LOS ANGELES – A MOST RELAXIVE COLLABORATIVE COURT PEOPLE DISSAPPELED BY AN EXPERIMENTAL PROCESS

LOS ANGELES — The head of the Los Angeles City Council stripped two members of much of their power Monday to pressure them to resign for participating in a private meeting in which they did not object to a colleague’s crude and racist remarks and at times joined in the offensive banter.

Gil Cedillo and Kevin de Len were caught on tape with her, along with the president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. According to the recording obtained by The New York Times, the men in question kept the conversation going with derogatory statements, but they didn’t confront her.

The council members, all Democrats, were called to resign immediately by the politicians. Mr. Herrera stepped down on Monday and Ms. Martinez initially relinquished her Council leadership post. She then announced that she was emotionally exhausted and taking a leave of absence from the Council.

The council president removed both Gil Cedillo and Kevin de Leon from their committee chairmanships, as he turned up the heat on the veteran Democrats, and instead named a board that rarely meets.

Even though they were denounced and the former council President resigned, the two men have refused to step down.

La-city-council-gil-cedillo-kevin-de-leon-committee-removal after Martinez’s “Law” meeting

The leaked recording of the three powerful politicians discussing with a labor leader how to maintain their grip on power and expand Latino influence in the city has plunged the council into chaos as angry protesters shut down meetings last week.

By losing committee assignments, their influence in City Hall has dwindled and they have largely become token figures, unable to participate in the day-to-day work of the council and unwanted in council chambers where their appearance is likely to cause an uproar.

The council has moved to censure Cedillo and de Leon but doesn’t have the power to remove fellow elected officials from office unless they’ve been charged with a crime.

O’Farrell said the only path forward is through their resignation or a recall election in the case of de Leon, whose term ends in 2024. Cedillo is going to be replaced in December.

Both had been on several high-profile committees, with Cedillo chairing the Housing Committee and De Leon chairing the Homelessness and Poverty Committee.

Under city rules, each council member has to be assigned to one committee, so each man will now serve on the Board of Referred Powers, a rarely used body that takes over when other boards have a conflict of interest.

The meeting will be held virtually Tuesday because the two men who have tested positive are not going to show up.

Mike Bonin, the target of Martinez’s most offensive remarks, tested positive for the disease after being consoled in the chambers and appearing at the following day’s meeting. Councilmember Paul Krekorian tested positive Monday and was experiencing mild symptoms, his spokesperson said.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2022/10/17/1129596408/la-city-council-gil-cedillo-kevin-de-leon-committee-removal

A Little Latino Caucus of Our Own: Replacing De Leon and Cedillo to the Speaker’s Correspondence

Meeting remotely will prevent a repeat of last week when angry protesters drowned out O’Farrell as he tried to call Wednesday’s meeting to order. He canceled Friday’s meeting, saying the council couldn’t conduct business until the two men resigned.

The agenda for Tuesday includes several items relating to the recording made during a private meeting about the controversial issue of reassigning council districts which can give some power and give some power to minorities who are not necessarily members of the same ethnic group.

Martinez dominated the conversation, using profanity and racist slurs as she aired personal grievances. She referred to Bonin, who is a white and gay person, as a little bitch. A Spanish term meant to compare a young black boy to a small primate.

At the meeting, Ron Herrera, who was the president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor before resigning over the recording, called the group “a little Latino caucus of our own” as they discussed how to undo maps drawn up by a commission to benefit themselves and shore up power.

Some of the conversation focused on the influence of Black councilmembers and their allies, with de Leon referring derisively to Bonin, a white man, as the “fourth Black” on the council who wouldn’t stand with Latinos.

While Latinos make up about half the population, they are underrepresented on the council with only four of the 15 seats at the time. Black people, by contrast, make up about 9% of the population and hold three seats.

In addition to that, the council is expected to discuss a charter reform proposal that would increase representation and decentralize power. An independent commission for redistricting will be discussed. The council has the authority to approve the maps when the members are appointed. Bonin, other council members and Democrats as prominent as President Joe Biden have called on de Leon and Cedillo to resign.

Video of Kevin De Len and a Community Activist Engaging in a Physical Altercation with a Demonstration

De Len said he was sorry for making inappropriate comments regarding a colleague and his family in the context of the meeting.

Both men appeared at the Oct. 11 meeting but walked out after being jeered by raucous protesters who demanded they leave. They haven’t appeared in public since.

Kevin de Len is facing renewed scrutiny after a video surfaced online Friday night showing him engaging in a physical altercation with a community activist during a holiday event.

There is a 35-second video that was posted to online by two local community organizations that appears to depict De Len shoving a man into a table.

“Once we were able to push open a door and try to get out, Reedy launched a pelvic thrust, followed by a headbutt to my forehead,” de León said. “My response, in defense of myself, was to push him off of me.”

Reedy’s attorney, Shakeer Rahman, told CNN earlier on Saturday that his client provided the video to the Los Angeles Police Department and reported an assault following the altercation.

In October, de Len gave a statement to CNN saying he was going to hold himself to a higher standard after falling short of expectations.