Letters to the Editor: Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo, why haven’t you resigned?

To the editor: By not resigning, Councilmen Kevin de León’s and Gil Cedillo’s lack of respect for the city of Los Angeles is more than evident. (“Resign already, Councilmembers Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo,” editorial, Oct. 19)

Their behavior since the leaked recording was reported tells us everything we need to know about them as city leaders and as citizens. Doing the right thing just isn’t in their playbooks. Shameful.

Vicki Kipper, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: The Times Editorial Board’s call for Cedillo and De León finally to resign is quite naïve, because as you pointed out, they have a sky-high annual salary of $229,000 (plus about $80,000 in benefits, according to Transparent California).

Resigning now will cost them future income. How much would it take you to sit in the corner wearing a dunce cap until you are voted out?

Kevin H. Park, Westlake Village

..

To the editor: L.A. needs a mechanism for a member of the City Council to call for a vote of confidence among a district’s voters, bypassing the petition gathering for a recall.

Who knows? De León might win the vote. I wouldn’t vote for him, but I’d be happier than if he quit because of an angry mob.

As for Cedillo, just be patient. He already lost reelection and will be gone in fewer than two months.

Russell Stone, Westchester

..

To the editor: A great deal of attention is on the racist words and attitudes of everyone on that recording, but I can’t help but wonder about the motives behind releasing this year-old tape just before the midterm elections, with turnout being so important to the Democrats and to democracy.

I think the intentions were malign — to make undecided voters give up on everyone, and to undermine the candidates supported by L.A. labor unions, just at the moment when unions are showing some strength against Amazon, Starbucks and the like.

Another tragedy is that the brilliant suggestions of L.A. Times letter writers for reform might get lost and may never be addressed — in particular, the one posing that underrepresentation is the root of the problem, that by increasing the number of council members, the choices wouldn’t be such a zero-sum game. That idea seems so logical and so simple.

Margo Kasdan, Seal Beach