An EPIC Week for the Los Angeles City Council

CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Los Angeles saw the most intense political implosion in decades last week after an anonymous source released a secretly-taped recording of LA City Councilmembers Nury Martinez, Gil Cedillo and Kevin de Leon, and Ron Herrerra of the Los Angeles County Labor Federation, disparaging colleagues, making racist remarks and discussing strategies to reduce the political clout of Los Angeles’ Black community. One week later, Herrerra and Martinez have resigned, and Cedillo and de Leon are facing widespread calls to step down, a chorus that includes President Joe Biden. If the language on the bombshell recording was a surprise – the underlying issues are not. Los Angeles’ multi-ethnic tapestry has been fraying for years as demographics change and different communities jockey for power.

We are joined today by Erika Smith, columnist for the Los Angeles Times. The topic of the week falls squarely into her beat: the diversity of California people and places. She gave us an update on the situation and tells us what it might mean for the future of LA.

:30 Where is the situation now?

3:35 The investigations

5:50 “The subtext of this whole thing is redistricting”

7:58 The racial tensions in LA

11:48 What next for KDL and Cedillo?

15:15 The recording itself

18:26 Who is Ron Herrerra?

20:56 Who replaces him?

22:19 How does this effect the next election?

25:14 #WWCA