Ysabel Jurado is leading the race for Los Angeles’ 14th District City Council. Photo from Ysabel Jurado’s campaign website

LOS ANGELES – City Council candidate  Ysabel Jurado has drawn criticism from the union representing the Los Angeles Police Department’s rank-and-file for saying “F– the police” at a meeting with college students.

During Thursday’s meeting with students at Cal State Los Angeles, a man who identified himself as a resident of the 14th Council District the tenant rights attorney is seeking to represent asked Jurado her thoughts on police spending. Jurado responded with a lyric from a 1988 protest song of the same name by the Compton-based hip hop group N.W.A.

The exchange was recorded and later posted by the local news website Westside Current.

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In a statement released on 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.”

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Juardo added that she is committed to public safety.

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

“(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.”

Jurado, a Filipino American tenant rights attorney, is leading the race for Los Angeles’ 14th District City Council, surging ahead of incumbent Kevin de León in the primary elections.

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If she wins, Jurado would make history as the first Fil-Am LA City Council member.

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.” (With CNS report)

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