He was busted for gun possession. Now he's running for L.A. City Council
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When Estuardo Mazariegos was 22, he was pulled over by Los Angeles police officers who found a gun and ammunition in the back seat of his Nissan Sentra.The gun, he said, was not his.
He was holding onto it for a friend, he said, but he got hit with a felony gun possession charge, later pleading it down to a misdemeanor.Seventeen years later, Mazariegos is running for Los Angeles City Council — and he believes his gun conviction makes him a better candidate.“I think it’s a strength.It’s not a liability,” said Mazariegos, who was born in Guatemala and grew up in Hollywood and South L.A.
“I feel like it creates more of a connection with me and the community, because there’s so many people that are justice-impacted.”But the gun charge could also be an issue for Mazariegos in his race against five other candidates to represent Council District 9, which covers part of South L.A.He was also convicted of shoplifting when he was 19.
The district is the poorest the city, and the council race is expected to be one of the most competitive city contests this June, with the current council member, Curren Price, terming out.Mazariegos is head of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment Los Angeles, a grassroots advocacy organization.
The 40-year-old is backed by the L.A.chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and supports leftist policies like reducing funding to the LAPD to spend more on other programs.Jose Ugarte, a District 9 candidate who was a longtime Price staffer, believes his opponent’s criminal history is a red flag.“Getting arrested and convicted for multiple crimes, including carrying a concealed loaded gun, should disqualify Estuardo in this race,” Ugarte said in a statement.
“Instead, the Democratic Socialists of L.A.are propping up his candidacy and hiding his criminal past from voters who deserve to know the truth.”DSA-LA co-c...