LA council candidate gets angry over ‘F— cops’ while discussing LAPD spending

A candidate to unseat Los Angeles City Council Member Kevin de León faced a barrage of criticism Monday for “F— the police” at a recent meet and greet with college students.

Ysabel Jurado, who is running in the Nov. 5 election to represent neighborhoods from downtown to El Sereno and Eagle Rock, used the phrase while asking a question about police spending — an exchange that was taken on the record.

Jurado’s comments even answered a question about himself as a resident of the 14th District.

“As someone who supports the abolition of the police, where do you stand on that front?” said the questioner, who also asked about De León’s use of discretionary funds to pay for police overtime.

Jurado replied: “What’s the rap verse? F— the police, that’s how I see it.”

It is not clear who recorded the song, which was first reported by the Westside Current. Jurado confirmed to The Times that the remarks were his and that the exchange took place at Cal State LA, where he spoke to students last week.

In the recording, Jurado went on to say that the city’s budget is “broken,” and that the LAPD is “funded more than it has ever been funded.” At the same time, he acknowledged that others in the region want more police.

“For me, I have to listen to the voters,” he said.

The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents about 8,800 police officers, attacked Jurado’s comments, calling them “absurd.”

“His ‘F— the police’ worldview conflicts with the hopes and aspirations of citizens who want to feel safe in their homes, parks, schools and neighborhoods,” the union’s board of directors said.

PPL endorsed De León earlier this month, putting more than $100,000 into his re-election effort.

De León, in a statement, called Jurado’s comments “disrespectful.”

“I stand where I’ve always stood, 100% behind the frontline police officers who put their lives on the line every day to protect Angelenos across our city,” he said.

Jurado, when asked about the recording, continued to rage, saying in a statement that the city is “on the brink of a financial emergency” that is due, in part, to police misconduct. He also accused De León of failing to meet with college students during the campaign.

“At a meeting with students at Cal State LA, I quoted a song that has been part of a larger conversation about systemic injustice and police accountability for decades. But it was just a song,” he said. “And I am proud to be accessible to young people and students, listen to their complaints and treat them as the future leaders they are.”

Jurado did not say which song he was quoting.

De León and Jurado have been at loggerheads over the issue of disbanding the police for most of the past year. In 2023, De León supported Mayor Karen Bass’ first budget, which called for more police officers, and a four-year pay raise package negotiated with the police union.

Jurado opposed both the promotion and the mayor’s push to reduce the LAPD to 9,500 troopers. He called for traffic enforcement duties to be removed from the LAPD and money to be diverted from the department to other city functions.

Boyle Heights resident Margarita Amador, who serves on the Community Policing Advisory Board at the LAPD’s Hollenbeck station, called Jurado’s use of the F-word immature. He said he is worried that Jurado, if elected, will not be able to cooperate with the police on issues such as gangs, theft and other issues that affect the quality of life.

“He insulted all law enforcement, not just the LAPD,” ​​said Amador, who intends to vote for De León. “Why do the police want to work with him in that sense?”

Jurado, in his statement, said he is willing to work with the LAPD and other council members, including those who “may not always see eye to eye.”

In recent weeks, De León’s campaign has sent voters warning that Jurado intends to “defund and eliminate the police.” At candidate rallies, he accused her of portraying herself as an abolitionist — a supporter of the abolition of police and prisons — in a candidate questionnaire sent to the Democratic Socialists of America, or DSA.

Jurado, in an interview with The Times on October 10, said he never mentioned the word “defund” at any time during his campaign. At the same time, his campaign said he checked the box that identified him as a candidate for termination on a questionnaire distributed by the DSA, in favor of termination.

“He checked that box because his top priority has always been making sure our city budget reflects the needs of the community,” Jurado spokeswoman Naomi Villagomez Roochnik said in September. “Right now, we pour a huge amount of money into the LAPD, and essential services like street lights, parks and parks and youth programs are heavily funded.”

Jurado has been running a very competitive campaign, putting together a political coalition that includes the DSA, the regional Federation of Labor and the three remaining members of the council – Nithya Raman, Hugo Soto-Martinez and Eunisses Hernandez. He has repeatedly hit out at De León for his participation in a secret taped interview that featured vulgar and racist comments.

De León apologized for his involvement in that conversation, saying he was sorry for what he said and could not say. Jurado questioned De León’s sincerity, saying in recent weeks that he had not learned his lesson.