“The Councilmember attended a holiday food distribution at William Mead Homes, providing 200 grocery bags funded by our office.”
Councilmember Eunisses Hernández responded firmly to criticism prompted by an Instagram post showing her at a community turkey-donation event next to a sign featuring businessman Frank McCourt, the main promoter of a proposed gondola project in downtown Los Angeles.
“Councilmember Hernández and our office have no business relationship with Frank McCourt,” said Naomi Roochnik, CD1 Communications Director.
“The Councilmember was invited to a holiday food distribution at William Mead Homes, and we participated the same way we do all year long: by showing up for families and contributing resources — in this case, 200 bags of groceries paid for directly by our office. If there are hungry constituents or neighbors in need, we’re not going to withhold food because of who else is standing in the parking lot. That’s why we’ve invested over half a million dollars in food distribution across CD1: feeding hungry people is a basic responsibility, not a political calculation,” Roochnik added.
Activists and District 1 council candidate Lou Calanche reposted the Instagram photo on her account, questioning Hernández’s integrity.
“This is yet another example of Councilmember Hernández’s hypocrisy. She claims to be anti-billionaire, yet attends their events. She says she opposes homeless sweeps, yet orders them. She campaigned against the fence at MacArthur Park, but now supports spending $2 million to rebuild the very fence she had removed. She consistently says one thing and does another. How can we trust her?” Calanche wrote to Parriva.
The controversial publication. They accused the councilwoman of having ties to Frank McCourt, which Eunisses Hernandez emphatically denied: “If there are hungry constituents or neighbors in need, we’re not going to withhold food because of who else is standing in the parking lot,” she said.
Hernández’s office reiterated her opposition to the gondola project, which they say would negatively impact small businesses and residents in the area proposed for construction.
“And for context: just yesterday (Wednesday), the Councilmember submitted a detailed letter to Metro urging them to deny approval of the LA ART gondola, and she was the lead author of the City Council motion opposing the project, which passed last week. Her opposition has been clear, consistent, and unequivocal from the start,” Roochnik added.
The election for the District 1 council seat in next year’s local elections is one of the most crowded races on the ballot.
In various interviews conducted by Parriva with candidates running against Hernández, several criticisms have been raised regarding the Councilmember’s work in the communities she represents — criticisms Hernández rejected by highlighting her projects and accomplishments in an interview she also gave to Parriva.
Hernández’s office — as the Councilmember is commonly known — concluded its response by once again emphasizing her opposition to the gondola project and any perceived ties to McCourt.
“We’re glad our leadership on this issue has inspired others to pay attention, and we invite them to join us in making public comment against the gondola at the Metro Board Meeting on December 4.”
