Less than a month into her term as Los Angeles District 14 councilwoman, Isabel Jurado remains purposeful in her goal of challenging the status quo by addressing the housing crisis and the city’s lack of services. I am.
Mr. Jurado, a new politician who successfully led a relentless grassroots campaign against longtime politician Kevin de Leon, is committed to building more affordable housing and protecting people from eviction, while prioritizing working needs. And he said he was going to address the housing crisis from day one. -Class components.
“We are not satisfied with business as usual or the current politics here at City Hall,” the incoming City Council member said. “People don’t have enough money to pay rent. They’re choosing between food and rent.”
“Invigorating renters”
The 14th District includes some of Los Angeles’ most densely populated areas, including Downtown Los Angeles, Boyle Heights, and Highland Park, but is home to affordable housing units that serve voters of all income levels. Jurado argues that there is still room to offer more.
“We have union teachers and unionized hotel workers who can’t live in the city because the prices are so low,” she said. “And the working class is being pushed further and further away from work, and that’s something we can’t stand.”
The tenant rights attorney also indicated that he intends to propose and advocate for policies aimed at protecting renters by enforcing current laws while “disrupting the eviction and homelessness pipeline.”
“[We]need to make sure that there is a right to advice.As a lawyer, I saw that tenants were going to go to court, whereas only 10% of them would hire a lawyer. , 90% of the landowners had lawyers,” Jurado said. “What that ultimately meant was that people, especially the elderly, were being voluntarily evicted or facing eviction right before our eyes.”
Less police, more money to keep the lights on
The area was plagued by copper wire theft and broken street lights, so current councilor Kevin de Leon arrested dozens of people involved in the copper wire thefts, resulting in thousands of pounds stolen. He boasted of the collaborative efforts of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Health and Metals Task Force, which recovered the copper wire. .
But Jurado did not say whether he would stop working with the Los Angeles Police Department task force, but said he would take a different approach by providing more funding to the Street Lighting Department.
Jurado argued that copper wire theft is not just a district issue, but a city-wide issue. “You can’t criminalize the way you turn on your lights,” he said. It is necessary to consider the method. ”
Jurado said he would look for ways to provide more funding to the Street Lighting Authority and reduce maintenance.
I want to cooperate with everyone, including the police.
Regarding the controversy that erupted after an audio recording was discovered in which he used derogatory language about police, Jurado doubled down on his claim that he was nothing more than the lyrics of the song.
“These statements were part of a very nuanced conversation where I said that communities like Boyle Heights actually want more police, but at the end of the day, they don’t want to over-police. We also don’t want it to be treated like a nuisance,” the incoming City Council member said. .
Jurado said the number of deaths among black and brown people in the area, including those who are unhoused, shows how unsafe communities feel and how over-policing can impact families. I believe that this reflects the existence of
“I’m here to serve my constituents, and even if I don’t agree with them 100%, I’m going to work with them, including the police and others, for the betterment of my constituents.
women who get the job done
When she is sworn in in December, Jurado will make history as the first woman, first Filipino, and one of the first city council members to represent a city council district.
“Women get the job done. We always have,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to working with all the women and men on the City Council, and I look forward to seeing what path we can chart together.”
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