Los Angeles city council president resigns from post over racist comments

Nury Martinez apologized for the October 2021 remarks during a meeting over redistricting with fellow council members Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo and labor leader Ron Herrera, and stepped down as city council president on Monday.

She did not say she would resign her council seat.

De León and Herrera can also be heard speaking dismissively of Black voters.

After the release of the tape on Sunday, politicians and civil rights groups called on the council members to resign.

The California chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) called for the resignations of all those involved: Martinez, Cedillo, de León and Herrera.

Herrera, Cedillo and De León have apologized for the comments and their role in the conversation.

The revelations come at a tense time in Los Angeles politics. In November, voters are set to elect a new mayor, with polls showing a tightening race between US Representative Karen Bass and billionaire developer Rick Caruso. Several city council members are stepping down as well.

Latinos make up about half the Los Angeles population of about 4 million. Martinez was elected to the council in 2013 and became its first Latina president in 2020. As of 2018, her district had a primarily Latino population that outnumbered Black voters.