Kevin de León’s Hubris and Downfall
The Campaign Trail
He preened, he hugged, he shook hands and hobnobbed with legends and politicians. Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León was in full campaign mode two days before Tuesday’s election, when voters would decide whether he deserved a second term. The setting wasn’t a restaurant or a neighborhood street: It was the VIP section of a dedication ceremony in Boyle Heights for a towering set of murals featuring the late Dodgers ace Fernando Valenzuela.
The Ceremony
Wearing a satin Blue Crew jacket, De León emceed the one-hour-plus program attended by hundreds of baseball fans. Outside the fenced-off area where he held court, workers in neon yellow vests emblazoned with "Kevin de León Cleanup Crew" handed out bottles of water. Nearby, an electric truck bore in Spanish the legend "Courtesy of: Councilmember Kevin de León."
The Speech
He led chants and cracked jokes and introduced a parade of speakers — among them Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, actor Edward James Olmos and East LA Community Corporation president Monica Mejia — who thanked him for helping spearhead the mural, along with playwright Josefina Lopez and artist Robert Vargas.
The Reaction
From a distance, I stared with a mix of pity and disgust. It wasn’t surprising that De León was there, because his Eastside district includes Boyle Heights. But I figured he had enough sense to offer a few words and sit down like all the other dignitaries, not squeeze a pseudo-rally out of a ceremony meant to honor a recently deceased icon.
The Downfall
Hubris was the engine of De León’s 18-year political career. It propelled the child of Guatemalan immigrants from an impoverished upbringing in San Diego to community activism in L.A. to stints in Sacramento as an assembly member and state senator before he landed at City Hall in 2020. He gained enemies along the way but also followers who cast him as a Dickensian hero willing to fight for the neediest.
The Concession
On Friday, De León conceded to his opponent, tenant’s rights attorney Ysabel Jurado, in a historic defeat that will be felt for years in L.A. politics. "While the results of this election did not go our way, I respect the decision of the voters and our democratic process," De León said in a statement on Instagram. He congratulated Jurado "on a well-fought campaign" and wished her "success in leading our district forward" — a stark contrast to the campaign, when he and his surrogates painted her as a dangerous socialist unfit for office.
The Legacy
De León’s loss will cause further teeth-gnashing among the region’s Latino political class, who had already cast Jurado’s rise as little better than a civil rights violation. The political novice will be the first Filipino American on the council.
Conclusion
De León’s campaign proved that the Latino Power strategy that long fueled Eastside politics is over. His office sponsored a World Cup final watch party at Pershing Square and consistently handed out free food to residents in Latino-majority neighborhoods. At a debate at Dolores Mission last month, De León talked almost exclusively in Spanish and kept referring to his constituents as nuestra gente — our people — to imply that Jurado could never understand Latinos and their needs.
FAQs
Q: What was the outcome of Kevin de León’s election?
A: De León lost his re-election bid to tenant’s rights attorney Ysabel Jurado.
Q: What was the controversy surrounding De León’s campaign?
A: De León was accused of using ethnic solidarity to win votes, and his campaign was criticized for being divisive and pandering to Latino voters.
Q: What was De León’s legacy in politics?
A: De León was a prominent figure in California politics, serving as an assembly member, state senator, and Los Angeles City Councilmember. He was known for his advocacy on issues such as immigration reform, climate change, and clean energy.
Q: Why did De León’s campaign fail?
A: De León’s campaign was criticized for being overly focused on ethnic solidarity and pandering to Latino voters, rather than addressing the needs and concerns of all residents in his district.
