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The Story Of The LA City Hall Tape Scandal, As Told By The People Who Lived It
Veronica Sance participated in a rally outside City Hall to denounce racism and demand change.
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Mario Tama
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Getty Images
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The new season of the LAist Studios podcast Imperfect Paradise debuts Wednesday with Nury & The Secret Tapes, the story of how a secretly recorded conversation, leaked to journalists online, exploded into the largest political scandal in recent Los Angeles history and exposed deep-seated issues over race and politics.
The four-part podcast includes an exclusive interview with former L.A. City Council president Nury Martinez, who resigned in disgrace after she was heard making racist and derogatory remarks. “I've thought about that particular day, God, a thousand times, if not more,” Martinez told host Antonia Cereijido.
About Episode 1 — The Scandal
Cereijido takes us behind the scenes of the L.A. City Council tape scandal. She speaks with the people who were most affected by the tapes, including former L.A. City Councilmember Mike Bonin.
He recounts how he first heard about the recording in which four prominent Latino leaders use racist and demeaning terms to describe his son, who was then a toddler. “That's kind of when I lost it,” he said. “I was livid that she talked about beating him down.”
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A look at who they are and what’s next for L.A.’s city government. -
En su primera entrevista desde que estalló el escándalo hace un año, le preguntamos a Martínez sobre los comentarios racistas y ofensivos que escuchó en las grabaciones. -
In her first interview since resigning last fall, Martinez responds to the racist, offensive comments she made during a secretly-recorded conversation
Why you should listen
The tapes exposed problems that have long plagued L.A. politics. A year after the scandal, issues persist over anti-Black racism and colorism within the Latino/Latinx community, Democratic Party divisions, and the struggle to define Latino political power.
The scandal was international
The tapes include Martinez making derogatory comments about Indigenous people from the Mexican state of Oaxaca. “It shows why we've always known as Indigenous people,” said Odilia Romero, the co-founder and executive director at CIELO, an organization that advocates for Indigenous people's human rights, “that the other Mexicans have always discriminated against us.”
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How do I find the podcast?
It's now available from LAist Studios. Check it out wherever you get your get podcasts and subscribe to Imperfect Paradise. Or listen to the this episode here:
We take you behind the scenes of the L.A. City Council tape scandal, a year later.
Read Cereijido's essay
Cereijido reflects on her motivation for hosting Nury & The Secret Tapes.
How To LA covers the making of the podcast
Our How To LA podcast talked to Cereijido about the making of this season of Imperfect Paradise .
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Listen
15:56
Our colleagues on the 'Imperfect Paradise' podcast team, including host Antonia Cereijido, challenged Martinez to account for the racist, hurtful things she said in that conversation. In today's episode 'How To LA,' Antonia talks with Brian about the making of the podcast.
The Making Of The 'Nury And The Secret Tapes' Podcast
Our colleagues on the 'Imperfect Paradise' podcast team, including host Antonia Cereijido, challenged Martinez to account for the racist, hurtful things she said in that conversation. In today's episode 'How To LA,' Antonia talks with Brian about the making of the podcast.
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Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
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