Endorsement: Miguel Santiago for Los Angeles City Council District 14
Councilmember Kevin de León should have stepped down after the leak of audio from a now-infamous racist conversation he joined in. He betrayed the public’s trust, lost the respect of his peers and helped turn the Los Angeles City Council into a national embarrassment.
The secret recording of three council members and a labor leader was a repugnant display of casual racism and shameless talk of carving up the city to their own benefit. After the scandal broke in October 2022, many people, including the Times editorial board, urged them to resign.
But De León dug in his heels and refused to leave office, even as his behavior made him a pariah and hindered his ability to do the job. His constituents have suffered as a result.
While the presidential contest will garner the most attention in 2024, there are many important races and measures on state and local ballots.
So it’s up to voters to show him the door. Even before the scandal, he wasn’t a particularly attentive or effective representative. Less than a year after taking his seat on the City Council, he announced he would run for mayor, focusing his energy on a campaign that distracted from his obligations to his district only to finish a distant third place. Someone else can do better.
District 14, which spans downtown, Boyle Heights, El Sereno and Eagle Rock, among other neighborhoods, has a decades-long history of being neglected, abused or abandoned by one self-serving politician after another. The previous council member, Jose Huizar, was recently sentenced to 13 years in prison for his role in a sweeping bribery and corruption scheme. His predecessor, Antonio Villaraigosa, left after two years to become mayor. That cycle has left serious problems to fester, including challenges with homeless encampments, an ongoing humanitarian disaster on Skid Row, a housing affordability crisis, gentrification and displacement, and an anemic downtown where businesses have struggled since the COVID-19 pandemic.
These communities desperately need stable representation and someone who can handle the big-picture issues, like housing and economic development, while also ensuring residents get the basic city services they need, such as clean, safe streets and sidewalks.
Longtime LAUSD teacher Fidencio Gallardo would be a fair, thoughtful and independent voice on the school board.
Of the seven candidates seeking to oust De León, state Assemblymember Miguel Santiago stands out as the best person for the job.
In nearly a decade representing the area in the state Legislature, Santiago, 50, has earned a reputation as a responsive and diligent lawmaker, if at times more cautious than bold. He has shown leadership and persistence in tackling some of the issues that matter most to his constituents, including housing, homelessness and environmental justice.
He built support among reform-resistant lawmakers to pass significant laws that require communities to address housing segregation and inequality and empower state officials to finally hold cities and counties accountable when they fail to plan their fair share of housing. He showed courage in tackling homelessness by pushing through legislation to streamline the approval of emergency shelters, permanent supportive housing and affordable housing in Los Angeles by exempting such projects from certain environmental reviews.
Santiago has also spent years working to hold the state accountable for cleaning up the health-endangering lead contamination from the Exide battery recycling plant that officials allowed to pollute southeast L.A. County neighborhoods, and securing the funds needed to get the job done right.
L.A. Dist. Atty. George Gascón is making the criminal justice reforms voters elected him to carry out. Ignore the law enforcement establishment’s resistance and keep him on the job.
He supports the key reforms to begin to fix City Hall, including independent redistricting and increasing the number of council members. He wants more watchdog-like oversight of the council and its decisions and an independently appointed and funded ethics commission to insulate it from political pressure.
Santiago has garnered strong support from labor unions, business groups and other powerful interests and has balanced views on issues like tenant protections and public safety. He agrees with the council’s decision last fall to put a 4% cap on rent increases for rent-controlled units after the expiration of the COVID-era freeze instead of the 7% originally planned, an example of a reasonable compromise between the needs of landlords and tenants. He supports Mayor Karen Bass’ push to restore LAPD staffing to around 9,500 officers while expanding unarmed response and violence-prevention programs. He wants to treat homelessness and climate change like the emergencies they are.
Grassroots candidate Ysabel Jurado, a tenants rights attorney running to the left of Santiago, is also a strong candidate. She speaks with refreshing clarity and authenticity about the need for radical changes at City Hall to make it work for regular people. She wants to reduce the size of the LAPD to reallocate money toward unarmed crisis response and other community priorities. She would repeal the city’s law banning camping by homeless people, and supports stronger protections for renters and against gentrification and displacement.
The longtime legislator stands out for his extraordinary leadership over the last several years in helping to protect the nation’s institutions, the rule of law and American democracy itself from former President Trump.
We also think Santiago is a better choice than another state lawmaker from the area, Wendy Carrillo. She showed terrible disregard for the safety of others when she was arrested for driving under the influence in November after crashing into two parked cars with a blood alcohol content more than twice the legal limit. She has since pleaded no contest to driving under the influence. Carrillo has been in trouble for her behavior before. In 2020 the Assembly speaker reprimanded her for inappropriate workplace conduct, including unwelcome kissing and hugging. (Carrillo said the the Legislature’s process of investigating workplace misconduct complaints was unfair.)
Community leaders have been clear that what they need above all is someone they can trust to serve the district with honor and humility. Santiago is their best shot at getting the focused, empathetic and principled leadership they sorely need.
A cure for the common opinion
Get thought-provoking perspectives with our weekly newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
