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Leadership behind the second most populous city in the country was in a continued state of uncertainty Wednesday as Los Angeles’ City Council met again amid uproar over a recording where some of the city’s top officials used racist language in a leaked audio recording.
What’s happening today: The LA City Council is set to meet for the second time since leaked audio revealed the council’s president, Nury Martinez, was heard making racist remarks and disparaging colleagues in a file obtained by the Los Angeles Times. Protestors have already begun to gather outside city hall.
What’s in the audio: In the recording obtained by The Times, Martinez could be heard making racist statements about a white councilmember’s child, saying her colleague — Mike Bonin — “handled his young Black son as though he were an accessory” and describing the colleague’s son in Spanish as “like a monkey.”
Who has resigned? Martinez announced Tuesday she is taking a “leave of absence,” the Times reported. Nury and Ron Herrera, the president of Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, both resigned from their presidency positions on Monday, according to the Times. The two other councilmembers heard on the call, Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León, have not resigned.
The complications: In addition to the three councilmembers heard on the leaked audio, three current or former council members have been indicted or pleaded guilty to corruption charges. It in unclear whether Council can assemble the required 10 members — out of 15 total — to conduct business on Wednesday.
Biden joins calls for councilmember resignations
The three councilmembers heard on the recording have faced sustained calls for their full resignation from the council from local politicians, mayoral candidates, labor groups and even President Biden.
White House Press Secretary Jean-Pierre said President Biden calls on all of the leaders heard on the call to resign.
“The President is glad to see that one of the participants in that conversation has resigned,” Jean-Pierre said. “He believes that they all should resign. The language that was used during that conversation was unacceptable and it was appalling.”
What happens if city council members don’t resign?
While everyone from local residents all the way to President Joe Biden are calling for all officials on the explicit audio to resign, there isn’t much that can be done if they don’t resign themselves.
Los Angeles doesn’t have a mechanism to suspend or remove members of its 15-member city council for such actions, the LA Times reported. There is a provision that allows for members to be suspended if they’ve been charged with a crime and are awaiting trial, the City Charter states.
Another option could be recalling members, a popular mechanism in California due to laws that make it relatively easy to launch such efforts. But at least one of the city council members, Cedillo, has a term that’s ending in December.
Meanwhile, concerns have arisen on whether the Council can assemble the required 10 members — out of 15 total — to conduct business on Wednesday should the two involved councilmembers resign.
Contributing: The Associated Press; Christal Hayes, USA TODAY
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