In a room full of students at Cal State LA last week, a young man told Los Angeles City Council candidate Ysabel Jurado that he supports the idea of abolishing the police and wants to know where he stands on the issue.
Jurado’s response, which included the phrase “F— the police, that’s how I see them,” drew heavy criticism this week from parts of the Eastside, where he sought to unseat Council Member Kevin de León.
On Wednesday, De León confirmed that Martin Perez, one of his employees, was the Cal State LA student who asked the question.
De León declined to say whether Perez, who is in charge of resources in his office, made the recording of Jurado’s remarks, which first appeared Monday on the Westside Current website. But he praised his assistant, saying Jurado has been sidestepping questions about the abolition of the police force.
“You have found the answer we have been asking [during] five arguments in a row as to why he wants the abolition of the police,” he said. “And he confirmed it with an insult and a rude “F – the police.”
Jurado’s words at the Cal State LA meeting gave an unexpected jolt to the campaign for the 14th district, which covers all or part of the city, Boyle Heights, El Sereno and Eagle Rock. De León has been struggling to come out of a two-year-old scandal over a separate recording — which featured crude and racist remarks — and faces a fierce opponent in Jurado, an employers’ rights attorney who has never run for office before.
Council member Monica Rodriguez called Jurado’s use of the word “immature,” while Council member Bob Blumenfield called it “incredibly offensive.” The Los Angeles Police Protective League, which endorsed De León and represents about 8,800 police officers, is now airing 30-second attack ads criticizing Jurado.
“His public safety plan starts with the F-bomb,” the ad said.
In recent weeks, Jurado has pushed back on allegations that he intends to defund the police force, while also arguing that the LAPD is being overspent, putting the city on the brink of a financial crisis.
On Monday, he downplayed his use of the word “F— police,” saying it was “just a word” for a rap song. Although he didn’t say which song, his lyrics echoed parts of NWA’s “F— Tha Police” and Kanye West’s “All Falls Down.”
Jurado declined to comment on Perez on Wednesday. But he described the police union ad as “just noise.”
“Our society is focused on how to put food on the table and pay the rent on time – not the songs,” he said in a statement. “That’s why we are more determined than ever to raise their needs and be their champions at City Hall. This campaign is about delivering results, not distractions.”
Perez declined an interview request from The Times. In the recording of the meet and greet, he began his question by noting that he lives in the council district and is an “East LA punk.”
More than ten people attended the event, and many recorded different questions and answers, said Elliot Avila, a Cal State LA student who participated in the discussion. Still, Avila said he was certain Perez made the recording of Jurado’s voice.
“He is the one who says he is from the police, and it is clear that he works for Kevin de León,” he said. “The only person who has the intention of doing that would be him.”
Avila, who plans to vote for Jurado, said his full answer to the abolition question was actually “very focused.” After using the phrase “F— the police,” Jurado pointed out that some of the tourists wanted more police and said the LAPD needed to focus on violent crime.
“He was united [Perez] where he was, but then he returned to a better, more pragmatic state,” said Avila. “I would like him to face the police very hard.”
Perez has been De León’s assistant for about a year and a half, according to his LinkedIn profile. He founded and ran a clothing company in the “East LA punk scene” while working as a security guard, the profile says.
Perez has been volunteering in De León’s re-election campaign, knocking on doors, doing phone banking and creating “tote bag art for other workers to use,” her profile says.
Jurado described himself as an abolitionist — someone who supports “the abolition of the police and the “prison industrial structure” — in a questionnaire he sent to the Democratic Socialists of America-Los Angeles.
De León rejected that decision, saying it would leave neighborhoods from downtown to Boyle Heights vulnerable to violent crime. Earlier this week, he described Jurado’s use of the F-bomb as “irresponsible,” saying wealthy areas will always have the ability to hire security personnel.
“Poor neighborhoods, low-income neighborhoods, neighborhoods that struggle every day to survive, they also deserve public safety,” he told KTLA.
Jurado has pushed back on the idea that he plans to defund the LAPD, saying he wants officers to focus on gangs, drugs and violent crime.
In his campaign, he also pointed out that the city’s approach to protecting the public “doesn’t work,” saying that more money should be devoted to street lighting, road maintenance and youth programs.
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