Three Los Angeles City Council members as well as a Labor Federation President are in hot water after they were caught making racist remarks on leaked audio.
Nury Martinez resigned as President of the City Council and took a leave of absence after being heard on a leaked audio making racist remarks about another councilor’s child. Martinez can be heard on the recording referring to the black child of a white council member as “ese changuito,” which translates to “that little monkey.” She went on and added that the council member, Mike Bonin, “Handled his son as though he were an “accessory.” She also referred to him as a “little b—h.”
In the same conversation, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera can be heard adding, “Bonin puts his young son out in public like a lawn jockey.” The conversation between the two continued, with Herrera then attacking another council member who had been involved in voter redistricting. “I’m sure Katz and his crew have an agenda,” Herrera adds, referring to former state Assemblymember Richard Katz, an appointee serving on the redistricting commission. Council President Martinez is then heard saying “judíos,” which in Spanish means “Jews.” Martinez continues by saying, “They are gonna screw everybody else.”
The conversation included council members Kevin de Leon and Gil Cedillo. The racially charged conversation moved on to attack assembly member Adrin Nazarian and council member Paul Krekorian, both of Armenian descent. There’s also a personal attack against Krekorian’s chief of staff, Areen Ibranossian. The conversation from the recently leaked audio is said to have occurred sometime in October of 2021.
Protesters, shouting for the departure of all involved in the recorded audio, delayed the start of this past Tuesday’s regularly scheduled city council meeting. Council member Mike Bonin, one of those attacked, told council members and the press, “My husband and I are both raw and angry and heartbroken and sick for our family and for Los Angeles,” he said. “Public officials are supposed to call us to our highest selves, and these people stabbed us and shot us and cut the very spirit of Los Angeles. It gave a beat down to the heart and soul of the city.”
Herrera resigned from his post as Labor Federation President this past Monday. Martinez resigned as president and took a leave of absence from the council. Cedillo and de Leon abruptly left the meeting and exited council chambers to protesters’ chants of “resign now.”
Acting Council President Mitch O’Farrell and many local and national public officials have called for the resignation of all involved in the recorded conversation.
