Councilmembers Nury Martinez, Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo exposed corrupt racial politics.
But as the leaked recordings show, City Hall isn’t listening.Angelenos of all races and backgrounds have marched at one another’s protests, shouting “Black Lives Matter!” or “Stop AAPI hate!” or “Protect essential workers!”L.A. council members made racist comments in leaked audio. Read our full coverage
They — De León, Cedillo and since-resigned Council President Nury Martinez and L.A. County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera — mocked protestors, journalists and activists but seemed to show empathy for politicians facing scandals and investigations. They bragged cozily about their connections in the U.S. attorney’s office and recast their narrow political setbacks as an insult to Latinos everywhere.
Starting in the 1980s, Asian American and Latino voters in cities across the San Gabriel Valley banded together to break the grip of white political majorities, a collaboration that helped Rep. Judy Chu win her seat.In the furor over the racist leaked audio, calls are growing for the city to throw out the boundary lines drawn last year for the council’s 15 districts.
He is no stranger to cutthroat Los Angeles politics, but even he was bothered by the racial cynicism on display in the recordings. Honest, grass-roots civic activism on behalf of Asian Americans is hardly ever rewarded in City Hall, Woo said. But even communities that don’t have numbers or political clout deserve to have their needs addressed.
The political future of Los Angeles and the rest of this country will rest on our ability to form coalitions and create a new kind of majority that is built on more solid ground than the politics of racial succession.For decades, L.A. Black and Latino political leaders formed vital alliances. But these partnership now face unprecedented challenges.
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