Yisabel Jurado made a big splash on the Eastside of Los Angeles last spring, come first in a five-way primary election for a City Council seat representing neighborhoods stretching from the city center to Eagle Rock.
The 34-year-old tenant rights advocate, a first-time candidate, edged out Kevin de León, the politically-hurt incumbent who was once president of the state Senate.
But de León, 57, has made it clear that he intends to fight for every vote, as he has participated in head-to-head debates among at least four candidates in the final months before the Nov. 5 election.
Residents got a taste of just how bitter the rivalry is going to be when profanity and verbal attacks broke out between De Leon and Jurado on Wednesday during a 90-minute forum co-hosted by the Lincoln Heights Chamber of Commerce.
Jurado, who lives in Highland Park, strongly criticized de León for attending an event. Secretly recorded conversations That included racist and derogatory comments. They argued that, in the wake of that scandal, he has governed in isolation and failed to represent the district effectively.
Jurado told the audience that De León should have stepped down in 2022 following calls for him to do so from several political leaders, including President Biden.
“You have to put your ego aside to serve the community. That’s what I was taught during my Jesuit education,” he said. “When people tell you to step aside, you do it.”
De Leon in turn described Jurado as politically extreme and said that he allied himself with the workers He sought to “defund” or abolish the Los Angeles Police Department. He defended his record, touting his work on public safety, transportation and efforts to move homeless residents indoors.
Since 2020, the year de León took office, the city has opened “tiny-house villages” for homeless residents Eagle Rock, Highland Park and Boyle HeightsIn the De Leon district, shelters or other interim housing facilities have been set up in the city center, El Sereno and other locations.
“We had 50 RVs on Valley Boulevard, right across from Lincoln Park. What did we do? We found housing for those people, and we got all the RVs off the street,” he told the crowd at Sacred Heart Auditorium. “This is real work. This is real results.”
The Nov. 5 election includes three council races, one in the San Fernando Valley and another in South Los Angeles. The De Leon-Jurado race is the most contentious of the three.
Appearing before a crowd of about 300 people, Jurado attacked De León for missing nearly two months of council meetings in 2022 — the period immediately following the audio leak scandal. De León said his safety was under serious threat, with protesters shutting down council meetings, demonstrating outside his Eagle Rock home and confronting him at community events.
Another politician caught in the leaked audio, Council President Nury Martinez, resigned from his post that year. In contrast, de Leon methodically returned to the public sphere, returning to meetings, winning back his committee assignments and garnering support from colleagues for his policy proposals.
Jurado took aim at de León’s recall effort, saying too many tenants in his district have been evicted, too many street lights are out and too many businesses are struggling. He denounced his work for the homeless and described the district’s tiny homes as “sheds.”
He touted his endorsements from major leaders such as the Los Angeles County Democratic Party and the county’s Federation of Labor. He also pointed to the support of Council members Hugo Soto-Martinez and Eunice Hernandez, who are on the left end of the political spectrum on the council.
Jurado used his endorsement list to argue that De León no longer had any meaningful allies.
“They can’t work with you,” he said. “That’s why your colleagues on the council, in the county, even your former (colleagues) in the state Senate won’t support you.”
De León denied the claims, saying he is working successfully with allies locally and in Sacramento. He also pointed to his list of supporters.
Unions representing the construction sector have rallied behind De León’s campaign. The Avenues Democratic Club recently praised him for his “steadfast commitment to improving the quality of life for all.”
“Kevin de Leon has consistently advocated for issues important to the Latino community — from affordable housing to economic opportunity and environmental justice — more than any other representative over the last two decades,” said Nilza Serrano, president of the club, who was involved in Wednesday’s debate.
De Leon took aim at Jurado’s comments about tiny houses, calling them “outrageous.” He said these structures have given homeless residents air conditioning in the summer, heat in the winter and access to bathrooms year-round.
The tiny homes also come with locks, so homeless women have a level of protection against rape or assault they wouldn’t find in a tent, De Leon said.
“So these are not just sheds. These are lifelines for people who are suffering,” he said.
Jurado said she intends to build facilities that provide “dignity” to homeless Angelenos, citing the 232-bed Hilda L. Solis Care First Village, which Used Shipping ContainersHe also touted the support of L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis, an Eastside politician who initiated the project.
De León responded by attacking Solis’s record, and argued that the county’s Department of Mental Health was “failing miserably” to serve mentally ill Angelenos, some of whom could be seen “running naked down the street” or “screaming at the top of their lungs” on L.A.’s sidewalks.
“They’re dying every day on our streets … whether it’s an addiction to crystal meth or fentanyl,” he said. “Yes, there is a confrontation, a conflict with the county. Because I firmly believe the county is not doing what they should be doing.”
De Leon spoke positively about the Solis shipping container project, saying the city invests money in services at that facility. This year alone the city has allocated $5.2 million for those services, said City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo, a high-level budget analyst.
The day after the debate, Solis criticized de León, posting on Instagram that his office is working “without the council member’s support” to help homeless residents on Skid Row and other parts of his district.
“Council Member Kevin de León has once again demonstrated his incompetence and his inability to take responsibility for failed policies,” he said.
