Politics & Government
Jurado Passes De Leon To Move Into First In 14th Council District Race
Tenant rights attorney Ysabel Jurado took the lead in the 14th District City Council race surpassing incumbent Kevin de León.
LOS ANGELES, CA — Tenant rights attorney Ysabel Jurado Tuesday overtook Kevin de León for first in the race for Los Angeles' 14th District City Council seat.
Jurado entered Tuesday's resumption of the ballot count trailing de León by 26 votes, then took a 318-vote lead, according to figures released by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.
Jurado leads de León, 7,965-7,647, 24.46%-23.49%. Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, D-Los Angeles, remained in third with 6,917 votes, 21.24%.
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It was unclear how many ballots remain to be counted.
Because no candidate in the field of eight will receive a majority, the top two candidates will meet in a runoff in November.
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"Today, I am immensely grateful and honored to announce that our campaign has earned the support of our community, propelling us into the runoff election as the first-place candidate in District 14," Jurado said in a statement. "This victory is a testament to the power of the people, the power of community, and the power of grassroots organizing."
Jurado touted her success as a result of knocking on thousands of doors, raising over $223,000 from donors and earning $174,000 in public funding. With the financial backing from supporters, she was able to hire more than 20 staffers and coordinate with more than 250 local volunteers to reach voters.
Both de León and Santiago had outspent Jurado. Santiago benefited from $700,000 in spending from outside groups, mostly labor unions, to support his election efforts.
"From the very beginning, our mission has been clear -- to uplift and empower the voices of those who have been marginalized, neglected, and silenced for far too long," Jurado said.
With more than 75% of the primary vote going to candidates other than de León, Jurado is the heavy favorite in the runoff.
De León drew the ire of the public and fellow elected officials, including President Joe Biden, for his participation in a secretly recorded conversation in 2021 over redistricting that included a series of racist remarks.
The 14th District encompasses Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, Downtown Los Angeles, El Sereno and Northeast Los Angeles.
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