LA Council Race Rattled By Candidate Quoting N.W.A. Lyric About LAPD

LOS ANGELES, CA — A controversial recording is once again sending shockwaves through the District 14 Los Angeles City Council race when City Council candidate Ysabel Jurado was recorded summing up her attitude about policing funding by quoting the infamous N.W.A. lyric, "F-- the police."

Jurado is challenging incumbent Kevin de León, who fell from grace when a recording emerged of two fellow council members and him discussing city power dynamics in racist terms.

Both de León and LAPD officials were quick to condemn Jurado's comment.

The recording, which was first published by the Westside Current, stems from a meeting Thursday between the candidate and students at Cal State Los Angeles.

A man who identified himself as a resident of the 14th Council District asked the tenant rights attorney her thoughts on police spending and de León 's use of discretionary funds to cover LAPD overtime.

“As someone who is myself pro-abolishment of police, where do you stand on that spectrum?” the unidentified man asked.

Jurado responded with a lyric from a 1988 protest song of the same name by the Compton-based hip hop group N.W.A.

In a statement Monday, Jurado defended her comments, saying she quoted a lyric from a song that's been "part of a larger conversation on system injustice and police accountability for decades."

Juardo added that she is committed to public safety.

But the remark drew criticism from the interim LAPD Chief and the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union representing LAPD officers.

“This divisive language only serves to erode what should be a positive and collaborative relationship between the police and the people we serve,” said Interim Police Chief Dominic ChoiChoi in a statement. “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.”

"(Expletive) the police, that's how I see them," the union stated, quoting Jurado. "Ysabel Jurado revealed her true colors on how she views police officers who protect the residents of Los Angeles. She's made it clear that she will jeopardize public safety for failed social experiments by pulling police off of crimes like retail thefts, car thefts, smash-and-grab robberies, hate crimes, and more."

Juardo's comments are "simply disrespectful,"said de León, who is seeking reelection to represent the district stretching from downtown Los Angeles to Eagle Rock, called Juardo's comments as "simply disrespectful."

"I stand where I've always stood, 100% behind our frontline officers who go out every day risking their lives to protect Angelenos across the city," de León said in a statement.

Jurado said it's not enough to be tough on crime, then pivoted to discussing how police misconduct has put the city on the edge of fiscal emergency.

"We're in this mess because of reckless decisions, including massive payouts for police misconduct. The result? A city broke, unable to fix busted sidewalks, broken streetlights, or trim trees -- services that keep us safe and whole; services that we desperately need," Jurado said in a statement.

"...We've got to be tough and smart, and operate with the fiscal responsibility necessary to fix our lopsided budget. And I'm prepared to work with whoever I need to -- whether it's the LAPD or colleagues I may not always see eye to eye with -- because my priority is delivering for our district, plain and simple. Our campaign is about real solutions, not distractions."

Los Angeles is in a budget crisis, with payouts in police misconduct settlements playing a major role in the budget shortfall. In the first three months of the fiscal year, the city owes $258 million in liability costs with the 40 percent of those costs stemming from police negligence or use of force payouts, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The district serves communities with complicated, overpoliced histories — Downtown, Boyle Heights, Eagle Rock, Highland Park, El Sereno, Garvanza, Glassell Park, Lincoln Heights, and Monterey Hills.

JOSE HERRERA, City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contrinuted to this report.