3 imperfect candidates face off in LA's most scandal-ridden city council district

Los Angeles’ 14th City Council District has gone through a wringer.

FBI agents raiding the home of the district’s then-leader. Its own councilmember engaging in a backroom conversation over the creation of political maps while using racist language to mock a colleague and his child. A candidate running to oversee the district getting pulled over along a roadside within the same district for suspicion of drunken driving.

They all happened within roughly seven years while a growing number of unhoused people were camping out and sleeping in the streets of CD14, and more families were struggling to pay for rent or mortgage amid rising inflation, not to mention a record number of people getting sick or dying during the coronavirus pandemic.

With big problems across the district, which includes downtown LA, Skid Row and Boyle Heights, the 2024 primary election has attracted three ambitious politicians with big plans despite some of whom being, by their own admission, “flawed human beings.”

“If you want loyalty in politics, go buy a dog”

Incumbent Kevin de León has been on the road to redemption, publicly and repeatedly begging for forgiveness from his constituents after the 2022 racist recording revealed he compared his then-colleague Councilmember Mike Bonin’s adopted Black son to a luxury handbag.

After de León resisted calls from protesters and even President Biden to step down, he said he’s running for reelection because he “loves” his job, and because his records speak for themselves.

“We've actually reduced our homeless numbers,” de León said to Telemundo 52’s Dunia Elvir. “There are only one of three city council districts last year that actually reduced our homeless numbers. We did so because I built the largest tiny home village in the United States of America.”

But de León admitted he has lost friends and allies since 2022, including his challenger and state Assemblymember Miguel Santiago.

“There are individuals who seek political opportunities at any given moment, but that's what politics is like,” de León responded when asked about his relationship with Santiago, to whom de León said he has not spoken since last summer.

“It is sad for me,” said de León, who claimed he had invited his former friend to his press conferences to “uplift” Santiago. “Folks say, ‘If you want loyalty in politics, go buy a dog.’”

Another challenger was also used to de León’s political ally, Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo.

Carrillo told the LA Times in April 2023 that she decided to run against her former ally because she started hearing complaints from CD14 constituents that their calls to de León’s office were not answered about city services like sidewalk repairs.

Carrillo is endorsed by Antonio Villaraigosa, a former LA mayor and former CD14 councilmember. Villaraigosa, an NBCLA political contributor, held the district seat for only two years to run for mayor and was succeeded by Jose Huizar.

"I use alcohol in a bad way"

Like de León, Carrillo dug her heels in, resisting calls to stop the council campaign when she was arrested for driving under the influence in November 2023.

Her blood alcohol level was found to be over two times the legal limit. Since then, she pleaded no contest and was ordered to enter a driving-under-the-influence program for three months.

Carrillo, who said she has been sober for more than 100 days, told Elvir on the night of November 2023, she had not eaten all day, taken diet pills, had two drinks at a function.

“You don't realize that you have a problem until it's in your face,” recalled Carrillo, who also said she does not have clear recollections of the night. “I got out of the car. I'm in a suit, and I'm in heels. And police is there, and I'm trying to have a moment of like, ‘What just happened?’”

Also like de León, Carrillo called herself a “flawed” person, but she insinuated to Elvir during the Spanish-language interview that while she experienced a fallout from mental health and addiction struggles, de León’s mishap was the question of morality.

“The work that I've done in the assembly, all the work that I've done in my office, the resources, the funding that I brought to my community, is not negated because of this one incident,” Carrillo said. “My ability to lead, my ability to serve, my ability to help people, doesn't end because I had this thing happen that I am clearly getting help for. If anything, it shows that I am committed, I'm responsible, I'm accountable. I took ownership.”

3 Democratic candidates with similar visions to lead

Given the prickly situations with Carrillo and de León, it’s no surprise that elected officials, including California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Congresswoman Judy Chu, announced their endorsement for Miguel Santiago.

All three candidates share the same proposals for the district: reducing homelessness, increasing affordability for constituents, fighting for environmental justice.

But Santiago said he decided to run against his former friend and ally because the district is tainted with scandals, including the one involving de León’s predecessor, Jose Huizar, who is set to serve 13 years in prison for a pay-to-play scheme.

“We're running because we want to move beyond the scandals, beyond the corruption, to actually make that change so that we can work with people in this community to better improve the quality of life,” Santiago said to Elvir. “We want change, and our community is behind us for that.”

Santiago did not say whether he’s still friends with de León.

“He's on the campaign trail, and so are we, said Santiago, who also said he’s glad Carrillo was taking responsibility for the drunken driving incident and wished her “all the luck in the world.”

Santiago’s campaign website also notes “corruption and scandals have prevented the City Council from delivering and making progress,” clearly targeting his two rivals without mentioning their names.

What’s next?

Other than the top leading candidates, Ysabel Jurado, Teresa Hillery, Nadine Diaz, Eduardo “Lalo” Vargas and Genny Guerrero are running to replace de León.

If no one wins more than 50% of the vote, the top two candidates will clash in the November general election.