Four candidates running for CD 14 fielded questions from youth reporters and audience members at a candidate forum on Feb. 7 hosted by Boyle Heights Beat. Photo by youth photographer Daisy Escorcia

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This Tuesday, Boyle Heights residents will have a chance to vote on who they want to represent them in the Los Angeles City Council. The seat for council district 14, which covers Boyle Heights, Downtown L.A., Eagle Rock, El Sereno, Garvanza, Glassell Park, Lincoln Heights and Monterey Hills, is one of the most contested in this year’s elections.

To help you make a final decision– in case you have any doubts– here is the full audio of our recent CD14 candidate forum, where four of the five candidates running shared their views on development, housing, gentrification, environment and why they’d like to be your city council representative. Participating forum candidates included Mario Chavez, Nadine Diaz, Gloria Molina and Jose Huizar.

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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