The criminal history of a candidate for the Los Angeles City Council endorsed by the Democrat Socialists of America is becoming an issue in the race, but the candidate himself is leaning into his arrest almost two decades ago while opponents maintain it makes him unfit for office.
As the Los Angeles Times reports, when Estuardo Mazariego was 22, he was busted for having a gun and ammunition in his car after being stopped by the LAPD. Mazariego says the gun belonged to a friend, but he was still facing felony charges before he took a plea deal that resulted in a misdemeanor conviction, two years of probation, and a day in jail.
"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.
... Jose Ugarte, a District 9 candidate who was a longtime [Curren] Price [the current council member] 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."
I don't think a couple of misdemeanor arrests that are nearly 20 years in his past should disqualify Mazariegos as a candidate, but I'm curioius as to why he thinks his arrest is a strength for him. Yes, there are many Los Angelos who are "justice impacted" because of California's ridiculous gun control laws, but is Mazariegos just interested in defunding the police or is he also ready to push for the city to actually recognize that keeping and bearing arms shouldn't be a criminal offense?
I took a look at his campaign website hoping to find some answers, but there's not much to be found at the moment. The site promises that his "complete public safety platform is coming soon," but for now this is all he has to say about the issue:
Public safety means that all of us are safe when walking in our neighborhoods, waiting at the bus stop, going to the park with our families, and sending our children to school. It means having access to fully funded public services, well-maintained streets that are quickly repaired, and public spaces that are properly lit and welcoming. No matter where we come from, what we look like, or how we speak, everyone deserves to feel safe in their city and have a real chance to build a better life for their family.
I believe in a proactive, preventive approach to public safety that invests in what actually keeps communities stable: addressing poverty, expanding access to mental health care, and ensuring safe, affordable housing. Los Angeles already has proven models that work, and we should scale them by strengthening community-based violence prevention, improving police accountability, increasing street and public transit safety, addressing gun violence, and ensuring our neighborhoods are prepared for emergencies and disasters.
Mazariegos isn't outright calling for any new gun control laws, though "addressing gun violence" is certainly vague enough to include that. And there's nothing in his statement that suggests helping people protect themselves and their loved ones is a priority.
That's a shame, because as someone who has experienced firsthand the draconian nature of California's gun laws, Mazariegos is in a unique position to advocate for approaches to combatting violence that don't involve criminalizing a fundamental civil right, while also pushing to make exercising our right to keep and bear arms an easier process in Los Angeles.
Perhaps we'll be pleasantly surprised when his complete platform is unveiled, but right now there's nothing to suggest that when it comes to legal gun ownership and the Second Amendment, Mazariegos is anything other than another California Democrat who'll work to make life harder for lawful gun owners while giving violent criminals a pass.
Editor’s Note: I'd love for the left to embrace our right to keep and bear arms, but right now the vast majority of lefties will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.
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