Acting LA council president pressures more members to resign over leaked tape remarks

by Sarah Polus - 10/17/22 9:11 PM ET

Acting Los Angeles City Council President Mitch O’Farrell addresses the media Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022 in Los Angeles. Two Los Angeles City Council members are resisting growing pressure to resign after a recording surfaced of them joining in bare-knuckles banter during a private meeting where a colleague made racist remarks. O’Farrell said members couldn’t conduct business until the two step down. (David Crane/The Orange County Register via AP)

Los Angeles’ acting city council president announced the removal of two council members from several committees on Monday in a push to get them to resign amid backlash.

Councilmembers Gil Cedillo and Kevin de Leon have faced calls to step down after a tape leaked of L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez making racist comments during an October 2021 meeting with Cedillo, de Leon and L.A. County Labor Federation President Ron Herrera.

Martinez and Herrera have since resigned from their positions, while the others present at the meeting are being criticized for not shutting down Martinez’s comments, which included using the Spanish term for “little monkey” to describe a Black child.

Acting City Council President Mitch O’Farrell on Monday urged Cedillo and de Leon to remove themselves from office as well, saying the two councilmembers have so far refused to do so.

“I do not see the remaining two members who haven’t resigned coming back to council with any level of credibility whatsoever,” O’Farrell said during a press conference, adding he has personally requested their resignation.

No special elections can be held until the two embattled councilmembers step down, he added.

“The more quickly we can get resolution with these resignations the more quickly we can have these special elections so we can have representation again,” O’Farrell said.

O’Farrell also noted that he will not be running for permanent council president.

De Leon and Cedillo have issued apologies since the leaked conversation emerged, with de Leon calling the discussion “wholly inappropriate” in a statement to NBC Los Angeles. Cedillo told CNN, “While I did not engage in the conversation in question, I was present at times during this meeting last year.”