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Newly elected LA City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado sets her eyes on public services, housing, and homelessness
Yasabel Jurado waits outside the Arroyo Seco Regional Library in Los Angeles, before casting her ballot on Nov. 5, 2024.
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Zaydee Sanchez
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LAist
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L.A. City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado has big plans for District 14, even as she’s getting settled in City Hall.
Throughout her first 100 days, she told LAist she’s focused on city services, housing affordability, homelessness, and connecting with the people she’s serving, to name a few.
“I'm learning the new ways in which I can advocate for my community in this new role, but at the end of the day, I'm still, you know, Ysabel from Highland Park, and I'm here for my community,” she said. “I just have different tools at my disposal now, but I'm still the same girl.”
Jurado beat out incumbent Kevin de León in November to represent Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, and downtown L.A. in one of the most closely watched races in L.A.
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What’s the plan?
In her first 100 days, one of the things Jurado said she'll focus on is public services.
Street lighting is out all over the district, she said, from First Street in Boyle Heights to Broadway in Lincoln Heights. This can create safety issues for cars and people, and “light[ing] up CD 14” can make communities feel more secure, and make the streets more livable.
She also wants to make sure those services are equitable, and minority communities, such as Boyle Heights, get the attention they deserve.
Jurado is also planning a listening tour to meet the people she’s serving in City Hall, especially those who may not have voted for her.
“So that I can learn about what their issues are, and more often than not, I find that constituents, voters, people, you know, not only identify the problem, but also … work to find solutions,” she said.
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Jurado has been assigned to several council committees, including Housing and Homelessness, Energy and Environment, Government Operations, as well as the Civil Rights, Equity, Immigration, Aging & Disability committee.
She said this first year will likely be about learning the ropes and getting to know her councilmember colleagues.
Yasabel Jurado checks in with polling volunteers before she casts her ballot at the Arroyo Seco Regional Library in Los Angeles, California on Nov. 5, 2024.
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Zaydee Sanchez
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LAist
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Challenges ahead
Inheriting a "broken" city budget, for example, is a difficult situation to walk into as a new councilmember, Jurado said.
She expects to have to make tough decisions about how to resolve the budget gap, and think about ways to bring in revenue that can help provide core services and make an impact on homelessness.
“ Folks have said on the campaign trail that we've funneled so much money to homelessness and we don't see … it getting better,” she said. “And so wanting to make sure that we can, you know, try to tackle this insurmountable problem of homelessness throughout our city, and Skid Row, and try to figure out what are the ways that we can actually get people off the streets for good.”
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