LA City Council President Criticized for Alleged Racial Slur

(Bloomberg) -- Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez and other city officials are facing criticism over allegedly racist remarks targeting a fellow councilmember and his son.

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Councilmember Mike Bonin released a statement calling for the resignation of Martinez after the Los Angeles Times reported on Sunday that Martinez and other officials made derisive statements about him and his Black son in a leaked recording of the conversation.

“We are appalled, angry and absolutely disgusted that Nury Martinez attacked our son with horrific racist slurs, and talked about her desire to physically harm him,” Bonin said in a statement on Twitter. “The City Council needs to remove her as Council President immediately, and she needs to resign from office.”

He also called for the resignation of fellow Councilmember Kevin de León and LA County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera. Another councilmember, Gil Cedillo, also participated in the conversation, the Times reported.

After the Times published its report on Sunday, Martinez issued a statement apologizing for the comments, saying she holds herself “accountable.” De Leon also issued a statement saying that he’s reached out to his colleague about his “wholly inappropriate” remarks. “I will hold myself to a higher standard,” he said.

Representatives for Herrera and Cedillo didn’t respond to requests from Bloomberg for comment.

A lawyer representing the LA County Federation of Labor said in a letter to the Times that the conversation was taped in violation of California’s privacy and recording laws.

The Times reported that the conversation took place in October 2021, with councilmembers expressing frustration over redistricting maps. The group discussed the need to re-elect Latino councilmembers and to ensure that heavily Latino districts didn’t lose economic assets.

The group mentioned Bonin’s son while discussing a dispute between two other councilmembers, who are Black, according to the newspaper.

(Updates with comments from Martinez, de Leon in fifth paragraph.)

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