Kevin de León, who defiantly held onto his Los Angeles City Council seat despite persistent calls for his resignation following his participation in a racially charged recorded conversation that led to former Council President Nury Martinez’s resignation, said Wednesday he plans to seek reelection in 2024.
He made the announcement in an interview with Politico, expressing confidence in his continued support from his constituency.
“When many of my friends and allies turned away from me, my constituents stood by my side,” De León told Politico. “I gained a deeper understanding of the relationship I have with my community, and that drives my motivation. That’s why I’m still here, and that’s why I’m running again.”
Two prominent local politicians, Assembly members Wendy Carrillo and Miguel Santiago, have already announced their bids for the seat.
“Enough is enough. People are hurting. Kevin de León’s involvement in the racist tapes scandal was so extreme that both local constituents and President (Joe) Biden demanded his resignation,” Santiago said in a statement on Wednesday. “Council member de León should not be announcing his re-election today; he should be announcing his resignation.”
Santiago also accused de León of failing his district, pointing to the rise in homelessness and evictions in the 14th District and criticizing the abysmal state of city services.
In an interview with City News Service in June, Carrillo stated that she is running for the council seat partly due to “the circumstances and situation around the leaked audio recordings.”
She mentioned that CD 14 has had two council members with recent reputational issues, referring to the corruption scandal involving Jose Huizar, the former council representative of the 14th District.
“CD 14 is not actively involved in finding those solutions. CD 14 is also at the center of our homelessness crisis in the country,” Carrillo added.
The leak of the audio recording almost one year ago exposed discussions between Martinez, de León, then-Councilman Gil Cedillo, and L.A. County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera on how to protect their districts and elect more Latinos to the council.
They expressed frustration with proposed maps from the city’s redistricting commission and discussed creating favorable districts for themselves at the expense of their colleagues.
Since then, Martinez resigned, Cedillo lost his bid for reelection, and Herrera resigned from his position.
De León previously stated that the conversation was “wholly inappropriate, and I regret appearing to condone and even contribute to certain insensitive comments made about a colleague and his family in private.”
The leaked audio received intense criticism and led to weeks of protests at City Hall. Residents of Los Angeles called for de León’s resignation, including numerous elected officials.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated at a briefing on October 11, two days after the recording surfaced, that President Joe Biden was “glad to see one of the participants in that conversation has resigned, but they all should.”
“The language that was used and tolerated during that conversation was unacceptable,” Jean-Pierre said. “It was appalling. They should all step down.”
Despite continued calls for his resignation, de León has remained in office but has faced consequences such as the removal of major committee assignments and alienation from council colleagues.
An attempt to recall de León failed in April due to a lack of sufficient signatures to qualify for the ballot.
“Through thick and thin, our community remains focused on important challenges like homelessness, supporting local businesses, and protecting working families,” de León commented on the unsuccessful recall attempt.
Despite losing his committee assignments, de León has continued to lead presentations honoring key figures or cultural events and has passed motions with the help of a few colleagues.
The 14th District includes Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, downtown LA, El Sereno, and parts of Northeast LA.
The primary election for the seat will take place in March. If no candidate receives at least 50% of the vote, a runoff will be held in November.
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
