Calls for Resignation from Bass, Caruso and Padilla After Leaked LA Council Recording
Senator Alex Padilla, and mayoral candidates Karen Bass and Rick Caruso have joined in the condemnation of city council members Nury Martinez, Kevin Deleon, and Gilbert Cedillo- calling for their resignations after leaked audio surfaced of them using racial slurs and disparaging other city officials. The conversation occurred roughly one year ago and involved the three council members and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera.
Over the weekend, Martinez issued a statement apologizing, “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,” De Leon, Cedillo, and Herrera also apologized in statements released on Sunday. Martinez has since stepped down as President of the council.
This all comes amidst a series of corruption scandals that have plagued Los Angeles politics in recent years. With as many as five council members possibly departing at the end of this cycle, the council looks to be entering a free fall.
On Monday, mega real estate developer Caruso, and Congresswoman Bass both wasted no time calling for the involved parties' respective resignations. "To move forward as a city, we must move past the politics of divide and conquer,” said mayoral candidate Bass. “There is no place for division and hate in Los Angeles.”
Tuesday morning brought news of Ron Herrera's resignation as president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor.
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