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LOS ANGELES, Oct. 13 (AP) The former president of the Los Angeles City Council resigned from public office Wednesday, three days after a recording surfaced of her making racist remarks at a meeting that is now the subject of a national investigation.
Nury Martinez, the first Latino to hold the top job on the council, announced her decision in a press release after outrage ran high and called on her and two other council members involved in conversations recorded last year to resign .
Martinez made racist remarks and other rude comments about the black son of the white congressman.
Her resignation statement did not respond to the comments, although she said in response to her daughter: “I know I haven’t lived up to our family’s expectations lately. I swear to you that I will strive to be a better woman and make you proud.” ”
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The announcement came hours after Attorney General Rob Bonta said he would investigate the redistricting process in Los Angeles, which three members of the Assembly discussed with a labor leader, which they plan to do in Los Angeles. The process protects the political power of Latinos in the parliamentary district.
Martinez stepped down as parliament president on Monday but retained his seat.
Her decision to give up her seat comes as President Joe Biden will resign as he condemns the remarks and calls on all three council members — Martinez, Kevin De Leon and Jill Zedillo — to resign Arrived in Los Angeles the next day.
Bonta, a Democrat like the three council members, said his investigation could lead to civil liability or criminal charges, depending on what was found.
“It’s clear that an investigation is urgently needed to help restore the confidence of the people of Los Angeles in the rezoning process,” he said.
Bonta was speaking in Los Angeles while the council tried unsuccessfully to do business nearby, as the recording of crude racist remarks sparked an uproar that also gave a candid look at the racial rivalry at City Hall.
Those involved in the leaked conversations were all Latino, and Bonta was the first Filipino-American to hold the top law enforcement position in the country’s most populous state.
The committee reconvened on Wednesday, presumably to censure the three members, but it was unable to conduct business as about 50 protesters drowned out the acting president chanting slogans such as “No meeting without resignation.”
At least 10 of the 15 members required to reach a quorum have rallied, but the meeting adjourns when one leaves. None of the three embattled council members showed up.
“Who turned you off? We turned you off!” the raucous crowd cheered as the lights were turned off.
Acting committee chair Mitch O’Farrell said with no sign that the anger had subsided, he didn’t think the committee could resume work until all three had left, which he said was inevitable.
“For Los Angeles to heal, for the City Council to govern, there must be accountability,” he said in a statement.
“I reiterate my call for council members De Leon and Zedillo to also resign. There is no other way out.”
The council cannot expel members – it can only suspend members while criminal charges are pending. A reprimand does not result in suspension or removal.
Martinez said in a taped conversation that white council member Mike Bonin treated his young black son as if he were an “appendage,” and said his son was “Parece,” the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday. changuito”, or “he’s like a monkey”. . She also called Bonin a “little bitch.”
In the hour-long recording, Martinez called indigenous immigrants from the Mexican state of Oaxaca ugly and made rude remarks about Jews and Armenians.
Martinez made history in 2019 when she became the first Latino to chair the council, describing herself as a “glass ceiling-shattering leader who, on her website, serves as an advocate for working-class immigrants.” Proud daughter brings profound life experience.”
The daughter of Mexican immigrants, she was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley.
Discussions — which also included a powerful Latino labor leader who has since resigned — centered on protecting Latino political power during the redistricting of parliamentary district boundaries, known as redistricting.
A once-in-a-decade process could pit one group against another to gain a political edge in an election.
Bonin was among those who said three council members should resign. Other members also called for the trio to step down.
Black and Latino voters often form political alliances. But tensions and rivalries between groups separated by race, geography, party or religion have a long history in Los Angeles and across the country.
Friction could spill over to housing, education and jobs — even prisons — and the spoils of political power.
Bonta condemned the members’ remarks but did not add to calls for their resignation. He said Wednesday that his investigation had only just begun.
“If the facts and the law dictate, this could lead to a crime,” he said. “There is definitely the potential for civil liability under California’s civil rights and voting rights laws.”
Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer has called for an independent commission to map the redistricting.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the recording was posted on social media site Reddit by a now-suspended user. It’s unclear who recorded the audio, who uploaded it to Reddit, or if anyone else was in attendance. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from the Syndicated News feed, the body of the content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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