LOS ANGELES — President Joe Biden on Tuesday joined the chorus of leaders calling on Los Angeles City Councilmembers Nury Martinez, Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León to resign, with his press secretary telling reporters in the White House briefing room that the language in the leaked recording was "unacceptable" and "appalling."
It is rare for the president to weigh in on council proceedings at the city level. But the White House statement — which came a day after the local Democratic establishment made near-unanimous calls for the councilmembers to step down — demonstrated the astonishing reach of the City Hall scandal.
The first City Council meeting since the leak was held Tuesday, shortly after Martinez announced that she was taking a leave of absence from the legislative body. She remains on the council but did not appear at Tuesday's meeting, though both Cedillo and De León briefly took their seats in council chambers before leaving.
