Cedillos campaign aides said he likely will not comment on the election resultsuntil all votes have been counted or finalized. I think three months, definitely, he said. On Monday, Mr. Cedillo issued this statement: I want to start by apologizing. LOS ANGELES Marielena Hincapi, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center . Published Oct. 11, 2022 Updated Oct. 12, 2022. ', "For Oaxacans in L.A., city councilmembers racist remarks cut deep", "Nury Martinez leak reveals insults about Jews, Armenians too", "Motion made to appoint Heather Hutt for Mark Ridley-Thomas' LA City Council seat", "L.A. Council President Proposes Heather Hutt Represent District 10", "LA City Council may tussle over the push for Heather Hutt to replace Mark Ridley-Thomas", "L.A. City Council splits on how to fill indicted Councilman Ridley-Thomas' seat", "LA Council members delay Heather Hutt's nomination for 10th District", "Heather Hutt's nomination for vacant LA Council seat clears committee", "LA City Council appoints Heather Hutt to fill interim council member for 10th district", "Fed Tapes Include Herrera Talking with former O'Farrell Staffer", "In Leaked Audio, LA City Councilmembers Hurl Racist Comments", "After Racist Audio Leaks, What's Next for LA City Council? There are naturally tensions, said Mr. Yaroslavsky, who now teaches at the Luskin School of Public Affairs at the University of California, Los Angeles, which conducts annual surveys of Los Angeles County. Additionally, both candidates for Los Angeles mayor in the runoff election U.S. Representative Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) and developer Rick Caruso as well as the Los Angeles County Democratic Party called for the councilmembers' resignations. The language that was used and tolerated in that conversation was unacceptable, and it was appalling.. On June 23, 2020, Councilman Jos Huizar was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as part of a Justice Department investigation into bribes that real estate developers paid to politicians. agents about it. I cant forgive them because its not my prerogative. The remarks occurred during a meeting of Ms. Martinez with two other council members, Gil Cedillo and Kevin de Len, and the head of one of Los Angeles Countys most powerful labor organizations. That practice, he said, has contributed to ongoing racial tensions. While Latinos make up about half the population, they are underrepresented on the council with only four of the 15 seats at the time. In a news conference Monday morning, O'Farrell said there is no news on whether either of the councilmen will resign their seats over their participation in a racially charged, recorded conversation from October 2021 that has already led to the resignation of Nury Martinez from her . Tuesdays meeting will also allow the council to begin exploring a number of reform measures, including the first step toward asking voters to expand the size of the 15-member council. In the leaked conversation, Cedillo openly advocated for keeping certain communities such as Koreatown -- a majority Latino neighborhood -- away from the districts of colleagues he did not like. So, let's talk about what prevents harm and violence," said Hernandez. De Len has expressed regrets about his actions, saying he appeared to condone and even contribute to certain insensitive comments made about a colleague and his family.. In the profanity-laced recording, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times and which was first reported by The Los Angeles Times on Sunday, the City Council president, Nury Martinez, who is Latina, compared the Black child of a white council member to a changuito, Spanish for little monkey. Cedillo had said little regarding the leaked conversation for months, with the only public statement continuing to be that he was "at a place of reflection." Los Angeles Councilwoman Nury Martinez resigns following her leaked racist remarks, What the city council scandal reveals about LA's racial divides and solidarity. The only recourse is resignation or recall, he said. LA Times on 2022-10-15 14:04 Column: From Latino lion to Chicanosaurus: The sad fall of Gil Cedillo . She grew up in the Los Angeles area, and is formerly a San Gabriel Valley girl. Even in an era in which the boundaries of political speak have seemingly evaporated, a nearly 80-minute recording of Los Angeles leaders mocking people in racist terms is still powerful enough to shock the nations second-largest city. Speaking through tears, Mike Bonin calls on three council members to resign. [22][23], As a result of the fallout from the controversy, separate audio recordings of a conversation between Herrera and Hannah Cho, a former Mitch O'Farrell (and later LA County Federation of Labor) staffer, were leaked on October 15. [51], When the audio leaked in October 2022, Cedillo was already a lame duck; he had lost reelection to activist Eunisses Hernandez on June 7 and his term was set to expire in December. By losing committee assignments, their influence in City Hall has dwindled and they have largely become token figures, unable to participate in the day-to-day work of the council and unwanted in council chambers where their appearance is likely to cause an uproar. Councilman Mike Bonin, whose Black son was the target of racist comments on the recording, tried to calm the crowd. "I publicly apologized for not cutting off my colleagues when their comments crossed a line," Cedillo said. "When you're saying defund the police and people are getting upset, that is an opportunity to have a conversation, to let them know yes, we've given them a ton of money and still we have harm and violence. Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez at podium, and Mayor Eric Garcetti, standing to her right, are seen during a information convention at Los Angeles City Hall in Los Angeles on April 1, 2022. I am prepared to do that job if the members want me to serve in that position, he said. The crowd echoed the calls for the resignations of Nury Martinez, Kevin de Len and Gil Cedillo that were chanted by protesters inside the council chambers. "That's not who I am, and I did nothing that warranted it. Gilbert Anthony Cedillo (born March 25, 1954) is an American politician, who served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council for the 1st district from 2013 to 2022. Going forward, reconciliation will be my priority. He claimed that the council members were "doing our jobs.". Although the raw language on the audio riveted the city, political observers said the recording was less a reflection of Los Angeles residents who in polls largely express pride in the citys diversity than of the political climate in City Hall. If the council members do not resign, they cannot be forced to leave. I was like, this kid needs a beatdown. [48], On October 27, 2022, a recall effort against De Len was accepted by the Los Angeles City Clerk's office. She can also be heard to remark, "tan feos" (Spanish for "[they're] so ugly"). You're going to have to run. The server responded with {{status_text}} (code {{status_code}}). By Tuesday morning, one of the four Ron Herrera, president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor had stepped down, and another Nury Martinez, the City Council president had given up her leadership role and said she would take a leave of absence from the council. "These members have lost all credibility, all standing," O'Farrell said at a City Hall news conference. "Seeing my elders having to dig through the recycling bin every week, the blue trash cans, trying to make ends meet. After the release of the audio, Herrera faced calls to step down from across the labor movement, including the leaders of eight SEIU California unions with Los Angeles-area members, United Teachers Los Angeles, Unite Here Local 11 and the California Nurses Association. A vote on his confirmation was held up by Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa , a Republican, because of allegations that Mr. Garcetti was aware of sexual misconduct by a close aide but did nothing about it. She's not our ally. Let me take him around the corner, I'll bring him right back.' Now hes under review. He canceled Friday's meeting, saying the council couldn't conduct business until the two men resigned. Only 85 additional votes in Cedillos 1st District were counted in the latest election results, and they continued to show the dramatic results from last Friday a wide, and likely un-bridgeable gap, between the two candidates. Kevin de Lon, fuera! The doors opened, and the crowd entered the room. [11], On October 9, protesters demonstrated outside of her home in the Sun Valley neighborhood of Los Angeles calling for her resignation. On October 9, 2022, an audio recording surfaced of a private meeting involving Los Angeles City Council members and a union leader that involved racist and disparaging comments and led to a local political scandal. I think theres been a lot of effort made in this city and county to manage it.. Breaking news for Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties. Despite being vastly outspent during the campaign, Bass finished atop the filed of candidates with 278,511 votes, or 43.11%. In years past, Ms. Rice said, lawyers with expertise in federal voting rights law wielded considerable influence on the drawing of local political boundaries. We don't leave people behind. The City Council chambers have settled into a calmer state as speakers, including some who seem familiar to the council, line up to make profanity-laced comments. I cant forgive them, because its not my prerogative. Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. But other incumbents beyond Lightfoot's appointees are probably headed for runoffs and uncertain futures. City Council member for the First District; due to leave office when his term ends in December after a primary defeat in June. There are no excuses, he said. But the battle for the second spot in that election remained in doubt until Friday with the final tally. It was an awkward call for both candidates: Mr. Cedillo endorsed Mr. Caruso for mayor and Ms. Martinez endorsed Ms. Bass. [50] Video of the incident was captured and subsequently released, showing that the physical altercation started when a community activist blocked de Len while the latter attempted to exit the building, and ending with de Leon's hands near the activist's neck. In the end, financial law attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto emerged victorious by a mere 136 votes over former federal prosecutor Marina Torres. Whoops! Not for nothing is Rodney Kings plea during the 1992 riots often viewed as the citys signature utterance: Can we all get along?. Its vile abhorrent and totally disgraceful. Incidentally, that same investigation has touched Los Angeles mayoral candidate and current congresswoman, Karen Bass. On social media last week, she wrote, Now the hard work begins. Scores of angry protesters disrupted a council meeting as the episode exposed painful racial fault lines in the diverse and heavily Democratic city. The two councilmembers were pulled from committees dealing with real estate development, housing, homelessness and other issues. Members of the Los Angeles City Council could censure their three colleagues who were heard in a leaked recording that included racist and disparaging remarks. The audio recording captured a conversation between City Council president Nury Martinez, fellow councilmembers Gil Cedillo and Kevin de Len, and Los Angeles County Federation of . She previously worked at Eastern Group Publications, covering the cities of Montebello, Monterey Park, City of Commerce, and Vernon. He resigned from the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor on the evening of October 10; the chair of the federation's executive board, Thom Davis, said, "The Executive Board of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor also calls on those elected officials who were present to follow President Herrera's example by immediately resigning as well. As a mother, I know better and I am sorry. She is not going to help us. That official, Ron Herrera, resigned late Monday. Cedillo, 68, had served on the council since 2013. The court of public opinion has rendered a verdict, and the verdict is they all must resign.. This Eastside race has eclipsed the foregone results for Los Angeles mayor, in which Congresswoman Karen Bass and businessman Rick Caruso will face off in November, with Caruso trailing Bass on Friday, June 24. In the end, it is not my apologies that matter most; it will be the actions I take from this day forward. But let me be clear, people should not ask me for forgiveness. Nury Martinez was president of the Los Angeles City Council until she resigned from that post on Monday; she retained her seat on the Council but said on Tuesday that she would take a leave of absence. She called Bonin, who is white and gay, a "little bitch." The recording has also derailed their personal ambitions. The recording was so shocking that local and state leaders on Monday called for all involved to resign immediately. In addition to electing a new president Tuesday to replace Martinez, the council is scheduled to discuss a charter reform proposal that would add more seats to the City Council to increase representation and decentralize power. [41][42], On October 10, Martinez stepped down as president through a released statement that apologized to Bonin and others, saying, "Therefore, effective immediately I am resigning as President of the Los Angeles City Council," though she did not resign from her seat on the City Council. Cedillo ran for re-election to the Los Angeles City Council to represent District 1 in California. Rodriguez, who represents the northeast Valley, said she told Krekorian at Sundays meeting that she favors Price, who just won reelection to a third and final term. Ive reached out to that colleague personally. Krekorian will be immediately tasked with leading the council through a turbulent stretch, with Councilmen Kevin de Len and Gil Cedillo facing fierce calls to resign for their roles in the City Hall racist hate speech scandal. Mr. de Len issued this statement on Monday: There were comments made in the context of this meeting that are wholly inappropriate; and I regret appearing to condone and even contribute to certain insensitive comments made about a colleague and his family in private. Gil Cedillo, fuera! City Council member for the Fourteenth District; his term ends in 2024. Separately, another chief of staff to Mr. Garcetti, Ana Guerrero, went on leave in June 2021 after disparaging comments she made about other elected officials, government employees and labor leaders in a private Facebook group surfaced. Can it survive racist recordings? Martinez also insulted fellow councilmember Mike Bonin's black adopted child. It's always been on the community end," said Hernandez. "Some of the top three charges that got women into the L.A. County jail system are driving with a suspended license, no license or no insurance. Man, that makes my soul bleed., Mr. OFarrell, the council member leading the meeting, condemned the comments and the political maneuvering of his colleagues. Mr. Bonin, a white council member whose Black child was a target of some of the racist remarks, said that while he was still processing what had happened, he and his husband were both feeling raw and angry and heartbroken and sick., Through tears, Mr. Bonin said, I take a lot of hits, and I know I practically invite a bunch of them. O'Farrell was previously connected to the scandal after he was referred to as Martinez's "guy" by Cedillo and "my guy" by Herrera during recordings in which the four strategized on how to ensure an O'Farrell re-election over an unnamed opponent representing "Housing Related Entities (HREs). I take a lot of hits, he says, adding, But my son?. / KCAL News. There are no excuses, he said. In other City of Los Angeles races, there will be runoffs in November for city controller, City Council District 5, City Council District 11, City Council District 13, and City Council District 15. During the conversation, Ms. Martinez also weighed in on a dispute between two Black council members over whose district would include Exposition Park and the University of Southern California. The profanity-laced recording of Los Angeles leaders mocking people in racist terms has stunned the nations second-largest city. With three members effectively gone, the basic task of ensuring the council has a quorum the 10 members needed to hold a meeting has become considerably more difficult. [28], The editorial board of the Los Angeles Times called on all three politicians to resign in an op-ed article published October 10, 2022. Contributed to ongoing racial tensions by a mere 136 votes over former federal prosecutor Marina Torres said at a Hall! 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