A text message that appeared on Eastside voters’ cell phones last month began with a warning: “40 years of Latino political representation is under threat.”
An ad for Los Angeles City Councilman Kevin de Leon’s re-election campaign also featured a grainy, unflattering photo of his opponent, tenant rights attorney Isabel Jurado.
“We need to protect the voices of Latinos and re-elect Kevin de Leon to City Council,” the message reads.
These words brought into the public sphere an issue that had been whispered about for months. Voters in the 14th District, which includes heavily Mexican-American neighborhoods such as Boyle Heights and El Sereno, could soon elect a non-Latino City Council member for the first time since 1985.
Jurado, 34, is trying to make history by becoming the first Filipino American to serve on the City Council. She has spent much of her campaign denouncing de Leon’s participation in secretly recorded conversations punctuated by vulgar and racist remarks.
The scandal left de Leon so politically weakened that two Latino state legislators, Wendy Carrillo and Miguel Santiago, challenged him for a seat on the city council. However, they lost the March primary and their seats in Congress are now up for grabs.
This series of events could completely change the political landscape of L.A.’s East Side, the birthplace of Chicano activism.
Tuesday’s election pits Asian Pacific Islander candidates against Latino opponents to replace Carrillo in the 52nd Congressional District and Santiago in the 54th. Meanwhile, in the 34th Congressional District, Rep. Jimmy Gomez, the son of Mexican immigrants, is facing Korean-American attorney David Kim.
Like the 14th City Council District, these three districts are majority Latino and cover parts of the Eastside, including communities such as Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, and East Los Angeles.
Los Angeles City Councilman Kevin de Leon (center) sent a text message warning that Latino representation in his district is “under threat.” Opponent Isabel Jurado criticized the move, calling it racially divisive.
(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
If de León loses, Latinos will make up about half of Los Angeles’ population, but they will only hold 4 of the 15 seats on the City Council (about 26%). This outcome will carry special irony, since de León lamented the lack of Latino political influence over the leaked audio.
Nilza Serrano, president of the Avance Democracy Club, which supports candidates who support “progressive Latino policies,” said many Latino-majority districts could lose a significant number of Latino representatives. I’m concerned.
“I think Latinos need to come out and vote for candidates. That representation is key to accessing services,” said Serrano, who supports Mr. de Leon.
Jurado, who lives in Highland Park, called de Leon’s text messages “racist” and said little has been learned from the audio scandal.
“For him to claim that only Latinos can govern Latinos is contrary to the reality that I know, having grown up in a diverse city and a very diverse region, that we can bridge those divides. ” she said.
The 2022 audio leak descended into chaos at City Hall, where community leaders voiced outrage over racist and derogatory comments made in an hour-long recording. Mr. de Leon apologized but ignored widespread calls for his resignation.
Because de Leon was politically isolated, Carrillo and Santiago began a campaign to oust de Leon instead of seeking reelection to Congress. In the primary election, Mr. Jurado, a political newcomer, came in first place, and Mr. de Leon came in second.
Mr. de León’s re-election fight comes amid heavy losses for Latino political forces. Former Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina, considered a legendary figure in many circles, died of cancer last year. Former City Councilman Richard Alatorre, who represented the De Leon district from 1985 to 1999 and was known for his deft use of power, died in August.
Mark Gonzalez, who is currently running against John Yee in the 54th Congressional District, said he is grateful to those who fought for Latino representation. Without their success, he said he wouldn’t be where he is today.
At the same time, he said de Leon’s text messages were “disgusting.”
“It’s pitting groups against each other,” said Gonzalez, a Mexican-American and former president of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party.
In the district that includes Boyle Heights, pedestrian advocate John Yee and political aide Mark Gonzalez are running to replace Congressman Miguel Santiago.
(John Yee, Mark Gonzalez)
Fernando Guerra, a political science professor at Loyola Marymount University, said residents in Latino-majority neighborhoods in Los Angeles have shown a willingness to cross racial and ethnic lines when voting. .
City Councilwoman Karen Price, who is Black, has repeatedly won in her South Los Angeles district, which is nearly 80% Latino. Former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is Latino, represented the Eastside Congressional District for six years before his term ended in 2000 and he was replaced by City Council member Jackie Goldberg.
“The idea that a Latino district would field an older, white LGBT representative is pretty extraordinary,” Guerra said, referring to Goldberg. “It shows the generosity of its constituents.”
Wendy Carrillo, who is retiring from her seat in Congress later this year, said she has found that young Latino voters care far more about a candidate’s positions than their racial or ethnic identity.
“Beyond ethnic politics, there is a new Latino voting bloc that wants values-based leadership,” she said.
Derek Mejia, 28, of Boyle Heights, echoed that sentiment. Mejia, who lives at home with her mother, said she is more focused on the high cost of rent than on the candidate’s election.
“I’m more interested in policy and results,” he said.
LA City Commissioner Kenneth Mejia, the city’s first Filipino-American elected official, has been campaigning in Jurado for the past few weeks. He also backing Mr. Yi, a former representative of Los Angeles Walks, was elected to the 54th Congress, and Mr. Kim was elected to the 34th Congressional District. Both Mr. Yi and Mr. Kim are Korean-Americans.
Mejia said at a campaign rally last month that Jurado is on track to make history. At the same time, he cautioned against focusing too much on candidates’ ethnic backgrounds.
Mejia said Jurado’s victory expands the bloc of City Council members willing to oppose Mayor Karen Bass’ budget and police spending.
“Identity politics is cool,” he told the audience. “But that doesn’t make a difference.”
Hoang Nguyen, chair of California Young Democrats’ Asian Pacific Islander Caucus, is also tracking the Eastside contest. He has personally volunteered for the campaigns of Mr. Yee, Mr. Kim, and Jessica Caroza, a Filipino-American candidate running for the 52nd Congressional District. He also participated in Jurado’s comedy fundraiser.
Nguyen, who lives in Koreatown, said he supports these candidates not just because they are APIs, but because he knows their values and, in some cases, personally. All four will work hard to represent Latino voters, he said.
“They’re not going to serve just Asian Americans. That doesn’t work this way,” he said. “They all do outreach work to the Latinx community, and they do it intentionally.”
Mr. Yi, who is running to replace Mr. Santiago, said he speaks to voters in English, Spanish and Korean, and speaks a little Russian when speaking to Armenians. “Eighty percent of the time I research in Spanish,” he said.
The council currently has three members of Asian descent, including Mr. de Leon, who said his father was of mixed Chinese, Guatemalan and Mexican descent. Approximately 12% of LA’s population is Asian, including the Filipino community near downtown.
Behind the scenes, Ati says: Gen. Rob Bonta’s legal team has raised concerns about whether the way the city’s 15 legislative districts are divided provides adequate representation for Latinos. Bonta’s team is pressuring the city to draw new maps, a request that could be taken up by the City Council after the election.
Los Angeles City Council candidate Isabel Jurado poses in front of her parents’ home in Highland Park in March. She said she is “not going to sell out this neighborhood and its historically Latinx community.”
(Michael Blacksher/Los Angeles Times)
Despite weeks of acrimonious campaigning, Mr. de Leon and Mr. Jurado have much in common. Both were raised by immigrants and are allies of organized labor. Both men pledged to fight evictions of low-income renters.
Jurado said her life experiences are universal to the district. She had a child at age 18, and due to the high cost of housing, she lives with her father on food stamps.
Her campaign posted a Spanish-language video featuring prominent Latinx leaders, including Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis. The campaign also organized events with Filipino civic groups in the area, which is 61% Latino and nearly 15% Asian.
Jurado said in an interview that the district’s last two Latino elected officials, De León and Jose Huizar, who are currently serving 13-year sentences on corruption charges, “betrayed” their voters. .
“I’m not here to pretend to be Latino. I’m here to be a true ally,” she said. “I have no intention of selling out this neighborhood and our historic Latino community.”
De León, 57, has stood by his record and campaign text messages, saying it’s important for the district to field a representative who speaks fluent Spanish and shares cultural ties with the majority of residents. said.
That connection, he said, is why he fought in the state Legislature to designate California a “sanctuary state” and allow undocumented immigrants to receive driver’s licenses.
“Representation is more than just checking a box. It’s a lived experience and a deep understanding of the needs and struggles of a community,” said the mother, who is originally from Guatemala and worked as a house cleaner. De Leon said.
At a recent bilingual candidate debate, Mr. de León spoke mostly in rapid-fire Spanish, while Mr. Jurado relied on an interpreter and discreetly hidden earphones to make all but the last statement. Said in English.
Campaigning with state representative candidate Jessica Caroza and Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis (left) at Teresita’s in East Los Angeles.
(Nick Agro/For the Times)
In the race to replace Carrillo, Carrosa has garnered support from dozens of unions and filled voters’ mailboxes with campaign ads. Asian Pacific Islander Leadership PAC also sent out multiple mailers on her behalf, including one featuring a woman holding a placard with the message “Stop Asian Hate.” .
Caroza immigrated to the United States from the Philippines with her family when she was four years old. Her parents worked low-paying jobs. She was the youngest of six children and the first in her family to earn a college degree.
“My story of growing up in a working-class immigrant family resonates with this district because that’s what this district is,” said Caroza, a former public works commissioner.
Caroza’s opponent, Frankie Carrillo (no relation to Wendy), has sent one campaign email so far. His supporters include U.S. Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-Pacoima), state Sen. Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles), and U.S. Rep. Eunice Hernandez.
Frankie Carrillo was wrongly convicted of murder and imprisoned for 20 years. Now an advisor to the Los Angeles Innocence Project, he said a candidate’s “lived experience” and personality are more important than their ethnic background.
Frankie Carrillo, who speaks Spanish, said some residents have told her they want a Latino representative.
“More often, however, I hear from constituents and their families who empathize with my experience of injustice in the justice system,” he said in an email. “They say they too had parents who suffered and died without health insurance.”
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said he is not concerned about non-Latino candidates winning East Side elections. Given the demographics, the winner will need to serve Latino voters or face political difficulties.
“After all, this is what diversity means,” he said.
