Los Angeles Police Union Comes Out Against L.A. City Council Candidate Following ‘F— The Police’ Remark

Los Angeles City Council candidate Ysabel Jurado continued to receive massive backlash against her “F— the Police” remark from Monday. The Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) union came out against her statement with an ad campaign.

Jurado and the other candidate for the Council seat, scandal-ridden City Councilman Kevin de Leon, are currently locked in a tight race for their district. However, the race made national headlines on Monday when Jurado, speaking to young supporters at CSU Los Angeles, was answering questions about police spending. When a question came about police overtime funding from a student who said “As someone who is myself pro-abolishment of police, where do you stand on that spectrum?”, Jurado responded by saying “What’s the rap verse? F— the police, that’s how I see them. The city’s budget is broken, with the LAPD funded more than it’s actually ever been funded before.”

The comment was met with immediate backlash from police unions and citizens groups.

In a statement, de Leon said that “Her comments were 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.”

Jurado also responded to the growing criticism, saying that police spending was high and that “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. 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.”

However, in the next 48 hours, things went from bad to worse for Jurado. The LAPPL, normally on the quiet side of things during election season, brought out a full ad blitz against Jurado, with de Leon getting a massive eleventh hour boost of support.

De Leon surges following Jurado’s remark

“Residents in Council District 14 don’t need to guess about how Ysabel Jurado feels about police officers,” said LAPPL President Craig Lally on Wednesday. “Ms. Jurado told them loud and clear that if she wins, it will be ‘F-the police,’ and that means fewer officers patrolling neighborhoods and enforcing the law. It means more crime and more victims of crime. Ms. Jurado does not support Mayor Bass’s efforts to improve the police department or hire more officers. She has no business making decisions about the safety of Angelenos.”

In a Fox News interview, LAPD interim Chief Dominic Choi added that “Her remark is disappointing and diminishes the hard work and dedication of the men and women of the LAPD. This divisive language only serves to erode what should be a positive and collaborative relationship between the police and the people we serve. 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.”

With the story suddenly on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News, Jurado doubled down, and continued to defend her quoting the lyric.

“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 — 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. That’s something my opponent has failed to do. My commitment to public safety remains as strong as ever.”

The public, however, has not seen her commitment that way in the wake of her comment. Many voters there have called on her to drop out of the race, with others planning on voting to get de Leon out now switching back to voting for him.

“We did some preliminary polling yesterday and today for the 14th district council race,” explained LA County pollster Manny Rodriguez to the Globe on Wednesday. “The responses have been overwhelmingly against Jurado. Many Filipino residents told our people that she is a “disgrace to Filipinos”. There were a few for her, but not many. Public safety is a huge issue this election, and there have been a lot of calls for more police.

“This remark just killed her chances of winning. Which is amazing, because her candidate has had decades of scandals, including one involving racial slurs, and somehow he is the more level-headed one here. De Leon needed a boost to win this thing, and his opponent gave it to him.”

More ads covering her remark are expected to be aired soon as a final push by de Leon against her.