Los Angeles City Council meeting canceled amid pressure for 2 members to resign in leaked recording fallout
Los Angeles City Hall has been thrown into turmoil after three council members and a labor leader were caught on a secret recording making racist remarks
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Friday's scheduled Los Angeles City Council meeting has been canceled as pressure continues to mount for two council members to resign after they were heard on a leaked audio recording making racist statements.
Acting Council President Mitch O’Farrell announced the move Thursday, a day after former council member Nury Martinez resigned. She stepped down as council president earlier in the week.
Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León have apologized for their remarks but have not announced their resignations, despite insistence from a long list of California leaders and President Biden that they leave.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The people's business cannot be conducted until we have these next two resignations," O’Farrell said Thursday. "In the court of public opinion, the verdict has been rendered and they must resign."
Ron Herrera, the head of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor who was the fourth person at the meeting, resigned Monday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The fallout from the recording has been swift after the four leaders were heard discussing how to carve out council district boundaries to maintain Latino political power during an October 2021 closed-door meeting.
During the conversation, they were heard belittling Councilman Mike Bonin and using racist language to describe his Black son. Martinez was also heard demeaning Mexicans from the Oaxaca state, Armenians, Jews, her White colleagues and people in other communities.
The first council meeting after news of the leak broke saw protests inside and outside City Hall. In a raucous, expletive-filled session, many of the public speakers called for the council members to resign and demanded an overhaul of how council district boundaries are drawn, a once-a-decade process.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}WHITE HOUSE SAYS ALL LA COUNCIL MEMBERS CAUGHT MAKING RACIST REMARKS SHOULD RESIGN
O’Farrell said he has spoken with Cedillo, who is "taking into consideration the gravity of the moment." He said he has not been able to get ahold of de León.
He noted the city charter does not allow for the council to remove its members, saying only a recall election can do that. However, the council can strip them of their committee assignments and official duties.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
He also announced that he has assigned the chief legislative analyst as the overseer of the city's Sixth Council District, previously represented by Martinez, until a special election is held. The caretaker doesn't have a seat on the council, but oversees the council office and makes sure it continues to provide services to constituents.
As a result of the recording, California Attorney General Rob Bonta has launched a probe into the city's re-districting process