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Civics & Democracy

How The Secret Tapes Scandal Has Changed The LA City Council

A woman with brown skin and black hair parted down the middle poses for a portrait in front of a hedge
Councilmember Nithya Raman photographed at her home.
(
Samanta Helou Hernandez
/
LAist
)

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Listen 35:14
Nury & The Secret Tapes: Part 4
In the year since the L.A. City Council tape scandal, a lot has changed. Efforts are underway to reform the redistricting process. Nury Martinez and Gil Cedillo are gone from the council. Only Kevin De León remains. Progressive shifts in the council are influencing its policies, and new elected members are working to forge a new way forward in L.A. This is the last episode of Nury & The Secret Tapes. Support LAist Today: https://LAist.com/donate Go to Hellofresh.com/50imperfect and use code 50imperfect for 50% off plus 15% off the next 2 months! Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

The L.A. City Council has become more progressive in the year since the tape scandal, but substantive reforms have not occurred. In Episode 4 of Imperfect Paradise: Nury and the Secret Tapes — an exclusive look behind the scenes of the scandal — host Antonia Cereijido talks to council members Nithya Raman and Eunisses Hernandez about the fallout from the leaked tapes.

Nithya Raman's take

Raman says the leak of the tapes — which included racist and derogatory comments from fellow council members — has made her more wary. "I think I have a recognition of what it means to have private conversations go back to other people and saw the pain that that wrought on the city," Raman says.

What Eunisses Hernandez says

While she strongly disagrees ideologically with former city council president Nury Martinez, who resigned after the tapes were linked, Hernandez says Martinez is the only one who has taken responsibility for the scandal. "It feels like another moment of like, a woman, Latina, having to step up and clean up a mess," she said.

Where can I listen?

It's now available from LAist Studios. Check it out wherever you get your podcasts! Or listen to this episode here:

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Listen 35:14
In the year since the L.A. City Council tape scandal, a lot has changed. Efforts are underway to reform the redistricting process. Nury Martinez and Gil Cedillo are gone from the council. Only Kevin De León remains. Progressive shifts in the council are influencing its policies, and new elected members are working to forge a new way forward in L.A.
In the year since the L.A. City Council tape scandal, a lot has changed. Efforts are underway to reform the redistricting process. Nury Martinez and Gil Cedillo are gone from the council. Only Kevin De León remains. Progressive shifts in the council are influencing its policies, and new elected members are working to forge a new way forward in L.A.

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