Americas Columns

As I See It: Pinay freshman legislator sworn-in, vows new vision for LA DA 14

manilateam February 6, 2025

Ysabel Jurado, the first Filipino to have been elected to the LA City Council (District 14), was sworn-in Saturday, January 11, 2025 at the Resurrection Church – 3324 East Opal Street., Los Angeles, CA 90023.

I was invited, but I wasn’t able to attend the celebration. She and her staff are in constant contact with this columnist for developments.

I was told, she immediately buckled down to work as a freshman legislator. Her performance in the council, as a neophyte is superb, I was informed.

Among Jurado’s priorities is better public safety, starting with lighting. “We want to light up CD 14. I mean, 40% of the lights downtown are all off,” said Jurado, who also plans on holding listening tours and establishing a small business liaison.

“Throughout the district, we want to make sure we have commercial corridors that are thriving so that people don’t have to leave their neighborhood.”

Jurado advocates for reallocating some funds for police matters to address root causes of crime through education, mental health, housing and job training programs. She also plans to promote housing models like those under Community Land Trusts. (https://abc7.com/post/los-angeles-councilmember-elect-ysabel-jurado-outlines-top-priorities/15539269/)

Jurado joined a growing group of more progressive L.A. City Councilmembers. She is the first woman and first openly queer person (a different breed of politician) to represent the district that includes Boyle Heights, parts of northeast L.A.– including her native Highland Park– and downtown.

Jurado is also the first person of Filipino descent on the Los Angeles City Council.”When it sinks in and when I’m in office, it’ll be something that I’m like, ‘How can I materially deliver for all of these communities that I’m a part of, right?'” she said. (https://abc7.com/post/los-angeles-councilmember-elect-ysabel-jurado-outlines-top-priorities/15539269/)

On this week’s “In Focus SoCal,” host Tanya McRae sat down with Jurado to discuss her priorities in office and to learn more about her background

During the interview, Jurado shared about her drive to study law and to go into public service, a path her family have been into.“

It came from my family. I think they’ve always been committed to public service. My dad was always a very giving person and so was my mom,” Jurado said. Her parents immigrated to the United States from the Philippines.The councilmember also discussed her top agenda items for 2025, including fixing street lights in her district that are out, among other priorities.“Most of it is because of lack of maintenance and lack of funding,” Jurado said.

“In downtown, solar is not an option, but we can leverage solar in other parts of the district, like the northeast, where it’s more suburban,” she added.

Jurado said that another top priority is to finish projects in her district that have been ongoing, including tackling issues surrounding Skid Row.“One of the things is that we haven’t been able to convene all of the elected officials and the government agencies in a cohesive way.” (https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/southern-california/in-focus/2025/01/07/ysabel-jurado-la-city-council)

In an article written by Andrew Lopez, he mentioned that “Ysabel Jurado has a new vision for CD 14: ‘People are tired of the status quo’“Bread and butter issues” like street lighting and public safety are top priority for the councilmember-elect.

Jurado, one who I think thinks outside the box, spent less time talking about the history she’s making but noting more on how she got there. She credits a “community-centered campaign” as the strategy that won her the votes needed to represent more than a quarter-million people from Eagle Rock to Boyle Heights.

“That’s who we’re beholden to. That’s a testament to who we’re going to answer to when we’re in office,” Jurado, 34, said in an interview with Boyle Heights Beat days after her historic win.

The tenant rights attorney and first-time candidate didn’t let her lack of political experience deter her from community leadership. She said she first ran for office because she was “tired of these same career politicians using City Hall for their personal profit and career ambitions.” (https://boyleheightsbeat.com/ysabel-jurado-has-a-new-vision-for-cd-14-people-are-tired-of-the-status-quo/)

Ysabel Jurado, the latest political outsider to unseat a Los Angeles City councilmember said: “It’s an honor, a responsibility. I’m continually in awe of what our team and the community was able to accomplish.”

Jurado, who was born and raised in Highland Park, was a teen mother who went on to become an attorney with experience in immigration, wage theft, small business and tenants’ rights.

The activist and political outsider decided to run for office after incumbent de León’s racist comments alongside other councilmembers became public in a leaked audio two years ago.

Jurado described the tapes as the “final straw.””I put my hat in the ring, and I ran on my values,” she said. (https://abc7.com/post/los-angeles-councilmember-elect-ysabel-jurado-outlines-top-priorities/15539269/)

As I See It, she is one who acknowledges and places worth to people who helped her win. She credits the people who powered her campaign, particularly, women of color, “telling their neighbors or their prayer groups. I mean, my tita Lala and my tita Paz printed their own stuff out and just were handing it out.”Jurado also credits women like Alicia Perez, a decades-long Boyle Heights resident. Perez got involved through her son’s work on the campaign.

She relates to Jurado as a once single mother and expresses appreciation for her community-centered campaign.

Better street lighting and clean streets were two concerns that Perez highlighted.Among Jurado’s priorities is better public safety, starting with lighting.

“We want to light up CD 14. I mean, 40% of the lights downtown are all off,” said Jurado, who also plans on holding listening tours and establishing a small business liaison.

“Throughout the district, we want to make sure we have commercial corridors that are thriving so that people don’t have to leave their neighborhood.”

Jurado is committed to public service because she saw her parents’ doing it. “It came from my family. I think they’ve always been committed to public service. My dad was always a very giving person and so was my mom,” Jurado said.

Her parents immigrated to the United States from the Philippines. “And so, it was always this ethos of service.”

The tenant rights attorney and first-time candidate has a positive outlook about her new role and didn’t let her lack of political experience deter her from community leadership.

She said she first ran for office because she was “tired of these same career politicians using City Hall for their personal profit and career ambitions.” (https://boyleheightsbeat.com/ysabel-jurado-has-a-new-vision-for-cd-14-people-are-tired-of-the-status-quo/)

More power to you, Ysabel!