Los Angeles Democratic Party Leaders release joint statement calling on the resignation of Los Angeles City Leaders
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CA --
With the release of leaked audio from a conversation between Los Angeles City Councilmembers Nury Martinez, Kevin DeLeon, and Gil Cedillo, Los Angeles County Democratic Party Chair Mark J Gonzalez and Officers Patricia Sanders, Sergio Carrillo, Olivia Lee, Marcella Cortez and Jacob Haik released the following statement:
"For decades, our communities have worked side by side to build a better, more progressive, and welcoming Los Angeles. Through our collective work, we have witnessed and experienced hateful, divisive rhetoric directed towards us, our colleagues and our communities and focused our energy on ensuring that our Party and those we represent know that hate has no place in the work we do on behalf of our 3.1 million Democrats.
The hateful comments aimed at an innocent child, the attempts to divide and destabilize Black and Brown communities for the sake of power, and the slurs hurled at our Asian-Pacific, Indigenous, Armenian and LGBTQ communities were not only appalling, but unbecoming of those who the people have trusted to lead. As we learn and hear more about the conversation that took place between four prominent Los Angeles leaders, we’re cognizant of not only the moment, but what is needed to move the City of Los Angeles forward. As leaders of the largest, local Democratic Party in the nation, we are trusted to stand up for our party’s values and principles of inclusiveness, protecting our communities, and building a better America. Our process sometimes requires us to listen to and vote as a Central Committee on the fate of our elected officials, but we understand the urgency of situation. Today, we’re calling on the resignation of Councilmembers Martinez, deLeon and Cedillo so that Los Angeles can begin not only a healing process, but use this moment to reevaluate and identify appropriate steps to put the power back with the people.
Over the next few months, we plan on working with our leaders, organizations, labor unions, grassroots activists and more to ensure that all voices are heard when coming up with solutions. As President Biden has said, we need to heal the soul of America, and now is the time for us to heal the soul of Los Angeles."
With the release of leaked audio from a conversation between Los Angeles City Councilmembers Nury Martinez, Kevin DeLeon, and Gil Cedillo, Los Angeles County Democratic Party Chair Mark J Gonzalez and Officers Patricia Sanders, Sergio Carrillo, Olivia Lee, Marcella Cortez and Jacob Haik released the following statement:
"For decades, our communities have worked side by side to build a better, more progressive, and welcoming Los Angeles. Through our collective work, we have witnessed and experienced hateful, divisive rhetoric directed towards us, our colleagues and our communities and focused our energy on ensuring that our Party and those we represent know that hate has no place in the work we do on behalf of our 3.1 million Democrats.
The hateful comments aimed at an innocent child, the attempts to divide and destabilize Black and Brown communities for the sake of power, and the slurs hurled at our Asian-Pacific, Indigenous, Armenian and LGBTQ communities were not only appalling, but unbecoming of those who the people have trusted to lead. As we learn and hear more about the conversation that took place between four prominent Los Angeles leaders, we’re cognizant of not only the moment, but what is needed to move the City of Los Angeles forward. As leaders of the largest, local Democratic Party in the nation, we are trusted to stand up for our party’s values and principles of inclusiveness, protecting our communities, and building a better America. Our process sometimes requires us to listen to and vote as a Central Committee on the fate of our elected officials, but we understand the urgency of situation. Today, we’re calling on the resignation of Councilmembers Martinez, deLeon and Cedillo so that Los Angeles can begin not only a healing process, but use this moment to reevaluate and identify appropriate steps to put the power back with the people.
Over the next few months, we plan on working with our leaders, organizations, labor unions, grassroots activists and more to ensure that all voices are heard when coming up with solutions. As President Biden has said, we need to heal the soul of America, and now is the time for us to heal the soul of Los Angeles."
