LA City Council President Nury Martinez resigns after a few days of backlash in response to a racist audio leak involving her and other council members.
LA City Council President Nury Martinez Officially Resigns After Protestors Shut Down Meeting Over Racist Audio Leak
As we previously shared, the LA council President was caught on a profanity-laced recording making racist remarks about a white council member’s Black child.
She claimed her colleague, Mike Bonin, “handled his young Black son as though he were an accessory,” further describing Bonin’s son as a “changuito” in Spanish, or in English, “a little monkey.”
It is reported that she also referred to Indigenous Oaxacan immigrants residing in Koreatown as “short little dark people.”
Other council members Kevin de León and Bill Cedillo were also condemned, as they were heard laughing and making jokes on the recording as well.
Martinez would go on to announce her resignation on Sunday (October 9), but on Monday, she updated that she is taking responsibility for what she said, and will actually be taking a leave of absence instead of resigning.
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In her statement on Sunday, she said: “I take responsibility for what I said and there are no excuses for those comments. I’m so sorry. sincerely apologize to the people I hurt with my words.”
Then on Monday she updated: “This has been one of the most difficult times of my life and I recognize this is entirely of my own making. At this moment, I need to take a leave of absence and take some time to have an honest and heartfelt conversation with my family, my constituents, and community leaders.”
De León and Cedillo also apologized but have not resigned. Meanwhile, Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, who was also at the meeting where the comments were made, did resign on Sunday (October 9).
With no actions on behalf of De León and Cedillo, protestors went into further uproar. They ended up shutting down a city council meeting on Tuesday (October 11).
They demanded that all council members who were caught on the racist audio that leaked earlier this week resign, if they hadn’t already.
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As protestors (from BLM-LA, LA Tenants Union, and elsewhere) demanded justice, the California Attorney General Rob Bonta spoke out and announced that he and his office are launching an independent investigation into the situation.
Bonta said the council members’ comments were “deeply concerning.” He added:
“Let me be absolutely clear: The job of a public official is to serve the people. We’re elected to represent our constituents to the best of our abilities, doing the most good for the most people. As a father and human being, I am deeply appalled by the remarks made by some of Los Angeles’ highest-ranking officials. Their comments were unacceptable, offensive, and deeply painful.
There is no place for anti-Black, antisemitic, anti-Indigenous, anti-LGBTQ, or any kind of discriminatory rhetoric in our state, especially in relation to the duties of a public official.
As Attorney General, I am committed to doing my part to ensure the rights of the people of California are protected. The decennial redistricting process is foundational for our democracy and for the ability of our communities to make their voices heard — and it must be above reproach. The leaked audio has cast doubt on a cornerstone of our political processes for Los Angeles.”
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Following this, on Wednesday afternoon (October 12), Nury Martinez officially resigned from her post as LA City Council President.
In her letter, Martinez reflected on her career sitting on the council, and said her time there was “extremely difficult.” Despite everything, she added that she hoped her work with the city inspired other young Latina girls, as she made history becoming the first Latina president on the LA City Council panel.
Without directly addressing the audio, Martinez addressed her family and apologized for falling “short” of their expectation, but she vowed to “strive to be a better woman” and continue making them proud.
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