L.A. City Council aide put on unpaid leave following arrest at anti-ICE protest

Los Angeles Times

3 hours ago

An aide to Los Angeles City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado has been placed on unpaid leave after being arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer with a deadly weapon at an anti-ICE protest, Jurado and her staff said Monday.
Luz Aguilar, who serves as Jurado's deputy for economic innovation and community growth, was arrested around 7 p.m. Sunday and booked several hours later, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department inmate records.
'The allegations are deeply concerning and I take them very seriously,' said Jurado, who represents downtown and neighborhoods on L.A.'s Eastside, in a statement. 'While I respect the individual's right to due process, I hold my team to the highest standards of conduct.'
Aguilar, 26, is the daughter of Pasadena City Councilmember Rick Cole, who is also a high-level aide to City Controller Kenneth Mejia. Aguilar's sister, 26-year-old Antonia Aguilar, was arrested at the same time, records show.
Both were being held on $50,000 bail.
Jurado said Aguilar — who is listed in inmate records as AguilarCole — has been placed on unpaid leave while the council office assesses the facts and considers 'appropriate action.' Although Aguilar was accused of assaulting a police officer with a deadly weapon, 'it's a developing situation,' said Lisa Marroquin, a spokesperson for Jurado.
Marroquin could not say which law enforcement agency the officer was from.
Cole, in a text message, said Monday that he did not yet have information on the allegations. A day earlier, while appearing at an anti-ICE rally in Pasadena, he said the fight against the immigration arrests was 'personal' to him.
'I've just seen pictures of my two daughters on a curb in downtown Los Angeles in handcuffs [with] the LAPD,' he said at the rally. 'So I'm going to be figuring out where they are so I can go bail them out.'
Protests against federal immigration raids continued to rage on Sunday after President Trump ordered the National Guard to Southern California. Some demonstrators in downtown L.A. dropped rocks from a freeway overpass onto police cruisers, while others vandalized government buildings, burned Waymo cars or burglarized businesses.
Mejia, Cole's boss, is an outspoken critic of the LAPD. On Friday, Mejia voiced concerns about the presence of LAPD officers 'within the vicinity of ICE raids.'
Mejia said he has asked for the department to turn over information about the financial impact of the raids on police resources. L.A. declared itself a sanctuary city last year, and Police Chief Jim McDonnell has repeatedly said that the LAPD is not involved in 'civil immigration enforcement,' pointing to a decades-old policy.
'LAPD's presence raises serious questions about whether we are abiding by our City's mandate as a Sanctuary City and is a cause for concern and confusion regarding LAPD's role,' he said in a statement on social media.
An LAPD spokesperson did not have any details on the arrests when reached by The Times.
Jurado, a former tenant rights attorney, won a seat on the 15-member council in November. During the campaign, she described herself as an abolitionist — someone who supports the abolition of police and prisons.
During the campaign's final weeks, Jurado was heard on a recording telling college students, 'F— the police that's how I see 'em.' She later issued a statement downplaying her remark, saying it was 'just a lyric' from a rap song.
The City Council has scheduled a special meeting on Tuesday to discuss the federal immigration raids — including 'related threats to public service and facilities' — and has left open the possibility of a closed-door meeting with McDonnell on that topic.