Progressive lawyer makes history as first Fil-Am elected to LA City Council

Ysabel Jurado has declared victory in the race to represent the 14th District. FILE PHOTO

LOS ANGELES – Filipino American progressive candidate Ysabel Jurado, who held a lead over incumbent Kevin de León for the District 14 seat on the Los Angeles City Council, declared victory Friday, thanking her supporters and community for the win.

Jurado has made history as the first Fil-Am elected to the City Council.

As of partial returns released Thursday, Jurado led with 33,350 votes, or about 55.78 percent of the votes, while de León received 26,442 votes, or about 44.22 percent of the vote. The L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk will continue to count ballots with the next update scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday.

It was unclear how many ballots remain to be tallied in the district.

Mail-in ballots postmarked by election day will also be accepted for up to a week.

“It was the community that came together to knock on 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 helped develop each and every one of our policies; it was the community that registered over 300 neglected constituents in Skid Row to vote; and it was the community that made their voices loud and clear,” Jurado said in a statement.

“Thank you to every person who joined this campaign, who believed in this vision, and who fought for this victory. We are moving forward together and blazing a trail for the rest of the nation,” she added.

A representative for de León did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The two candidates were vying to represent a district that includes downtown LA, Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, El Sereno and Northeast LA.

De León had to overcome the political damage incurred when he was heard participating in a secretly recorded 2021 conversation in which crude and racist language was used.

At his election night gathering, the councilman noted that he faced challenges after the leaked recording — and that he refused to quit, as many had called for him to do.

“It was too much if our district didn’t have representation, so my staff and I rolled up our sleeves and we dug in deep to deliver the services, the programs and the funding we deserve here in CD 14, and even in the face of intense, relentless scrutiny and pressure, we didn’t flinch,” de León said.

“We held strong for our community.” (With CNS report)