LOS ANGELES — A united Los Angeles City Council chose a veteran member Tuesday to replace the president who resigned over a leaked recording that ignited racial divisions and exposed backroom political maneuvering.
In a unanimous vote that followed no debate and more than three hours of irate public comment, the council chose as its new president Paul Krekorian, a former Democratic state assemblymember from the San Fernando Valley.
Krekorian pledged more transparency and cooperation as the council tries to get back to the business of running America’s second-largest city. He is now tasked with steering a body rocked by scandal that has squandered public trust. He’ll be expected to oversee a slate of reforms to the way city government operates, including a possible overhaul of the redistricting process, while working with the incoming mayor, who will be elected next month.
“Needless to say this is one of the most challenging times our city has ever had to face,” Krekorian said following the vote.
Former President Nury Martinez resigned last week after the disclosure of the tape that captured her making racist and disparaging remarks in a conversation with two other members, Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo, and a union official.
De León and Cedillo — who have refused widespread calls to resign, including from President Joe Biden — did not attend the meeting, which was held virtually because Council member Mike Bonin tested positive for Covid-19.
Acting Council President Mitch O’Farrell, wearing a mask, presided over the meeting from a mostly-empty chamber while the rest of the council participated via video link.
During public comment, dozens of callers, some using expletives, implored the council to halt the meeting until Cedillo and de Léon resign. Multiple people called specifically on members Bonin, Marcqueece Harris-Dawson and Nithya Raman to leave the meeting and stop the process of choosing a new president.
Outside City Hall, crowds of protesters gathered to denounce the Council. Police in riot gear blocked some people trying to force their way inside.
Martinez resigned last week following public outcry over the release of audio that captured her, de León, Cedillo and a labor leader engaged in a conversation that included racist and homophobic comments — many targeting council colleagues — and planning for how the members could influence the redistricting process.
Two City Council members, Harris-Dawson and Bonin, refused to attend meetings last week in protest of de León and Cedillo but were in attendance Tuesday, giving the council its minimum 10-member quorum.
Krekorian, in his acceptance speech, committed to holding council meetings whether or not those two members resign.
“I just need to reiterate that we just can’t allow two members who are in a position now of having dishonored their offices, to — by their decision, or lack of decision — hold the business of the city hostage,” Krekorian said.
Council member Curren Price, who told POLITICO last week he was vying for the president role, was not present Tuesday. His office shared a statement hours into the meeting, saying Price didn’t want to sanction a meeting where public comment was limited.
“I made a conscious decision to not attend this morning’s Council meeting because as a City leader, I could not support a virtual hearing that silenced the public outcry and shut out Angelenos who continue to reel from this breach of trust,” Price said in a prepared statement.
Council member Monica Rodriguez started the meeting by calling for the president vote to be postponed for a week, arguing that the decision should be made when the council is able to hold in-person proceedings.
That motion did not receive a vote. Rodriguez, who had publicly indicated her support for Price, left the meeting shortly after her motion. A spokesperson for her office said Rodriguez went to see her mother, who had been hospitalized.
“Unfortunately, after initially joining today’s Council meeting, the Councilwoman had to abruptly leave because of a family emergency,” spokesperson Walter Garcia said in a statement.
The meeting marked the council’s first tangible step since the contents of the recording were made public on Oct. 9. Now, as Cedillo and de León continue to hold out against calls to resign, the other members will have to carefully navigate the path forward — which could include sweeping changes to city government.
In the leaked audio, members could be heard discussing ways to manipulate the city’s districts to benefit themselves and allies, which has prompted widespread calls for the city to adopt an independent redistricting committee. Many Angelenos, including mayoral candidates Rep. Karen Bass and Rick Caruso, say an independent commission is critical to preventing further corruption. The comments made in the recording even prompted California Attorney General Rob Bonta to launch an investigation into Los Angeles’ redistricting process.
Changes could come sooner than later. Council members Tuesday passed a measure, carried by members Raman and Krekorian, that would direct the body’s legislative analyst to come up with possible ballot measures for voters within the next couple of months. O’Farrell told POLITICO last week that he’d like to see the city redraw the districts before 2024.
Some members have also suggested the council should be expanded from 15 to 30 seats, to better represent the city’s four million residents.
The post LA City Council unites around a new president after leaked tape exposed bitter divisions appeared first on Politico.
