A leaked recording of crude, racist comments that resulted in the president of the Los Angeles City Council resigning from the post also provided an unvarnished look into City Hall’s racial rivalries and the sometimes-hidden fight to seize and hold political power in a changing city.
Former Council president Nury Martinez, a Democrat, stepped down from the job and apologized Monday, saying she was ashamed of her racially offensive language in the year-old recording. Her remarks, which included mocking the Black son of a white councilman, came during a discussion with other Latino Council members and a Latino labor leader about protecting their political power during the redrawing of council district boundaries, known as redistricting. The once-a-decade process can pit one group against another to gain political advantage in future elections.
