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Civics & Democracy

Sen. Padilla Joins Prominent Lawmakers Calling For City Councilmembers To Resign In Wake Of Released Tape

By  LAist Staff
Updated Oct 11, 2022 8:54 AM
Published Oct 10, 2022 1:15 PM
City Hall against a blue sky from the perspective of someone looking up.
Los Angeles City Hall
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Ethan Ward
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Nury Martinez announced on Monday her resignation as Los Angeles City Council President. That decision follows the release of recordings of racist remarks she made in a meeting last October with other city leaders. She remains on the council.

Many other L.A. politicians have called on everyone involved to resign.

Martinez, who is not up for reelection this election cycle, was speaking with fellow Councilmembers Kevin de León, also not up for reelection, and Gil Cedillo, who lost outright in the primary, and L.A. County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera. They were recorded talking about their frustrations with redistricting efforts in the city.

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Listen To Excerpts

Listen • 9:39
Listen: Excerpts from the City Hall tapes

What City Councilmembers Say

L.A. City Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson changed his username on Twitter in a nod to how Black Angelenos and their representatives were talked about in the leaked audio.

Statements Of Other Councilmembers

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Eunisses Hernandez beat incumbent Gil Cedillo outright in the primary and will take office next term.

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How Do I Know Who Represents Me

Meeting of LA City Council with members sitting in a horseshoe configuration. On the screen is a list of names showing who voted yes.
The L.A. City Council voted on new council district maps on Dec. 7, 2021
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Screenshot of LA City Council
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New boundaries for the city council districts were ultimately approved unanimously in December 2021, a couple of months after the conversation at the center of the latest City Hall scandal took place. You can explores this map or check your Los Angeles city address to see who represents your area (and the roughly 260,000 other resident who live near you.)

What The LA Mayoral Candidates Said

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Other Notable Responses

In a written statement, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti joined those calling for the council members to step down:

"Bigotry, violence, and division too often live in unseen and unheard places, but have severe consequences on the lives of our fellow Angelenos when they are not confronted and left to infect our public and private lives. Stepping down from the council would be the right response by these members in a moment that demands accountability and healing at a time of great pain and deep disappointment."

L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who is running for re-election, included the following in a written statement:

"There is no room in public discourse or private conversation for the type of hatred, racism, classism, and homophobia displayed by the four Latino political figures- Nury Martinez, Kevin de Leon, Gil Cedillo and Ron Herrera. I pray that those involved can look deep inside and find the courage to deal with their bigotry. Although I have not always seen eye to eye with Councilmember Mike Bonin, there is no reason to bring children into political backroom dealings."

Updated October 10, 2022 at 3:45 PM PDT
This story was updated with a written response from L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti.
Updated October 10, 2022 at 3:38 PM PDT
Updated to include a statement from L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva.
Updated October 10, 2022 at 12:53 PM PDT
A map of the new district boundaries was added.
Updated October 10, 2022 at 11:25 AM PDT
This story was updated with comments by Councilmember Nithya Raman.
Updated October 10, 2022 at 10:25 AM PDT
This story was updated with Martinez's resignation as council president.
Updated October 10, 2022 at 10:00 AM PDT
This story was updated to include a statement from Councilmember Monica Rodriguez saying she will introduce a motion to remove Nury Martinez from office.
Updated October 9, 2022 at 8:10 PM PDT
This updated with additional reaction and calls for resignations.

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