Several former constituents of disgraced councilmember José Huízar –sentenced to 13 years Friday for corruption and racketeering– said they were pleased that the politician received the maximum sentence sought by federal prosecutors.
“I think it’s great that he got the maximum amount,” said El Sereno resident Andrea Ramírez. “You know, he shouldn’t be let off the hook or get a reduced sentence or anything like that.”
“It’s just really egregious how he used and sold out the CD 14 community and the greater Los Angeles community. Not just our district was affected by this, but the whole city of LA was affected by it.”
Carlos Montes, a longtime Boyle Heights resident and community activist said that he agreed with the sentence despite his general opposition to long incarceration.
“He betrayed the trust of the community,” Montes said. “And not just that, he’s making us look bad, as Chicanos. You have to send a message to politicians, that if you’re gonna play you’re gonna have to pay.”
Montes, who heads Centro CSO in Boyle Heights, alluded to a letter that Huízar sent Thursday to the judge in his case, apologizing for his crimes and explaining that “shiny things were dangled in front of me and I could not resist temptation.”
“I don’t think his statement was genuine, because he was out [there] doing these things for years,” Montes said. “A lot of us have had gold dangling in front of us, but you’ve got to stick to your principles.”
Several of those reacting to Friday’s verdict are candidates in the upcoming CD 14 election.
Nadine Diaz, a Boyle Heights resident who ran against Huízar in the 2015 election, said that CD-14 residents suffered during the councilmember’s incumbency.
“I think he should’ve gotten more,” Diaz said. “I look at the district and I’m just shaking my head. I mean, look at all of the other leaders and representatives. Nothing has changed, it’s gotten worse. It’s gotten truly worse.”
“I feel sorry for his children, I hope and pray they’re ok. But I hope he has time to think about what he did. Is 13 years enough? No.”
The CD 14 candidates who spoke with Boyle Heights Beat compared Huízar with Kevin de León, the actual incumbent they are trying to unseat.
“Today’s sentencing of José Huízar is a stark reminder of the betrayal the people of this district have endured at the hands of those they elected to serve them,” said candidate Ysabel Jurado. “But let’s be clear: the corruption doesn’t end with Huízar — our current councilman, Kevin de León, is tainted by his own scandal after engaging in illegal gerrymandering and hateful rhetoric.”
Candidate Genny Guerrero agreed.
“Same thing happened with Kevin de León and their back-door deals of redistricting.” Guerrero said. “It’s something that needs to be brought out and put in the light. In Spanish they say ‘No puedes tapar el sol con un dedo,’ which is, you can’t cover the sun with one finger because everything comes to light.”
“I think the issue is [that they’re] politicians and they don’t hold themselves to the same standard that the rest of us do. They think they’re elevated, they think that they’re above the law, they think that because they have some say into how the laws are handled that they’re excluded from them.”
Reached by the Beat, Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo sent a lengthy statement that started by calling Friday “a sad day for the community of Boyle Heights and the people of Los Angeles who believe in good government” but contained mostly reasons why CD-14 voters should pick her in the upcoming election.
Dr. Fernando Guerra, a professor at Loyola Marymount University and a frequent political commentator, said that Huízar’s criminal activity practically erases what was once expected to be an impressive legacy.
“He’s actually one of the [city’s] first Latino elected officials who was actually born in Mexico,” Guerra said. “If you take a look at the whole first generation of Latino elected officials, you know, going all the way back to Ed Roybal, [Richard] Alatorre, Gloria Molina – that whole group, they’re all US born.”
“He’s raised in that community, he’s successfully educated. He’s got a great family, he’s good looking,” Guerra pointed out. “It’s sort of like, you were handed everything, and you disappointed. You know, it’s crazy.”
Brother Dr. Fernando, if I may respectfully correct you it was not Jose Huizar the first Latino elected to office. It was Brother the late Assemblymember Marco Antonio to old 50th AD in Southeast Los Angeles ,I had the honor of working as a staff member doing the constituent case work, before that I worked at L.A. County Federation of Labor as a labor representative.