Ysabel Jurado is in charge of Los Angeles City Council District 14. Since December 2024, she has been a councilmember since winning a November 2024 election against incumbent Kevin de León. District 14 includes several Northeast Los Angeles neighborhoods that have a significant Latin American population, such as Boyle Heights, Downtown Los Angeles, Eagle Rock, Highland Park, El Sereno. Jurado is a City Councilmember and represents the interests of his constituents in the 15-member body that is Los Angeles’ primary legislative body.
Key Takeaways
- Ysabel Jurado is a City Councilmember for Los Angeles City Council District 14 since December 2024.
- She won the November 2024 election by over 56% of the vote, defeating incumbent Kevin de León who had not resigned after being called on to do so after a racist audio scandal in 2022.
- The 14th District includes Boyle Heights, Downtown Los Angeles, Eagle Rock, Highland Park, El Sereno, Garvanza, Glassell Park, Lincoln Heights and Monterey Hills.
- The district is highly Latino and has been one of the most Latino-majority districts in the city.
- Jurado’s office is located at City Hall, 200 N Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012, and has field offices in district communities.
- The district’s phone numbers are: City Hall: (213) 473-7014 and Field office (323) 526-3059.
- District 14 was established in 1925 when the LA City Charter shifted from at-large council to 15 districts, and has always represented the communities of Northeast and Downtown Los Angeles.
Who Is Ysabel Jurado
Ysabel Jurado is a Los Angeles-based attorney and community organizer who became the City Councilmember for District 14 after defeating longtime incumbent Kevin de León in the November 2024 election. After a massive early lead, Jurado received more than 56 percent of the vote while de León’s share was 43 percent, according to NBC Los Angeles.
It was widely seen as a political upset and she had a large volunteer ground campaign. In her victory message, Jurado noted that the victory wasn’t hers, but the result of the community, which assembled into a “thousand-plus army” of volunteers to knock on more than 83,000 doors and write and send more than 8,000 postcards. De León gave up the next day.
Jurado campaigned on issues of affordable housing, tenant rights, immigrant rights and community solutions to housing insecurity. As a lawyer specializing in housing and labor law, her priorities were directly influenced by her experience.
The significance of the District 14 Race
The 2024 election for District 14 was particularly prominent due to the unique context of Kevin de León’s tenure. In 2022, De León had been the subject of a major controversy throughout the city after an audio recording of him and several other senior council members was leaked, during which they made racist comments about a redistricting discussion. The scandal resulted in calls for his resignation, but de León refused to step down and remained in office, thus making the 2024 election a referendum on his fitness for office.
The article on Wikipedia about the 14th City Council district of Los Angeles states that the district has been embroiled in scandal with the suspension of Councilmember José Huizar in 2020 and the audio scandal of Councilmember Kevin de León in 2022. Jurado’s triumph marked the end of de León’s time in office and ushered in a new era of leadership in an area of the country that had seen much turmoil in its governance over the past few years.
What Is Los Angeles City Council District 14
Geographic Coverage
The City Council District of Los Angeles 14 includes multiple neighborhoods in two contiguous areas of the city. The district includes all or part of the following: (from official CD14 website and Wikipedia’s district article)
- The neighborhood of Boyle Heights (East Los Angeles)
- Downtown Los Angeles
- Eagle Rock
- Highland Park
- El Sereno
- Garvanza
- Glassell Park
- Lincoln Heights
- Monterey Hills
A thin strip of land is the only connection between the Boyle Heights and the Northeast sections. The district is entirely located in California’s 34th Congressional District, and is located in California’s 26th State Senate District and California’s 52nd and 54th State Assembly Districts, according to Wikipedia.
Demographics
District 14 is home to a significant Latin American population, and has long been a region with a strong Latino presence and political agenda. Historical boundaries have not varied significantly from modern boundaries, which always include Eagle Rock, Highland Park and Northeast and East Los Angeles, the historically Latino areas of East Los Angeles. The district’s representation has been influenced by its high Latino identification, a characteristic of the district since its inception in 1925.
History of the District
District 14 was established in 1925 when the city’s new charter abolished the old at-large voting system for a 9-member Council and adopted a district system with a 15-member Council. It has never left its original location, always staying in Northeast Los Angeles and Downtown Los Angeles. Eagle Rock, Highland Park and Annandale were part of the district in 1925. In 1928 it grew west to Allesandro Street and in 1933 to South Pasadena and Glendale, but the western limits were changed to incorporate Griffith Park.
Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s role and responsibilities
As the representative for District 14, Ysabel Jurado’s role as a City Council member includes:
Legislative responsibilities: To vote on city ordinances, budgets, land use decisions and policy resolutions that impact District 14 and the city at large. Los Angeles’ City Council is comprised of 15 members and is the city’s most important legislative body in the strong mayor system.
Constituent services: Responding to residents’ issues related to city services such as street maintenance, trash collection, parking enforcement, neighborhood clean up, and interactions with city departments. The district’s office processes service requests directly from the communities of Boyle Heights, Highland Park, Eagle Rock and other parts of the district.
Land use and zoning: Council members have very powerful powers in their districts to approve development, make variance applications and to change zoning. This is one of the most dynamic parts of the council seat’s work given the density of District 14’s neighborhoods and the gentrification pressure in areas such as Highland Park and Boyle Heights.
Budget advocacy: Each council member supports their council district’s allocation of the city budget, including infrastructure, park maintenance, library services, and social services.
How to Contact District 14
If you live in District 14 and need help from your council office:
| Contact Method | Details |
| City Hall Office | Room 465, 200 N Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 |
| City Hall Phone | (213) 473-7014 |
| Field Office Phone | (323) 526-3059 |
| Official Website | cd14.lacity.gov |
| City Services | Call 311 or (213) 473-3231 |
CD14 website, cd14.lacity.gov, offers information on local resources, community events, service requests, and council office updates. It is also the main source of information on particular community issues, such as the response to the storage facility fire in the Boyle Heights that was mentioned in their latest site notices.
The 14th District of the Full LA City Council
Ballotpedia’s overview of the city government of Los Angeles describes it as having a strong mayor and city council. The City Council, composed of 15 members, is the legislative body of the city, with the mayor as the chief executive. Each of the 15 council districts elects one councilman to represent the district and the majority of the council members make decisions on city legislation, budget and the big planning decisions.
The council consists of 15 councilors representing each of the city’s 15 districts, led by council president Marqueece Harris-Dawson since 2024. Geographically, District 14 is located in the middle between the San Fernando Valley-adjacent districts and the more compressed urban center of the City, thus playing a key part in decisions that impact both neighborhoods and the City’s urban core.
Previous District 14 Councilmembers
| Councilmember | Tenure | Notable Events |
| Ysabel Jurado | 2024 to present | Defeated de León with 56%+ of the vote |
| Kevin de León | 2020 to 2024 | Refused to resign after 2022 racist audio scandal |
| José Huizar | 2005 to 2020 | Suspended in 2020 amid federal corruption investigation |
| Nick Pacheco | 2000 to 2003 | Early 2000s representation |
Wikipedia notes that the district has been plagued with major scandals, including Huizar’s suspension in 2020 and de León’s audio scandal in 2022, so Jurado’s election in 2024 is a chance for the district’s communities to experience a leadership change.
Districts 14 neighborhoods and What They’re Known For
Boyle Heights
One of Los Angeles’s oldest and most historically significant Latino communities, Boyle Heights has been a center of Mexican-American culture for over a century. It is the site of Mariachi Plaza, Hollenbeck Park, and the Eastside neighborhoods which are a large part of the district’s cultural identity. In recent years, the community has been under immense pressure from issues of gentrification and displacement, and housing policy is one of the most politically charged issues for District 14 residents.
Highland Park
Over the last ten years, Highland Park, located in Northeast Los Angeles along the Arroyo Seco, has experienced a dramatic demographic and commercial shift that has made it the center of gentrification discussions that are central to the district’s political agenda. The neighborhood is home to the Southwest Museum campus and is home to an increasingly active arts and dining scene, as well as a long-standing Latino and working class community.
Eagle Rock
Eagle Rock is a residential area adjacent to Glendale and Pasadena that has a more suburban feel than the more populous parts of the district. It has a long history of community identity; it has been a part of the District 14 since the district’s inception.
Downtown Los Angeles
The Downtown area of District 14 encompasses parts of the city’s heavy concentration of commercial activity, homeless services and urban infrastructure, and therefore has a first-hand interest in decisions made in this area.
Before Ysabel Jurado was in charge of District 14, who was?
Prior to Jurado, Kevin de León served as the District 14 representative from 2020-2024. De León is a former California State Senator who once ran for the US Senate against Dianne Feinstein. The audio scandal in 2022, which saw a recording of him and other high-ranking council members making racist remarks at a private meeting to redraw the council’s districts, had a noticeable impact on his tenure as a councilmember. De León was also the subject of numerous calls to resign from the council from community organizations, fellow council members and the mayor, but he refused to step down until the end of his term in 2024 when the voters elected a new councilmember.
Prior to de León, José Huizar served as the District 14 representative from 2005 to 2020 when he was suspended during a federal probe into corruption in his district. The two leadership vacancies caused a leadership vacuum that influenced community expectations of the next leader in District 14.
The theme of leadership transitions from one person to another within a particular district or institution, and the impact of such transitions on public trust and institutional culture, is common in various contexts. The same dynamic, that the incoming CEO took over a brand with a past that had to be rebuilt, is explored in the profile of who is the CEO of Gisou, and the choices made by the person who came before.
Conclusion
As of December 2024, Ysabel Jurado serves as the Councilmember for District 14 of the City of Los Angeles, which includes the neighborhoods of Boyle Heights, Downtown Los Angeles, Eagle Rock, Highland Park, El Sereno, Garvanza, Glassell Park, Lincoln Heights, and Monterey Hills. She was elected to fill a very challenging leadership period for the district following a series of controversies with her predecessor Kevin de León and the councilmember before him, José Huizar.
Jurado’s duties as the district’s councilmember on the 15-member LA City Council include making legislative decisions, providing services to district residents, approving land use issues and advocating for the budget in a wide-ranging district that has a high Latino resident population and a significant housing affordability crisis. The district office is located at (213) 473-7014 (City Hall) or (323) 526-3059 (field office) or at the official website at cd14.lacity.gov.
Shani Levni offers a wealth of resources on local government, civic leadership and related subjects.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the District 14 LA leader?
Ysabel Jurado is the City Councilmember for Los Angeles City Council District 14. She has served in the district since she was sworn in in November 2024 following a November 2024 election in which she beat incumbent Kevin de León with over 56 percent of the vote.
What neighborhoods are in LA City Council District 14?
District 14 includes Boyle Heights, Downtown Los Angeles, Eagle Rock, Highland Park, El Sereno, Garvanza, Glassell Park, Lincoln Heights and Monterey Hills. The district is home to many Latinos and serves communities in both Northeast Los Angeles and the Downtown core.
Where is the District 14 council office?
District 14 City Hall office is at Room 465, 200 N Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. The City Hall service phone number is (213) 473-7014 and the field office number is (323) 526-3059. Use 311 to contact the general city services. The official website is cd14.lacity.gov.
Before Ysabel Jurado, who was the council member for District 14?
Kevin de León served District 14 from 2020-2024. He has not resigned in response to calls for his resignation after a 2022 scandal over a leaked audio recording of him and other council members making racist comments. In November 2024, he was defeated by Ysabel Jurado.
What year was the City Council District 14 established?
The district was established in 1925 when a new Los Angeles City Charter was adopted to replace the at-large voting system with a district system. The new charter increased the number of council members from nine at-large to 15 district representatives. Since its inception, District 14 has been focused in Northeast Los Angeles and Downtown.
Does District 14 LA equal the 14th Congressional District?
The City Council District 14 is a city-level district, among 15 districts on the LA City Council. At the federal level it is completely within the 34th Congressional District of California, which is a different and much larger geographic area. The district of the city council is a different level of government than the congressional district.
What is the political nature of LA City Council District 14?
District 14 has traditionally been a Democratic district, and has a large Latino and progressive population. In keeping with the community priorities of the district, Ysabel Jurado’s platform focused on tenant protections, affordable housing, immigrant rights, and community-led solutions to homelessness.