DSA-LA’s support boosts Jurado for LA City Council
DSA-LA and labor union members gather for a massive DSA Labor canvass for Ysabel Jurado, running for LA City Council district 14
In late September and early October Ysabel Jurado, who is endorsed by DSA Los Angeles for LA city council District 14, hosted two massive canvasses, both heavily attended by rank-and-file union members and DSA activists. Jurado’s campaign for Los Angeles City Council is the first to achieve our chapter’s long-time goal of uniting a progressive grassroots with the political might of labor. If this coalition endures and grows, working class power may become a dominant pole in Los Angeles.
From Rivals to Teammates
DSA-LA endorsed Ysabel Jurado early on in the crowded primary. She had been an active member of DSA and she was running on an unabashedly progressive platform. Very quickly she garnered the support of the grassroots of Los Angeles, generating an encouraging amount of earned media. In a race including three long time Democratic politicians she was always framed as a wild card. DSA-LA helped to build a strong canvassing operation, meeting voters at their door and fostering connections. DSA-LA knocked almost nine thousand doors, while her campaign knocked over eighty thousand.
Labor unions, on the other hand, threw their weight behind Miguel Santiago, a state assembly member with a strong record of supporting organized labor. Rather than a robust field operation, his campaign spent heavily on mailers and advertisements. A week after Election Day, it was clear that Ysabel Jurado had come in first place with incumbent Kevin De Leon coming in second. Miguel Santiago placed third, not qualifying for the runoff.
The LA County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO President, Yvonne Wheeler, speaks to volunteers at a “Break the Curse” canvass for community organizations and labor unions.
With a Kevin De Leon vs Ysabel Jurado match up, it was unclear where union support would land. De Leon obviously had history with the LA Federation of Labor (most recently negative due to the leaked tapes scandal, in which he was caught making racist remarks and plotting to break up working-class voting power in LA) so he was unlikely to garner their support. Jurado on the other hand was a political outsider. Unions might very well have refrained from endorsing if not for Ysabel’s own organizing.
City Council representative and DSA-LA member, Hugo Soto-Martínez, speaks to volunteers before canvassing.
Following the primary she worked for months meeting union leadership and rank and file members, assuring them that not only would she be supportive of workers’ rights, but a champion for the entire working class. Because of this charm offensive Ysabel has become the first progressive challenger in LA to earn the endorsement of LA Federation of Labor and around 20 local unions including SEIU (2015, 721, CIR and more), UAW Region 6, and Public Defenders Local 148.
A vision for the future
Ysabel’s campaign in CD14 has the potential to be a game changer for DSA-LA and the left more broadly in Los Angeles. A sturdy coalition between the progressive grass roots and organized labor has been the dream of socialist organizers since the 20th century. If we succeed in building a movement that supports not just workers in unions but the entire working class, Los Angeles can be transformed into a city of and for workers.
Nothing is set in stone, however. Building that coalition will take countless hours of work from DSA members, union staff, and rank and file members. More establishment labor unions will also have to continue to take chances on left candidates, not just against historically corrupt incumbents like Kevin De Leon. Of course, we still need to prove the concept and ensure Ysabel Jurado wins in CD14 again!
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