Controversial L.A. City Council Member Kevin De León, Caught On Racially-Charged Recording, To Seek Reelection

deadline.com:

Kevin de León, who defiantly held onto his Los Angeles City Council seat despite persistent calls for his resignation – including one from President Joe Biden – following his participation in a racially charged recorded conversation that led to former Council President Nury Martinez’s resignation, said today he plans to seek reelection in 2024.

In the recording, the reporting of which won the L.A. Times a Pulitzer Prize, Martinez used the Spanish term for “monkey” to refer to then-fellow councilmember Mike Bonin’s son, while de León appeared to agree with her comment that the child was used as a fashion accessory like Martinez’s designer handbag.

De León later called that remark “flippant.” De León made his reelection announcement in an interview with Politico, saying he is confident he still has support among constituents in his district, which includes most of Downtown L.A., Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, El Sereno, Eagle Rock and parts of Northeast L.A. “When a lot of people that I called my friends and allies turned away from me, my constituents had my back,” de León told Politico. “I understood in a deeper way the relationship that I had with my community and how that motivates and drives me.

That’s why I’m still here. And that’s why I’m running.” In October 2022, activists shut down a City Council meeting over the racially-charged conversation among the three members.