President Joe Biden demanded the resignation of three Los Angeles City Council members Tuesday who were caught on leaked recordings making racist remarks and conspiring to exploit the redistricting process for political gain.
“He believes that they all should resign,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at a briefing. “They should all step down.”
In addition to the president, multiple Democratic politicians have denounced the comments of the officials, who are all Democrats. On the audio in question, now former city council president Nury Martinez, members Kevin de Léon and Gil Cedillo, and now former labor leader Ron Herrera can be heard using racist rhetoric to ridicule a black child, knock colleagues, and maneuver the city’s redistricting process to gain an electoral advantage.
Speaking about L.A. District Attorney George Gascón, Martinez said, “F— that guy, he’s with the Blacks.” She also mocked the Black son of Mike Bonin, a white council member. “And then there’s this white guy, with his little Black kid, who’s misbehaved,” Martinez said. She then compared him to “a little monkey” in Spanish.
“They’re raising him like a little white kid, which, I was like, this kid needs a beatdown,” she said.
On Monday, Herrera resigned from his post as head of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, the Los Angeles Times reported. Martinez announced she would be taking a leave of absence following the scandal. She updated Tuesday that she would “take some time to have an honest and heartfelt conversation with my family, my constituents, and community leaders.”De Léon and Cedillo have not yet made any announcements.
Pressure has mounted on the remaining three to leave their positions. Democratic California Senator Alex Padilla, who hails from Los Angeles, decried the derogatory words in a statement obtained by Politico.
“At a time when our nation is grappling with a rise in hate speech and hate crimes, these racist comments have deepened the pain that our communities have endured,” Padilla said. “Los Angeles deserves better.”
Bonin, whose son was the target of the explosive conversation, called for the trio’s immediate resignations in a statement.
“We are appalled, angry and absolutely disgusted that Nury Martinez attacked our son with horrific racist slurs, and talked about her desire to physically harm him,” Bonin said. “It’s vile, abhorrent, and utterly disgraceful.”
Jean-Pierre said the White House believes it is important to hold Democrats to a higher standard and condemn unacceptable behavior. She claimed that Republicans often condone disgraceful remarks on their own side.
“When a Democrat says something racist or antisemitic, we hold Democrats accountable,” she said. “When a MAGA Republican says something racist or antisemitic, they are embraced by cheering crowds.”