Streetlights out, parks neglected, trash piling up: Youth reporters bring neighborhood realities to budget talks with Jurado

Boyle Heights Beat youth reporters have been following Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s career since she was out on the campaign trail seeking to replace former Councilman Kevin de León. 

They spent hours analyzing her platform and statements, leading up to two candidate forums the Beat hosted in February and October last year. Youth reporters moderated and helped organize both events, coming up with questions for the candidates and interviewing residents in attendance.

Now that Jurado has been in office for nearly five months, youth reporters had the opportunity to interview her once again.

Jurado visited the Beat’s office on April 12 and spent an hour answering their questions. 

“This is a full circle moment for a lot of us,” said youth reporter Sofia Peña, a senior at Roosevelt High School. 

This press roundtable with Jurado was unique. 

As Peña told Jurado, the questions “come from what we’ve learned from our reporting as journalists and from the real-life experiences we’ve lived in the Eastside.”

Students asked about the lack of working streetlights in their neighborhoods, about a need for more recycling centers in Boyle Heights, and about the trash and debris they encounter outside of the Beat’s office when they go out looking for stories. 

Jurado, in turn, did not shy away from talking about the challenges ahead as the city grapples with a nearly $1 billion shortfall in its upcoming budget. “If you feel like you don’t get city services that you need, you should be prepared that you’re going to get even less of that,” she said.

Still, Jurado remained steadfast in building partnerships with residents and organizations to tackle those financial realities.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

Sofia Peña: As a first-time elected official and the first woman to represent District 14, what has the learning curve been like stepping into this role, and what have been some of the most valuable lessons you’ve learned so far?

It has been a very steep learning curve. Going to the city, there’s nobody that gives you a handbook on how things are done.

One of the lessons I’ve learned in the short time I’ve been there is that if the systems don’t look like they’re working, instead of hurting myself to figure out how it’s actually working, I should just accept that it’s designed that way and it really isn’t working. 

Some of the best people on our staff are folks that we met on the campaign trail and are from the neighborhoods they represent. They’ve really been able to hit the ground running even if maybe learning the city is a new language, but because knowing the community isn’t, we’ve been able to do some great events, especially here in Boyle Heights –  whether it was the immigration “Know Your Rights” event we did or even the budget town hall.

I think those are really effective because of who you chose to hire.

Violet Rodriguez-Aceves, 9th grade: During our candidate forum last year, when asked to clarify your stance on defunding the police, you spoke about an inflated police budget, limited staff and duties not within the purview of direct assignments. Has your assessment of the current situation changed, and have you communicated with stakeholders to address this issue? What can realistically be done about the issue? 

Ysabel Jurado: When it comes to public safety, Boyle Heights is one of the places where there’s a diverse set of responses on how folks want to see police involved. Our office’s approach is reflecting on that and thinking [of] public safety as a holistic approach. LAPD is one mechanism in which communities feel safe. But, also having good street lighting, good streets, good paying jobs, affordable rent, that keep people indoors, so that they don’t have to go on the streets and have to fend for their lives. Those are ways that we can keep folks safe.

One of the recent developments that I really didn’t think I’d have to grapple with in my first year, is that our city budget has a $1 billion deficit. We really are going to have to make some difficult choices. Historically, city services have been delivered in a way that has hurt Boyle Heights, right? There are certain neighborhoods, especially the wealthier ones, that get all their city services…And yet, there’s low income communities of color that don’t receive that.

As we look at the budget, if you feel like you don’t get city services that you need, you should be prepared that you’re going to get even less of that. The department that gets funded the least, and that got cut the most, was the Youth Development Department.

At town halls, that was the number one department that actually folks didn’t want to see their spending cut…[I’m] trying to be an advocate for the constituents I represent and really give folks a holistic view of public safety and not just like a single set solution.

Clarabel Lara, 12th grade: I recently reported on the construction delays of the Benjamin Franklin Library, which has been closed for five years now. In its place is a temporary bungalow that is expected to close this year. We know that you have called for a report to detail what temporary measures will be in place to maintain library services once the bungalow closes. Do you know when the bungalow will close, and what more can you do to keep library services during these closures?

Ysabel Jurado: Our team is actively working on the development of the public library. I have to get back to you on when [the bungalow] is actually going to close.

We are going to be hosting a community event because I’ve just seen the first renderings of what the renovation is going to look like, and we’re seeking community input on the façade and the garden space in front of it. That’ll be the next step of really just taking you [all] with us, and hopefully, we can let you know what replacement services there will be. 

Victor Sauceda, 11th grade: Living near Cesar Chavez, it’s common to see the señor who sells gelatinas and the mariachis who gather there looking for work. At Boyle Heights Beat, we have reported on the six-story, mixed-use development that will take over longstanding businesses on Cesar Chavez. I fear that this housing project – which will mostly bring market rate housing – could intimidate the day-to-day people that are used to gathering in that area. Where do you stand on this development and how will you maintain community staples in the face of change?

Ysabel Jurado: That was something that I was opposed to during the campaign trail… I think it was the court that said the city had acted unlawful, and it seems like the development is going to come through. For me, that is just something that we’re grappling with here, and [we’re] going to look at what kind of benefits we can extrapolate if that building has to lawfully be built. Moving forward, one of the things that I’m interested in, is when developers propose something in a neighborhood, seeking community input at the outset, instead of it being here at the end. 

The planning process can be really complicated and administrative and cumbersome, and so, finding ways as a council member [to] intervene on behalf of community members to make sure it is consistent with the needs. Are there ways that local residents can actually access some of these affordable housing developments? If they can’t, why not? 

Destiny Ramirez, 12th grade: When I was younger, my family and I lived near a recycling center where we would take our bottles and earn some money in exchange. Years later, that center was taken from us. My mom doesn’t drive and has to walk several miles to the closest location near FoodForLess. My mom works more than 8 hours a day, and it’s hard for her to make time to walk to the recycling center. As a result, we have bags of bottles piled up in our backyard, which is a loss of extra income for us. What can you do to address the lack of recycling centers in Boyle Heights, and what kind of alternatives can you provide, especially for low-income individuals who heavily rely on the money earned from recycling?

Ysabel Jurado: This is an excellent question, because it speaks to what a council member in a city like L.A.’s main job is, which is development.

I envision co-governance. Working for community economic development is you voicing a need in your community, and then me, with our planners and our government, looking to see if there are any parcels in Boyle Heights that would be available – whether they’re vacant or whether they’re going to be sold, to figure out if we can get a recycling center and attract that business to set their footprint down here. 

So, that’s a great idea, Destiny. I’m sure we’re going to get notes on this afterwards, but we can bring that back to our team to see if that’s something that’s feasible for your neighborhood. 

Sofia Peña, 12th grade: It is well known that parks and green spaces are important parts of growing up healthy. In Boyle Heights, my friends and I have seen that there are few of these spaces to hang out outside of school. The majority of the available spaces are not well-maintained and plagued with gun violence. What do you plan to do to make our parks safer for families and youth like us? Have there been any discussions about the lack of safe green spaces, and do you plan to work with other city departments to address this issue?

Ysabel Jurado: Part of it has to do with vandalism and tagging. There’s a cool thing about murals, for the most part, they stay respected. How can we find funding for beautification to make sure that we have more of these murals from local artists, to prevent it from being tagged? If we can prevent those in some of the gray zones by making it beautiful, I think that’s a win for everyone.

When we head into this budget, do expect your services to decrease – whether it’s summer camps and discounts. Despite that, the city and the county can work to improve and get funding. I know Hollenbeck [Park] is getting millions of dollars for a renovation of the lake. But, right now, it’s super important for all of you to fill out [what’s] called a parks needs assessment. It’s a survey, and it’s designed to get information to figure out how we can make sure when we maintain and upgrade our parks, that they’re for all people.

That’s actually going to inform some other way that we can continue to fund our parks, because the extra funding that the city has to fund our parks is actually going to expire in like a year or two. It’s just tough financial realities right now. 

Edwin Perez, 12th grade: A few weeks ago, we stepped outside to do a reporting exercise where we tried to find stories outside of our space. Immediately stepping outside, we noticed not just how dirty the sidewalk in front of the office was, but also how much trash we could see up and down the street. We noticed that the streets in East L.A. are cleaner than ours, despite being unincorporated and further away from essential city services. You mentioned working on alternative solutions to trash during your campaign. Have you found any yet, and if so, when will they be implemented? If not, what are some barriers to those solutions?

Ysabel Jurado: Money. This billion-dollar budget, I hate to say, thousands of jobs are on the line. The mediocre service that you’re getting right now is about to be less because there’s going to be less sanitation workers if we don’t figure this out.

We’re having conversations with different vendors and seeing who can do our rapid response work – whether it’s graffiti, whether it’s trash pickup, whether it’s bulky items or sweeping. How can we partner with other orgs in the area that are already interested in doing this work? Do we need to arm the promotoras and give them the funding to have the trash bags and the brooms and do it weekly?

The model that I’m interested in cultivating is an organizer relationship model. Our field deputies are walking on every street. They’re meeting small businesses. They’re meeting residents. It’s how we did the campaign, meeting folks and saying, ‘What do you care about in your community? What are the problems? What are your wishes, and how can we support you in doing this?’

Victor Sauceda, 11th grade: In Boyle Heights, especially near Cesar Chavez, it’s hard to find parking in my neighborhood. Many people who shop on Cesar Chavez often park in our streets. As we see more and more new housing being built in our neighborhoods without any additional parking, how do you plan to address the lack of parking situation in Boyle Heights?

Ysabel Jurado: So many people have a lot of recommendations, and we’re trying to figure out how we can implement some of them. What are the city lots that we own? Over by [the Boyle Heights] City Hall, there’s the one behind it and there’s the one right next to it. Those are both city-owned. The church uses it during the day. Casa 0101 uses it in the evening. How can we continue to share and leverage our public resources?

It also requires us to look at where there is a plot of land, and if we can build, who can build it? How much is it going to cost? Do the residents around it want it?  

Ivan Castillo, 12th grade: Only a week ago, ICE officials attempted to enter some of our local schools despite Los Angeles’ designation as a sanctuary city. You have personally attended a number of events to counter the administration’s actions and agenda. That being said, what are you planning to do to assure the community that they are safe beyond handing out the red cards?

Ysabel Jurado: The sanctuary city ordinance that the city has passed mandates that there are not going to be any policies that the city or any city department puts in place that is going to villainize or criminalize undocumented immigrants. The second phase of that, which councilmember Hugo Soto Martinez and I also worked on, was about allocating funding to make sure there are legal services for it. That we staff up the department and find the money to co-house lawyers at the airport. [The] sanctuary city ordinance is about preventing city departments from doing that and to find the money to support the organizations.

I proposed an amendment with [Councilmember Imelda Padilla] to our sanctuary city ordinance to prevent city departments from using their city resources and time to do the federal government’s work. That’s one way that we’re trying to intervene. 

But, I will say, it is hard. What we can do, beyond that, feels limited. We’re continuing to try to think in other ways. When it comes to schools, that is the purview of LAUSD, and so I encourage you to talk to your board members to see how they can help protect students in that way beyond the red cards. 

Suri Meza, 11th grade: I’ll be asking this question on behalf of my peer and fellow youth reporter Chicuei Ehecatl, who could not be here today. Chicuei has noticed a lack of street lighting while walking on Euclid in the evening. He has also noticed that once you cross the Sixth Street Bridge, the streets appear to be lit and in working order. The disparity feels systemic, he said. The street lights in his neighborhood have been out since Kevin de Leon was in office. Why are some parts of our community forced to exist in darkness while other areas get to shine?

Ysabel Jurado: From what I’ve been told, the Sixth Street Bridge is all out.

I think there’s like 4,000 bulbs on it, every one of them stolen, and the copper wire [that’s] been taken out of the bridge. That is partly why our lights are out. 

The other cause is also lack of maintenance and lack of city staff to maintain it. There’s two big issues there, and how much it costs…That’s where we’re at with the city, and that was one of my departments that I prioritize in the city budget to get funding so that we can make sure we can actually put the lights back on. But, it does seem like it may be one of the city departments that is going to get cut or reworked in some kind of way. 

When it comes to your district and trying to make sure that the lights are on, I definitely want to push for solar in some of these neighborhoods like yours, which gets a lot of sun. Both of these options are just a big price tag. That’s what we’re looking at and trying to find funding sources in addition to the city funding. Boyle Heights and El Sereno are both neighborhoods that we’re looking at trying to make sure solarization can start first in CD 14. 

Boyle Heights Beat senior reporter and youth mentor Alejandra Molina contributed to this story.