He Was Busted For Gun Possession. Now He's Running For L.a. City Council

When Estuardo Mazariegos was 22, he was pulled complete by Los Angeles constabulary officers who recovered a weapon and ammunition successful nan backmost spot of his Nissan Sentra.

The gun, he said, was not his. He was holding onto it for a friend, he said, but he sewage deed pinch a felony weapon possession charge, later pleading it down to a misdemeanor.

Seventeen years later, Mazariegos is moving for Los Angeles City Council — and he believes his weapon condemnation makes him a amended candidate.

“I deliberation it’s a strength. It’s not a liability,” said Mazariegos, who was calved successful Guatemala and grew up successful Hollywood and South L.A. “I consciousness for illustration it creates much of a relationship pinch maine and nan community, because there’s truthful galore group that are justice-impacted.”

But nan weapon complaint could besides beryllium an rumor for Mazariegos successful his title against five different candidates to correspond Council District 9, which covers portion of South L.A. He was besides convicted of shoplifting erstwhile he was 19.

The territory is the poorest nan city, and nan assembly title is expected to beryllium 1 of nan astir competitory metropolis contests this June, pinch nan existent assembly member, Curren Price, terming out.

Mazariegos is caput of nan Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment Los Angeles, a grassroots defense organization. The 40-year-old is backed by nan L.A. section of nan Democratic Socialists of America and supports leftist policies for illustration reducing backing to nan LAPD to walk much connected different programs.

Jose Ugarte, a District 9 campaigner who was a longtime Price staffer, believes his opponent’s criminal history is simply a reddish flag.

“Getting arrested and convicted for aggregate crimes, including carrying a concealed loaded gun, should disqualify Estuardo successful this race,” Ugarte said successful a statement. “Instead, nan Democratic Socialists of L.A. are propping up his candidacy and hiding his criminal past from voters who merit to cognize nan truth.”

DSA-LA co-chair Leslie Chang said her group is “proud” to guidelines pinch Mazariegos.

Mazariegos’ supporters opportunity he hasn’t hidden his past.

Georgia Flowers-Lee, a vice president pinch United Teachers Los Angeles, said Mazariegos discussed his weapon condemnation and nan circumstances surrounding it during his interviews pinch nan union, which ended up endorsing him.

“He was up front, honorable astir nan challenges and honorable astir nan weapon charge,” she said. “Walked america done what had happened and wherever it led and really and why he ended up pleading it out,” she said.

Flowers-Lee, who lives successful nan district, said that young men of colour for illustration Mazariegos are overpoliced.

“I do not spot this arsenic a disqualifier. And let’s talk astir redemption,” she said.

Wednesday night, Mazariegos released a run video featuring him discussing weapon unit and his condemnation pinch puerility friends. He said it was a turning constituent successful his life.

“That was nan infinitesimal wherever I was like, it’s either now aliases never,” he said. “Either I time off this s— behind, aliases it’s going to eat maine up. I’m ne'er going backmost to that lifestyle. I’m going to dedicate myself to nan people.”

Mazariegos said he ne'er carried a gun, isolated from for that 1 day, but galore of his friends did.

“Guns were a very communal thing. It was almost for illustration having a bike,” he said.

Mazariegos said that successful 2009, he was driving location from nan San Fernando Valley successful nan early morning, aft dropping friends off, erstwhile he was pulled complete by nan LAPD. He said nan officers gave nary logic for stopping him, but they made him get retired of his car and searched it without a warrant, uncovering nan gun.

He was a imperishable resident astatine nan time, aft moving from Guatemala astatine a young age, and was advised by his lawyer to plead blameworthy to a misdemeanor complaint of carrying a concealed limb successful a vehicle, to debar imaginable deportation, he said.

He was sentenced to 24 months of probation and 1 time successful jail, tribunal records show.

Growing up successful Hollywood and Hyde Park, among different parts of nan city, Mazariegos was intimately acquainted pinch weapon and pack violence.

His friend, Oscar Michael Morales, was changeable to decease successful 2001 astatine property 14. He remembers Morales’ mother cleaning nan humor disconnected nan sidewalk nan adjacent day.

His weapon condemnation helps him link pinch residents of Council District 9, Mazariegos said, and he often discusses it while door-knocking.

Ugarte, meanwhile, is paying disconnected $25,000 successful fines to nan metropolis Ethics Commission for failing to disclose years of extracurricular income while he was moving for Price.

Price himself has been criminally charged with 4 counts of voting connected matters successful which he had a conflict of interest, 5 counts of embezzlement and 3 counts of perjury. Prosecutors allege he voted to o.k. deals pinch developers aliases agencies that had done business pinch his wife.