LOS ANGELES – Ysabel Jurado declared victory Thursday night in the LA City Council District 14 race after taking an early lead over incumbent Kevin de León.

“After knocking on more than 83,000 doors, mobilizing more than 1,000 volunteers, sending more than 8,000 postcards and registering hundreds of voters to vote — We won. The little campaign that could overcome corruption, doubt, misogyny and racial division. This victory belongs to the señors and titas who welcomed us into their homes and distributed flyers at their church groups, to the young people who hosted meet and greets on their college campuses, to the single mothers who told their stories and shared their struggles, to the organizers and tenants who fought tirelessly for their right to stay in their neighborhoods Together, we cut through the political theater and built a movement focused on the issues real – affordable housing, our young and old, real public safety, the homelessness crisis and protecting our small businesses,” Juardo said in a statement.

Her victory in the 14th district, which includes downtown LA, Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, El Sereno and Northeast LA, comes less than a month after she woke up. amid an uproar after audio captured her saying ‘F*** the police’.

During a meeting at Cal State LA on October 17thJurado was asked about her current stance on police and what she thinks about spending discretionary funds on officer overtime. She responded by saying “What’s the rap verse? F- the policethat’s how I see them.”

Her comment sparked outrage, with people holding a rally urging her to drop out of the race. But Juardo stayed in the race. She told FOX 11’s Susan Hirasuna that in the days after the audio was released, she went door-to-door to talk to voters and said she found a lot of support.

She was asked several times if she regretted using the rap lyrics.

RELATED: LA City Council District 14 race: Kevin de León, Jurado seek to overcome audio leak scandals

Jurado testified that her father was disappointed in her, but she reiterated her vision for public safety, which would have police focus on serious crime and gang intervention.

“The safest cities invest in public schools, education, youth development, recreation and parks and libraries. You know, we have to focus on funding them. We can’t continue to fund a budget that continues to prioritize a department at the cost of all of this, I mean, if we look in this neighborhood, our library in Boyle Heights was closed even before the pandemic, despite cries from community members that this is a place that makes them. safe,” explained Jurado.

RELATED: Jurado speaks after “F–police” is leaked from the audio

She is supported by three current council members who recently voted against raising wages for the LAPD.

In 2022, her opponent, Kevin de Leonhe was also involved in a scandal involving a leaked racist audio recordings.

Jurado said he entered the race to “change the history of corruption” at City Hall — citing the controversies surrounding former councilman José Huizar (convicted and now incarcerated for accepting bribes from developers and cheating on his taxes) and León.

“This district has been used and abused and we have total distrust,” Jurado said. “People are asking for honest, responsible and responsive City Council members, and this is the bare minimum.”

On other issues, Jurado — a lifelong Highland Park resident, first-time candidate and single mother of a 14-year-old daughter — said she will focus on making sure residents get their fair share from city services; and work to reduce homelessness, with a focus on Skid Row, the epicenter of the crisis.

She also emphasized working with homeless service providers, community organizations and LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis, who represents District 2, which includes the Skid Row and CD14 neighborhoods.

In addition, Jurado expressed concern about the city’s anti-camping and sweeps law, noting that these policies can make it more difficult to place homeless residents in temporary or permanent housing.

She said she would focus on public safety through a multi-layered approach; discussed concerns about street lighting and maintenance; and how police officers are overwhelmed with calls for duty that could be handled by unarmed response teams.