LOS ANGELES — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday said L.A. City Councilmembers Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo should follow Nury Martinez in resigning from their positions, two weeks after a leaked audio recording of the three participating in a racist closed-door conversation about council colleagues and the city’s political redistricting process was made public.
Newsom initially said it was “the right move” when Martinez resigned from the council on Oct. 12, after she had already stepped down as council president. But until Sunday, the governor hadn’t publicly commented on whether the remaining two members should follow suit.
“I think they should,” Newsom told reporters after he participated in a KQED election debate against Republican opponent Brian Dahle in San Francisco. Newsom said he had wanted to give the members “space” to make the decision to resign.
