Ysabel Jurado, a tenants rights attorney, is Los Angeles’ newest councilmember after defeating incumbent councilmember Kevin de León in the race for City Council’s District 14 seat.
Progressive candidate Ysabel Jurado, a tenant rights attorney, became the first-ever Filipina American Los Angeles city councilmember, unseating the incumbent Kevin de León of the city’s 14th district.
According to the LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, Jurado led the race with 33,350 (about 56%) votes against de Leon’s 26,442 (44%) votes, as of Friday, Nov. 8.
In her statement declaring her victory on Thursday, Nov. 7, Jurado acknowledged the significant losses of Democratic candidates across the United States while uplifting supporters.
“On an election day defined by Democratic losses, we have a message to share with our party: when we center the real needs of voters, we win. Our neighbors in CD-14 have shown that Los Angeles can and will lead the way forward, demonstrating what progressive, anti-Trump leadership looks like in action,” she said, acknowledging the efforts of the diverse group of supporters who helped with her campaign.
District 14 stretches across Northeast L.A., including downtown L.A., Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, Eagle Rock, Highland Park, and El Sereno—ethnically diverse neighborhoods that are home to some of the city’s most vulnerable communities.
Jurado’s historic victory comes three years after de León’s notorious derogatory comments toward his constituents were publicized. Since then, de León’s political career has been marked by his refusal to step down despite an overwhelming call for him to do so.
“It was too much if our district didn’t have representation, so my staff and I rolled up our sleeves and we dug in deep to deliver the services, the programs and the funding we deserve here in CD 14, and even in the face of intense, relentless scrutiny and pressure, we didn’t flinch,” de León said at a gathering with his supporters on election night. “We held strong for our community.”
Fellow Filipina American leader Melissa Ramoso, a member of the Artesia City Council, told the Asian Journal that she encouraged Jurado to run for office because of her efforts in organizing and mobilizing communities.
“I told her, ‘Just go, it’s your time,’ so it’s just amazing. It really is her time and she’ll do a fantastic job,” Ramoso said.
In a 2023 interview with the Asian Journal, Jurado shared that as a lifelong Angeleno and housing rights attorney, her primary goal is to serve the constituents of District 14 with a progressive approach.
Among her priorities include fighting gentrification, providing more resources and permanent solutions for unhoused people—and reducing the amount of people living on the streets.
“Uplifting the Filipino American agenda to the forefront of local government means so much to me. Our struggle for visibility always continues, and I’m a community organizer first,” Jurado said in 2023, noting that her campaign not only sought the advice of policy experts but also of everyday people in the district.
She added, “The work we’re doing right now is coalition building, and that’s the work that we intend to do when we’re in office instead of being this distant person on an ivory tower. I’m a regular working-class person like you, and I’m running because I know what it’s like to struggle in this district.”
