Family members of deceased LAPD officers denounce city council candidate’s criticism of law enforcement officers

LOS ANGELES—City council candidate Ysabel Jurado is facing backlash after making controversial remarks during an Oct. 17 college forum, where she was recorded saying “[Expletive] the police.” Relatives of fallen Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers are planning to denounce her comments at a news conference on Sunday.

The Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) announced that family members will speak about the pain caused by Jurado’s words, demand an apology, and call for her withdrawal from the Nov. 5 election against incumbent Kevin de León.

“Once I heard Ysabel Jurado say ‘[Expletive] the police,’ it brought back memories of the loss of my husband and so many other police officers,” said Maria Johnson, president of the LAPD Family Support Group, as quoted in the LAPPL’s statement.

“To think that Ysabel Jurado wants to be a Los Angeles city council member with such hate in her heart is sad. For her to be in a position to decide how to keep neighborhoods safe is dangerous. She needs to apologize and withdraw from the race and think about her actions.”

These responses come in the wake of Jurado’s controversial comment, first shared by the local news website Westside Current.

Last week, the LAPPL released a digital ad urging 14th District voters not to support Jurado and launched a website, JuradoPolicePlan.com, to expose her views on local police officers.

Douglas Emmett Management and the LAPPL spent $100,000 for the ad, according to the website.

At the same time, a group of 14th District residents hosted a news conference urging Jurado to apologize for her remarks and exit the council race.

During the meeting at Cal State Los Angeles, a student asked Jurado about police spending, to which Jurado responded with a lyric from a 1988 protest song by N.W.A.

“As someone who is myself pro-abolishment of police, where do you stand on that spectrum and what do you think about Kevin de León’s discretionary fund spending on overtime for police,” the student asked, prompting Jurado to quote: “What’s the rap verse? [Expletive] the police, that’s how I see ‘em.”

CBS2 later revealed that the man questioning Jurado works for de León but is also a student at Cal State LA.

Jurado defended her comments, stating that she quoted a lyric from a song that has been part of a larger conversation on systemic injustice and police accountability for decades, and reaffirmed her commitment to public safety.

De León, seeking re-election, condemned the comment as “simply disrespectful.”

Jurado, a tenant rights attorney, placed first in the March primary to represent a district including Boyle Heights, Downtown Los Angeles, and parts of Northeast Los Angeles.