generic It's Getting Juicer: LA Council Member Linked to Nury Martinez Mess Won't Leave [Update]
Updated as of 10/20/2022 at 9:45 a.m. ET
Los Angeles City Council members Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León were under pressure for the past week as the public demanded their resignation. The two were caught on a racist leaked phone call with former LA City Council President Nury Martinez. Though she handed in her resignation almost immediately, Mr. de León said he’s not throwing in the towel, according to Insider.
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In a statement, the council member apologized for the incident but said there’s more work to be done, per an interview with Univision.
“I will not resign because there is a lot of work ahead of me. There is a lot of work that we have to face. The crisis that is taking place in the district, the infections, unemployment, the threat of eviction, the humanitarian crisis of the homeless,” he said.
October 12, protestors showed up for a second day demanding the resignation of the two council members. “No meeting without resignation!” protestors shouted. City residents condemned their tolerance of Martinez’s foul language toward their colleague Mike Bonin, when she called his Black son a monkey in a recorded phone conversation.
Martinez also discussed on the call a scheme on how to maintain Latino political power during redistricting. This would exacerbate the ostracism of Black voices during this process, an issue Black government officials have been challenging all over the country. Also, Martinez’s comments reflect the issue of anti-Blackness in the Latinx community, which she planned to weaponize for political gain.
Her comments drew concern from California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who now plans to investigate Los Angeles for their redistricting process, he announced in a statement. If his office finds something, the report says it could result in civil liability or criminal charges, per NBC News.
Read from Attorney General Bonta’s statement:
“Let me be absolutely clear: The job of a public official is to serve the people. We’re elected to represent our constituents to the best of our abilities, doing the most good for the most people,” said Attorney General Bonta. “As a father and human being, I am deeply appalled by the remarks made by some of Los Angeles’ highest-ranking officials. Their comments were unacceptable, offensive, and deeply painful. There is no place for anti-Black, antisemitic, anti-Indigenous, anti-LGBTQ, or any kind of discriminatory rhetoric in our state, especially in relation to the duties of a public official.
The Council planned to regroup October 12 to decide on the two council members, however, the meeting was adjourned early because so many members failed to show up (including the three musketeers). The report says the two could face a censure which doesn’t guarantee a suspension or removal from office. Ultimately, they’d have to voluntarily step down. As of now, they’ve been indicted on corruption charges and the council has elected a new president.
More from The Los Angeles Times:
The Los Angeles City Council selected Councilmember Paul Krekorian as its next leader Tuesday afternoon, ushering in a new and uncertain era for a city government still reeling from the release of an incendiary leaked audio recording last week.
But he also said he would work to reduce the power of the council president and end the era of “unilateral decision-making” on the council floor — a veiled reference to the leadership styles of Martinez and her predecessor, former Council President Herb Wesson
“Most of all, I think we just really need to resolve that through this work we make clear that no one ever again feels excluded, or belittled, or demeaned, or disrespected, or left behind by the people that they elected to represent them,” said Krekorian, who was first elected to the council in 2009.
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