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Tag: Los Angeles City Council

  • Los Angeles Council Member Concerned In Struggle With Activist

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles Town Council member embroiled in a scandal over racist remarks and an activist fought at a Friday evening vacation match.

    The activist and Kevin de León were given into an altercation at a toy giveaway and vacation tree lights at Lincoln Park, the Los Angeles Occasions reported.

    Previous on Friday, de León attended his first Town Council assembly in just about two months following a scandal that erupted after a recording surfaced in October of former council President Nury Martinez, outgoing Councilman Gil Cedillo, de León and a exertions union chief taking part in a closed-door assembly by which racist language was once used to mock colleagues whilst the contributors schemed to give protection to Latino political power in council districts.

    Martinez resigned. Cedillo misplaced a June election and his final day in workplace is Monday. De León has apologized and mentioned he has no plans to surrender.

    De León mentioned in a observation to the newspaper that he was once assaulted Friday evening, whilst activists mentioned the council member was once the aggressor.

    The Occasions reported two native activist organizations, RootsAction and J-TOWN Motion and Unity, posted a video on Twitter appearing a portion of the incident between De León and a person recognized as Jason Reedy, a Folks’s Town Council organizer.

    De León’s workplace mentioned Reedy and different activists had been at fault. De León spokesperson Pete Brown mentioned the council member was once head-butted by way of Reedy, a member of his personnel was once elbowed within the face and a volunteer was once punched within the arm, the Occasions reported.

    De León’s observation to the Occasions mentioned they had been “violently and bodily assaulted by way of self-proclaimed activists at a group vacation match to the dismay of a large number of households and youngsters who had been there to have fun a Christmas tree lights and to obtain toys and meals.”

    “The escalating rhetoric is hitting a fever pitch, transcending from verbal threats into precise acts of violence and will have to finish sooner than extra critical hurt or lack of existence happens,” the observation mentioned. “Violence isn’t loose speech and has no position in politics or democracy.”

    Shakeer Rahman, an lawyer representing Reedy, known as de León “a shame” in a observation to the Occasions Friday evening.

    “Video pictures obviously displays him and his supporters beginning this attack whilst Mr. Reedy stands susceptible,” Rahman mentioned. “Now not simplest has Kevin de León misplaced all political legitimacy, his claims that he was once the only attacked right here merely underscores how he’s misplaced contact with fact.”

  • Los Angeles Council Censures Participants Amid Racism Scandal

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Town Council officially rebuked two participants and its former president Wednesday for his or her involvement in a racism scandal that has ended in days of protests, police and state investigations and shaken public religion in Town Corridor.

    The 12-0 vote to censure former Council President Nury Martinez and Councilmen Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León represented the most powerful step the council can take to publicly reprimand them for his or her participation in a secretly recorded 2021 assembly laced with crude, bigoted feedback wherein the Latino Democrats schemed to give protection to their political clout within the redrawing of council districts on the expense of Blacks and renters.

    The Council can’t expel participants — it will probably simplest droop a member when felony fees are pending.

    Councilman Paul Koretz stated he remained in surprise from being attentive to the offensive remarks that he stated had seriously broken believe in executive. Adore it or no longer, he lamented that the recording mirrored on all of the council.

    “It’s going to take us years to rebuild this believe,” Koretz stated prior to the vote.

    Councilman Curren Worth referred to as the censure a “an important step in a protracted street to therapeutic” and the most harsh measure the council may take, missing the power to expel participants.

    Martinez resigned in a while after the discharge of the tape previous this month, at the side of an impressive exertions chief, Ron Herrera, who additionally attended the assembly.

    Then again, Cedillo and de León have resisted in style calls to step down, together with from President Joe Biden and feature turn into political pariahs amongst their colleagues.

    Someone concerned within the assembly “does no longer belong in elected place of job,” Koretz stated.

    Previous, the council assembly was once referred to as into recess to permit police to transparent chanting protesters. A small however noisy workforce crowded into the primary aisle of an in a different way most commonly empty chamber, banged water bottles on a lectern, whooped and shouted in what gave the impression to be an effort to close down the assembly. They unrolled a big signal calling the council “illegitimate.”

    “Justice now!” they bellowed. “Close down!”

    That ended in a standoff wherein about 20 protesters persisted shouting, as cops watched over the gang. In the end the room was once cleared.

    Council President Paul Krekorian warned the protesters they wouldn’t deter the council’s trade. “We will be able to proceed to do the paintings of the folks of Los Angeles,” he stated.

    It’s no longer identified who made the tape, or why, which was once launched at the website online Reddit simply weeks prior to the November midterm elections.

    At some point of the hour-long assembly, additionally they made offensive remarks about immigrants from the Mexican state of Oaxaca, Jews, Armenians and different teams.

    Two investigations are underway stemming from the discharge of the tape.

    The Los Angeles Police Division is investigating whether or not the recording was once made illegally — below California legislation, all events will have to consent to the recording of a personal dialog or telephone name.

    One after the other, the state is investigating how the council districts had been drawn and whether or not the method was once rigged. Legal professional Common Rob Bonta, a Democrat, has stated his investigation may result in civil legal responsibility or felony fees, relying on what is located.

    The council seems headed into a protracted length of turmoil.

    Cedillo and de León have no longer attended contemporary council conferences.

    Cedillo, whose time period leads to December, has been out of public view. De León has two years left in his time period and has gave the impression in a string of media interviews apologizing and announcing he needs to proceed his paintings at the council.

    In an interview Tuesday with talk-show host Tavis Smiley on KBLA radio, de León reiterated that he was once no longer resigning. “I’m no longer the individual the parents had been portray me to be,” stated de León, who up to now has apologized.

    Krekorian, the president, and different council participants have stated Cedillo and de León will have to surrender.

    “There is not any reasonable risk that you’ll be able to successfully proceed to serve,” Krekorian just lately instructed de León in a letter. “On a daily basis you stay interferes with the council’s talent to serve as, delays the town’s therapeutic procedure, hurts your constituents and decreases your likelihood of redeeming your self.”