Los Angeles City Council District 14 Candidate Declares Victory Over Embattled Incumbent
Los Angeles City Council District 14 candidate Ysabel Jurado declared victory over embattled incumbent Kevin de León on Thursday, November 7, in what was the most watched and contentious city council contest that Angelenos witnessed this year.
Election Results
Jurado, who jumped out with a solid lead over de León on election night and maintained a double-digit lead two days later, declared herself the winner late in the afternoon of November 7, shortly after the L.A. County registrar’s office released updated vote tallies.
A tenant rights attorney and political newcomer, Jurado had 55.78% of the vote as of Thursday afternoon. De León, a former state lawmaker running for a second term on the City Council, had 44.22% of the vote.
Post-Election Statement
In a lengthy statement declaring herself the winner, Jurado said she was “humbled” to declare victory this week.
“This win is not mine—it belongs to our community. It was the community that came together to knock over 83,000 doors; it was the community that mobilized into a thousand-plus army of volunteers; it was the community that wrote and sent over 8,000 postcards … it was the community that registered over 300 neglected constituents in Skid Row to vote,” Jurado stated.
Controversy Surrounding the Election
Jurado accused de León of adopting tactics from President-elect Donald Trump’s playbook.
De León has weathered calls to step down for his role in a secretly recorded conversation filled with racist and derogatory comments. The conversation featured two other council members – neither of whom are still on the council – and a powerful labor leader who resigned after the recording went public in 2022.
Jurado then found herself at the center of her own controversy for saying “[expletive] the police” after a student asked her position on police spending last month. Jurado later issued a statement saying she was quoting a lyric from a song but she did not issue an apology as the union representing Los Angeles police officers has demanded.
What’s Next
The registrar’s office estimates that countywide there were 906,100 ballots left to count as of Thursday, most of them mail-in ballots. The registrar’s office won’t finish tabulating votes for days and has until December 3 to certify the results of the election.
Other Local Elections
Los Angeles Unified School District
In the race to represent District 3 constituents on the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education, math teacher Daniel Chang slightly cut into incumbent Scott Schmerelson’s lead. As of Thursday, Schmerelson had 51.91% while Chang had 48.09%.
Smaller Cities near Los Angeles
Burbank:
Incumbent City Councilmember Konstantine Anthony and eight other candidates ran for two open seats on the Burbank City Council. Anthony remained in the lead with 22.78%, followed by a tight battle for the second spot between Chris Rizzotti at 20.72% and Judie Wilke at 19.77%.
Malibu:
Three Malibu City Council members hoped to keep their seats but faced two challengers. The top three vote-getters will win seats on the council.
San Fernando:
Five candidates ran for two seats on the San Fernando City Council. Incumbent Victoria Garcia, with 29.15% and Patty Lopez with 22.43%, were ahead of the pack with Sean Rivas close behind at 21.23%. The two candidates with the most votes will secure a seat on the San Fernando City Council.
Santa Clarita:
In Santa Clarita, Jason Gibbs ran unopposed in District 3 and won without appearing on the ballot.
West Hollywood:
City Councilmember John M. Erickson had 28.1% and Danny Hang had 21.06%. They led the pack to fill two seats on the five-member West Hollywood City Council.
Conclusion
The election results for Los Angeles City Council District 14 and other local elections are in, and Ysabel Jurado has declared victory over incumbent Kevin de León. The results are subject to change as more ballots are counted, but for now, Jurado is the declared winner. The election was marked by controversy surrounding both candidates, but in the end, Jurado’s message and campaign resonated with voters.
FAQs
Q: Who is Ysabel Jurado?
A: Ysabel Jurado is a tenant rights attorney and political newcomer who ran for the Los Angeles City Council District 14 seat.
Q: Who is Kevin de León?
A: Kevin de León is the incumbent Los Angeles City Councilmember for District 14 and a former state lawmaker.
Q: What were the major issues in the election?
A: The major issues in the election included controversy surrounding both candidates, including de León’s role in a secretly recorded conversation filled with racist and derogatory comments and Jurado’s statement saying “[expletive] the police”.
Q: What are the next steps in the election process?
A: The registrar’s office will continue to count ballots and will not finish tabulating votes for days. The results of the election will be certified by December 3.
