Listen to audio of L.A. council members making racist, crude remarks

In this surreptitiously recorded conversation from October 2021, Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez — while speaking with Councilmembers Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo as well as Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera — made racist remarks and insults about various elected officials.

Martinez focused in particular on Councilmember Mike Bonin, who is white, and Bonin’s young son, who is Black. At one point, Martinez called Bonin a “little bitch” and referred to his son as “Parece changuito,” or “like a monkey.” She also said Bonin’s son had misbehaved on a parade float and needed a “beatdown.” But that is just one aspect of the leak, which has sent shockwaves through City Hall and led to widespread disgust and outrage.

The conversation focused heavily on the councilmembers’ frustration with maps that had been proposed by the city’s 21-member redistricting commission.

It remained private for nearly a year, until a leaked recording in recent days, just a month before a pivotal city election. It was posted on Reddit by a now-suspended user. It is unclear who recorded the audio, who uploaded it to Reddit and whether anyone else was present.