He preened, he hugged, he shook hands and hobnobbed with legends and politicians. Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León was in full campaign mode two days before Tuesday’s election, when voters would decide whether he deserved a second term. But what De León’s supporters don’t get is that the Latino Power strategy that long fueled Eastside politics is over …
The text message that showed up on the phones of Eastside voters last month began with a warning: Forty years of Latino political representation is under threat. Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León, center, sent a text message warning that Latino representation in his district is “threatened.” His opponent, Ysabel Jurado, called it racially divisive. At the same time, …
Richard Alatorre addresses fellow Los Angeles City Council members in 1986. “A lot of us considered Alatorre to be a vato who made good,” said Jaime Regalado, professor emeritus of political science at Cal State L.A. Alatorre frequently spoke at Regalado’s classes and was more than happy to take questions from students who thought he was a vendido — a …
This is the first in a four-part series on how Latino political power has changed Los Angeles. California Politics on the Eastside: Clout, but No Machine Latino activists in Los Angeles often refer to a “political machine” that operates on the city’s Eastside. New faces broke through the Eastside’s political thickets: Rocky Delgadillo became city attorney in 2001, while Huizar …