By Pedro Barrera
07 Apr 2026, 12:02 PM EDT
Dear neighbors and members of our South Los Angeles community.
My name is Pedro Barrera, immigrant and originally from Ayotlán, Jalisco. I have lived in this community for more than 40 years, that is why I dare to share my experience and recommend José Ugarte as an excellent option to represent District 9 in the June 2 elections.
But let me tell you why I believe that this young man who was brought from Mexico at the age of four, may be the first Latino representative in the district, the best, and possibly one of the best in the entire city.
Without fear of making mistakes and with frightful in my experience of almost 14 years of knowing him, José listens to people, he is a very human person, he responds quickly to problems and never says no, if it is not in his hands, he looks for a way to solve it.
When I met José for the first time, I was supporting the candidate Ana Cubas in 2013, but as soon as I heard him I realized that not only was he a human being with very good intentions, but I immediately decided to support him because something told me that he was a person of his word.
Since that moment, José has been Curren Mark’s right-hand man and every time we have spoken to him he listens to us, assists us and has solved many problems that we have faced in the community.
I can tell you that before we could not walk in the parks or in various alleys, but now thanks to the now candidate, the green areas are more familiar and the alleys accessible and clean for people. Thanks to José we have more soccer fields and the police have become closer to the community. Before we were afraid of the agents, we thought that they would only interrogate us if they approached us. Now things have changed and one feels more confident and secure walking on the street.
Furthermore, I can tell you that the husband and father of a beautiful little girl is not a person who only serves Latinos. I have seen him help the African American community and other groups that live in the district a lot.
Something very important is that he speaks our language, is an immigrant and knows both cultures, both Latin and American. He already has the experience of working on the city council for 13 years as a community representative, so I believe that José will not only be a good candidate, but he will be the best city councilor to represent Latinos, particularly in these times when the federal government does not stop attacking us.
We need an energetic, human voice that understands us. That is José’s voice, like when he made it possible for ICE agents not to organize in the spaces and parking lots of the district to detain and take away our people.
We need that voice to be heard loud and far. I am sure that with José on the council, we will have a voice that not only defends us, but will fight for our rights, for more opportunities for new generations, security and accessible housing for everyone in District 9.
Although I cannot tell you to vote for José because everyone is free to vote, the only thing I ask is that you get to know the candidate, see what he has done, and talk to him. I am sure that when you listen to it, like me, you will feel that good vibe in you that I also felt when I met him and began to trust him.
José is a family man, he is a neighbor who has lived in the community since I have known him. What’s more, I share with you that at the beginning he said that his goal was not to be a councilor, but as time has passed he has realized the great needs in the area that have increased his commitment to the community. He already told us that if he is elected as a councilor, he has said that he will not fail us.
And believe me, neighbors and residents of District 9, we, the residents of the community, are not going to let him rest, we will always be behind him so that he does not get tired and gives us results.
That is why, as your neighbor and friend, I ask you to consider José Ugarte for the elections on June 2.
Without further ado for the moment, I remain at your service and thank you for having reached the end of this letter.
Pedro Barrera has been a leader of the South Central farmers and is a member of the board of directors of the South LA land defense organization.
The comments in this column reflect solely and exclusively the feelings and way of thinking of the author.
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