L.A. council candidate takes heat for saying 'F— the police' while discussing LAPD spending

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Published Oct. 21, 2024 Updated Oct. 22, 2024 12:32 PM PT

The candidate running to unseat Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León faced sharp criticism Monday for saying “F— the police” at a recent meet-and-greet with college students.

Ysabel Jurado, running in the Nov. 5 election to represent neighborhoods stretching from downtown to El Sereno and Eagle Rock, used the phrase while fielding a question about police spending — an exchange captured on an audio recording.

Jurado’s comment came in response to a questioner who identified himself as a resident of the 14th District.

“As someone who is myself pro-abolishment of police, where do you stand on that spectrum?” said the questioner, who also inquired about De León’s use of discretionary funds to pay for police overtime.

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

It is unclear who made the recording, which was first reported by the Westside Current. Jurado confirmed to The Times that the remarks were hers and that the exchange took place at Cal State L.A., where she spoke to students last week.

In a statement, Jurado downplayed her use of the F-word, saying “it was just a lyric.”

However, interim Police Chief Dominic Choi issued his own statement assailing her remarks, saying they diminished “the hard work and dedication of the men and women” of the Los Angeles Police Department.

“This divisive language only serves to erode what should be a positive and collaborative relationship between the police and the people we serve,” Choi said, in a rare instance of a police chief wading into an L.A. political campaign. “Every day, the men and women of the LAPD put their lives on the line to keep the people of Los Angeles safe, and I wish more people valued their sacrifice.”

The Los Angeles Police Protective League, a union that represents about 8,800 police officers, also weighed in, calling Jurado’s comments “nonsensical.”

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

The union endorsed De León this month, putting more than $150,000 into efforts to reelect him. De León, in a statement, called Jurado’s comments “disrespectful.”

“I stand where I’ve always stood, 100% behind our front-line officers who go out every day risking their lives to protect Angelenos across our city,” he said.

Jurado, asked about the recording, went on offense, saying the city is “on the edge of a financial emergency” that is due, in part, to payouts for police misconduct. She also accused De León of failing to meet with college students during the campaign.

“In a meeting with students at Cal State L.A., I quoted a lyric from a song that’s been part of a larger conversation on systemic injustice and police accountability for decades. But it was just a lyric,” she said. “And I’m proud to be accessible to young people and students, listening to their concerns and treating them like the future leaders they are.”

A spokesperson for Jurado repeatedly declined to say which song Jurado was quoting. Perhaps the most influential song to feature the phrase is “F— Tha Police” by N.W.A.

However, Jurado’s words on the recording more closely match lyrics to Kanye West’s “All Falls Down,” which features the line, “I say ‘F— the police,’ that’s how I treat ’em.” West now goes by Ye.

On the recording, Jurado went on to say the city’s budget is “broken,” noting that the LAPD is “funded more than it’s actually ever been funded before.” At the same time, she acknowledged that some in the district “don’t feel safe” and want more police.

“For me, I have to listen to the constituents,” she told the college group.

De León and Jurado have been battling over the issue of police spending for much of the last year. In 2023, De León supported Mayor Karen Bass’ first budget, which called for the hiring of more officers, and the four-year package of raises she negotiated with the police union.

Jurado opposed both the raises and the mayor’s push to return the LAPD to a force of 9,500. She has called for traffic enforcement duties to be taken away from the LAPD and for funding to be shifted out of the department and into other city services.

Boyle Heights resident Margarita Amador, who serves on the Community Police Advisory Board for the LAPD’s Hollenbeck station, called Jurado’s use of the F-word immature. She said she worries that Jurado, if elected, won’t be capable of working collaboratively with police officers on such problems as gang graffiti, theft and other quality-of-life issues.

“She insulted all of law enforcement, not just the LAPD,” said Amador, who intends to vote for De León. “Why would the police want to work with her with that mentality?”

Jurado, in her statement, said she is prepared to work with the LAPD and other council members, including those she “may not always see eye to eye with.”

In recent weeks, De León’s campaign has sent mailers to voters warning that Jurado intends to “defund and abolish the police.” At candidate forums, he has accused her of identifying herself as an abolitionist — a supporter of the elimination of police and prisons — on a candidate questionnaire submitted to the Democratic Socialists of America, or DSA.

Jurado, in an interview with The Times on Oct. 10, said she has not uttered the word “defund” at any point during her campaign. At the same time, her campaign said she did check the box identifying her as an abolitionist on the questionnaire circulated by the DSA, which favors abolition.

“She checked that box because her priority has always been making sure our city’s budget reflects the needs of the community,” Naomi Villagomez Roochnik, a Jurado spokesperson, said in September. “Right now, we’re pouring a massive amount of money into LAPD, while essential services like street lighting, rec and parks, and youth programs are severely underfunded.”

Jurado has been waging a highly competitive campaign, assembling a political coalition that includes the DSA, the county Federation of Labor and the council’s three leftmost members — Nithya Raman, Hugo Soto-Martinez and Eunisses Hernandez. She has repeatedly hit De León over his participation in a secretly recorded conversation that featured crude and racist remarks.

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

Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.