This story has gone off like a bomb in the middle of LA’s City Council. Yesterday someone leaked audio of Council President Nury Martinez making racist comments about the adopted son of another council member. Other members of the council who were present seem to take this in stride. All of the members of the council caught on tape are Latino and the target of their comments was the adopted child of council member Mike Bonin. Bonin is white but his adopted son is black.
Martinez and the other Latino leaders present during the taped conversation were seemingly unaware they were being recorded as Martinez said a white councilmember handled his young Black son as though he were an “accessory” and described Councilman Mike Bonin’s son as “Parece changuito,” or “like a monkey.”
During the conversation with Councilmembers Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, Martinez described Bonin at one point as a “little bitch,” according to a recording of the meeting reviewed by The Times.
Martinez also mocked Oaxacans and said “F— that guy … He’s with the Blacks” while speaking about Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón.
Kevin de Leon is a pretty big deal in Democratic politics in California. Before becoming a member of the LA City Council in 2020 he was a state senator who became President Pro Tempore of the California State Senate for a couple of years. Here’s some of what he said on the tape.
Mr. de León referred to Mr. Bonin, a West Los Angeles liberal, as the council’s “fourth Black member” and joked with Ms. Martinez that Mr. Bonin carried his adopted son, who is Black, as if the toddler were a designer handbag.
The comments happened during a redistricting meeting that took place last October and, at least so far, no one knows who leaked it or why. Here’s a portion of the audio. Karen Bass, who is currently running for mayor, is also mentioned in this clip.
Council President Nury Martinez makes racist remarks in a leaked audio recording about Councilmember Mike Bonin’s young son while Councilmembers Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León and County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera chime in.
Read more: https://t.co/Fm6jf9p6g2 pic.twitter.com/09U8Mq8TOM
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) October 10, 2022
There were immediate call for Martinez to step down from her position as president and resign. So far she has apologized but hasn’t offered to leave. Kevin de Leon has also apologized.
“In a moment of intense frustration and anger, I let the situation get the best of me, and I hold myself accountable for these comments. For that I am sorry,” she said in a statement. “The context of this conversation was concern over the redistricting process and concern about the potential negative impact it might have on communities of color. My work speaks for itself.”
Mr. de León, who also is not up for re-election, apologized as well. “There were comments made in the context of this meeting that are wholly inappropriate,” he said in a statement, “and I regret appearing to condone and even contribute to certain insensitive comments made about a colleague and his family in private. I’ve reached out to that colleague personally. On that day, I fell short of the expectations we set for our leaders — and I will hold myself to a higher standard.”
But Bonin, who was the target of the remarks, doesn’t sound like he has any interest in forgiving them. In his statement about the recording, he called on Nury Martinez, Kevin de Leon and Ron Herrera to resign.
Our family statement about today’s ugly and hateful news. pic.twitter.com/0fPPXwsS5B
— Mike Bonin (@mikebonin) October 9, 2022
The remarks were explosive enough that a handful of people went to Nury Martinez home to demand her resignation.
Outside the home of LA City Council President Nury Martinez, protesters are asking for her resignation and playing the leaked recordings on a loudspeaker. pic.twitter.com/PJNgXOpfQG
— Jon peltz (@JonnyPeltz) October 10, 2022
Here’s more:
Fuck you, Nury.
We out here. pic.twitter.com/84xdUSzLNw
— Film The Police LA (@FilmThePoliceLA) October 10, 2022
Normally, I would say that no one could survive a scandal like this, certainly not with a lame statement like “I hold myself accountable for these comments.” What does that even mean? But these are all Democratic politicians so I’m actually not sure what will happen next. As we all know, the standards for elected Democrats are often different than for everyone else.
If I were forced to guess, I’d say that Martinez may be forced out because she has been the focus of condemnation. Even though the other council members participated in this conversation and said nothing about her remarks at the time my guess is they won’t resign. Here’s a local news report on the story.
Update: Well, that was quicker than I thought it would be.
BREAKING: Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez steps down after a recording emerged of her making racist and offensive comments about fellow council members. https://t.co/orZEQFEkn2
— ABC News (@ABC) October 10, 2022
She also issued a 2nd apology:
“I ask for forgiveness from my colleagues and from the residents of this city that I love so much. In the end, it is not my apologies that matter most; it will be the actions I take from this day forward. I hope that you will give me the opportunity to make amends,” Martinez said. “Therefore, effective immediately I am resigning as President of the Los Angeles City Council.”
So she’s stepping down as president but she’s not resigning her seat on the council. She’s also vowing to make amends. This is the Ralph Northam playbook for dealing with a racist scandal. We’ll have to see if this satisfies anyone. Stay tuned.
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