Ysabel Jurado dressed up to impress cheering supporters at hipster bar Block Party in Highland Park on election night.

Hot pink suit and heels. Fuchsia satin blouse. Hoop earrings. The hair was tied back with a hairpin. A smile as wide as his double-digit lead over incumbent Los Angeles City Councilman Kevin de León in the early returns.

My eyes went to Jurado’s neck. In an Instagram video the day before, she wore a red and silver necklace of the archangel Michael; His wings were spread in victory, he had a shield in one hand and a sword in the other. He put it on again.

In the Book of Revelation, Michael and his army of angels expel Satan and his minions from heaven. I couldn’t think of a better metaphor for the war that ended that night in District 14.

For a year and a half, De León, “that old serpent,” as Revelation 12:9 calls him, had blocked opponents from demanding that he resign his East Coast seat for his role in a secretly recorded racist conversation. The incident that dragged the city into scandal in 2022.

Then came Jurado, a Highland Park native and first-time candidate who stunned Los Angeles’ political establishment. First place in the March primaries in front of De León and two East Side Latino council members. If Tuesday’s results hold, he would become the city’s first Filipino American council member, beating out a Latino politician who served as an alderman and leader of the state Senate.

De León’s team dismissed the first win as an anomaly and Jurado as a joke not ready for prime time. In tense discussionsThe incumbent has repeatedly called his opponent a liar and a complainer and openly theorized that he faked a COVID diagnosis to get the debate rescheduled. His supporters spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on negative mailers and ads portraying Jurado as everything from a puppet of foreign interests to a usurper who would end nearly 40 years of Latino representation in the district.

Los Angeles City Councilman Kevin de Leon speaks to supporters as election results appear on screen during an election watch party in Los Angeles.

(For Ryan Sun/The Times)

In the final two weeks of the campaign, the Los Angeles Police Protective League contributed $445,000 to De León’s side, following Jurado’s. He quoted a song containing the line “F— the Police” In response to a student’s question; also revealed to be De León’s assistantabout defunding law enforcement.

Archangel Michael is the patron saint of police officers, so I wanted to ask Jurado if his necklace was a sneaky dig at his enemies.

I had no chance: The Block Party crowd had surrounded him.

The 34-year-old single mother hugged everyone in the narrow bar area as she walked towards the patio, and the applause grew louder. A volunteer presented her with a bouquet of white orchids, the official flower of her campaign, and red roses, the emblem of the Democratic Socialists of America. supporting the campaign.

“More people!” he declared in happy disbelief.

One of those people was Nithya Raman, a member of the council’s progressive bloc, which would grow to four if Jurado retained his leadership.

“You did it!” Raman told Jurado. “Amazing. Now the real work begins.”

Former Councilman Mike Bonin was next. She and her little boy, who is black, was the subject of some of the worst attacks on leaked audio recordings.

“My God,” cried Bonin, “you are the only bright spot in my evening.” At this point, Donald Trump was already gaining the upper hand over Kamala Harris.

LA Unified board member Rocio Rivas was there along with Councilman Eunisses Hernandez and City Controller Kenneth Mejia, who wore a warm-up jacket that resembled a Philippine flag.

Nearby was Jurado’s fellow DSA-LA member, Councilman Hugo Soto-Martínez. I asked him how he felt on a night when residents of the 14th District were doubling down on progressive politicians. Trump was on the brink of the presidency And Republicans were taking over the Senate.

Ysabel Jurado gives a cheerful speech to supporters at an election night party in Highland Park.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

“This shows that Los Angeles needs to take the lead on how to win and fight like hell with a multiracial coalition on important issues,” Soto-Martínez replied. “He could talk about issues that Latinos care about, like housing and wages. And the nation was looking for hope. He was able to give that.”

For every elected official present, there were many more ordinary people like Rose Hills residents Naida Serak and Roxanna Stroska. They showed me photos of their neighborhoods’ crumbling sidewalks and senior citizens having to use wheelchairs on bike paths. The two said they invited De León and Jurado to the neighborhood meeting and only Jurado showed up.

“I felt like Ysabel could do something even if she wasn’t on duty,” Serak, 38, said.

“Kevin did nothing in his time to address our problems,” Stroska, 53, added. food gifts De León is heading towards District 14 after the audio leak. “Instead, he took into account the needs of voters in order to survive.”

Axel Orozco said he knocked on doors in his hometown of Boyle Heights and asked residents what they wanted in a council member. When safety was mentioned the most, she hosted a meet-and-greet with Jurado and other local mothers at the Wabash Recreation Center.

“They loved him so much that a lot of them said, ‘Even if I can’t vote, I’ll tell my sisters or daughters who can vote to vote for him,'” Orozco, 24, said. For this reason most of this. Our legs may be tired, but those muscles have kicked in!”

Ysabel Jurado receives flowers from a supporter as she arrives at an election night party in Highland Park.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Lincoln Heights resident and business owner Memphis Perez did not vote in the primary. About three months ago, he approached Jurado’s campaign after the rent at his corner store had increased dramatically. In addition to applying for business grants, he said they connected him with the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles.

“Man, that’s what does it all for me,” the 44-year-old actor said. “If Ysabel can do this for me without any power, imagine what she can do for anyone. Tiendita While at City Hall.”

Jurado attempted to step up to the podium to address the enthusiastic crowd, but well-wishers kept pulling him aside to take selfies or simply stand in his presence. When he finally got there he shouted “Ysabel!” He stifled his voice and inspired Jurado to do a quick, on-the-spot happy dance.

“My father left me,” he began, “and said, ‘Watch your tongue.'”

The audience laughed. Then he got serious.

Speaking without a microphone in a soft but direct voice, Jurado said in a prepared speech that the audio leakage was what motivated him to compete.

“Once again, my community has been betrayed by our leadership,” he said, referring to the parade of District 14 council members. Bringing scandal to the East End for decades.

“They mocked us and belittled us,” he said of his opponents, adding that they called him “every lewd insult in the book.”

Jurado quoted the Left’s oft-repeated axiom: They tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds.

“Here we are,” he shouted approvingly. “It is unbreakable, unyielding, unapologetically unyielding, and present and blooming.

“They will say it was just a fluke or a fluke,” he continued. “I say we won every step of our journey.”

His team knocked on 170,000 doors and shouted “Respect my team’s name!” He stated that he shouted.

“We are orchids growing from concrete,” he concluded. “And no matter how much they crush us, we will rise brighter than ever. Here’s to all of us, so let’s party!

I pulled Jurado aside for a quick interview and immediately asked about the archangel Michael necklace.

“My father gave it to me a few weeks ago,” he replied, adding that it was the patron saint of his hometown in the Philippines. “He and his friend would recite the St. Michael prayer every night so that I would not be harmed and would be brave. Eventually things got tough.”

How did he get ahead of De León? I asked.

“This is like an extension of the family parties we had every week,” he said, gesturing around us while growing up in Highland Park.

People were eating from the concession stand at The Park’s Finest. delicious Filipino BBQ spot It’s run by a friend. A DJ produced remixes spanning different eras, from “Stayin’ Alive” to reggaetón.

“That’s why we have music and food,” he said. “All these people are characters of my life, where we know each other and help each other. “We are bigger now.”

Is he done quoting song lyrics in response to policy questions?

“NO! Music is a different language and way of access. Yes! I don’t think I’ll ever give it up.”

She then sang Nicki Minaj’s “Moment 4 Life” in her trademark ditzy yet charming mom way:

Cheers to the heavyweight champion, I/ But I couldn’t do it alone, we …

Then the promising archangel of the East Coast flew into his night.