on community-centered stories, Latino communities and mentoring emerging writers.

What I do: I lead coverage of Boyle Heights and East LA across all platforms to inform, connect and uplift our community. I spend my days listening, planning, editing and coordinating to make sure our stories reflect the community fairly, while supporting and mentoring my team of reporters and freelancers so they can grow along the way.

Why LA?: It’s home. It’s the sounds of Spanglish and other languages, the smell of tacos and kimchi, the way street art tells stories and how, even though I hate traffic, I love how the freeways can take me to the beach or the mountains on a whim.

The best way to contact me: My email is jessica.perez@boyleheightsbeat.org.

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