There’s no reason for Los Angeles council member to belittle Fresno | Opinion
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- LA Councilmember Ysabel Jurado sparked backlash by mocking Fresno.
- Fresno officials defended city’s cultural, agricultural and civic contributions.
- Jurado later clarified respect for Fresno and shared goals across California cities.
Perhaps Los Angeles City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado should realize the world doesn’t revolve around her city of 3.9 million people. The metropolis plays a giant role in the world’s fourth-largest economy, features beaches, Hollywood and is home to 45 billionaires.
Yet, that is no reason for Jurado to use Fresno as a punching bag. Saturday, the first-term council member spoke at a rally to promote tourism and generate investment in Los Angeles.
“Shakira ended her world tour in Fresno, OK. We can’t keep losing to Fresno,” said Jurado, the first LA council member of Filipino descent, at an “Invest in LA” event. As one of 15 on the council, she represents about 260,000 residents.
Jurado defeated former Assembly speaker and incumbent Kevin De León to represent a district that covers downtown LA and Boyle Heights after he and two council colleagues were caught in an audio recording disparaging Oaxacans and Blacks.
In 2014, De León disparaged the Central Valley as a place where “no one lives out there in the tumbleweeds” when talking about high-speed rail. He later apologized.
Jurado should understand that belittling others is no way to get ahead in politics.
No need to mock Fresno
She was trying to rally support for her initiative to draw more investment to Los Angeles. “We cannot rely on our name alone. You know what we need to do? We need to invest in ourselves.”
However, there was no need to mock Fresno for hosting Shakira’s “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” (Women No Longer Cry) tour before almost 30,000 fans at Valley Children’s Stadium on Aug. 7. To be factual, Shakira continued her world tour in México and South America.
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, correctly, did not take too kindly to Jurado’s words.
“It is unfortunate that a rookie wannabe politician would make such an insulting and derogatory comment about Fresno. She should be ashamed of herself,” Dyer said Monday in a statement to The Fresno Bee.
“Fresno has worked hard to become an attractive entertainment destination by making Fresno a clean and safe city that people feel comfortable visiting. The fact that we are centrally located and absent (of) traffic congestion makes us even more attractive.”
Other Fresno politicians were much too happy to respond at Jurado’s dig.
“Councilmember, as the county supervisor of Fresno, there’s no need to degrade or make fun of other cities that literally feed Angelenos by picking the fruits and vegetables sold at the DTLA markets daily,” Fresno County Supervisor Luis Chávez posted on his Instagram account. “We were proud to host Shakira’s sold-out concert and it was here for a reason.”
Chávez asked Jurado to “please focus on cleaning up your district and working with your team to bring entertainment bookings, instead of attempting to make fun of a city that is the bread basket of the world. Think about that next time you eat your salad or vegan hotdogs. Thx.”
Fresno City Council President Mike Karbassi also jumped into the fray. “Sorry LA that you’re missing out. You can keep on punching down on Fresno, but it’s kinda hard to hear you over ‘Hips Don’t Lie,’” he said.
Jurado offers her side
On Tuesday afternoon, Jurado told The Bee she recognizes “every city in California is working hard to support working families” and “value’s Fresno’s contributions, especially in agriculture, in making our state stronger.”
Her office noted Jurado has visited Fresno before. “She welcomes the opportunity to connect with local leaders to learn from each other and explore ways to strengthen communities across California together.”
Jurado, her office said, wants to modernize and expand the Los Angeles Convention Center, create thousands of union jobs, support local businesses and generate revenue to fund essential services. Same thing Fresno’s elected leaders strive to accomplish.
It’s too bad the Los Angeles council member initially failed to see that what benefits Fresno benefits her city, and vice versa. We share similar problems with Los Angeles: homelessness, high home prices, budget restraints, communities fearful of deportation efforts and Trump administration threats to take back grants.
Shakira did not bypass Los Angeles for Fresno. The Colombian superstar had two shows in Inglewood and added Fresno. Why should her Central Valley fans be deprived of her concert?
We invite Jurado to visit Fresno again and see what we value. Perhaps she can learn something from Fresnans.
This story was originally published September 24, 2025 at 5:30 AM with the headline "There’s no reason for Los Angeles council member to belittle Fresno | Opinion."