LA City Council Members Apologize For Making Racist Slurs Against Colleague's Black Son

Two Los Angeles city council members have come under the scanner after they were heard making racist comments about a colleague's Black son in a leaked audio recording.

Council President Nury Martinez and Councilman Kevin De León, both of Latin descent, went on a racist tirade against their white colleague Mike Bonin and his young Black son during a conversation in October 2021. The audio recording was leaked on Reddit on Sunday.

The conversation also involved Councilman Gil Cedillo and LA County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, reported NBC Los Angeles.

It wasn't immediately clear who recorded the conversation, which was first reported by Los Angeles Times.

During the conversation, Martinez lambasted Bonin for his parenting style. "They're raising him like a little white kid,'' Martinez said, referring to Bonin and his spouse Sean Arian.

She criticized Bonin's son's behavior at a Martin Luther King Day Parade when she, along with another woman, had to step in to "parent this kid" after he tried to topple a float.

"I was like, 'this kid needs a beatdown. Let me take him around the corner and then I'll bring him back,'" she said.

She further called the kid "ese changuito" which translates to "that little monkey".

De León also criticized the way Bonin handled his son at the parade. He said Bonin was holding his son the way "when Nury brings her little yard bag or the Louis Vuitton bag."

Bonin and Arian released a joint statement regarding the comments on Twitter.

"We are appalled, angry and absolutely disgusted that Nury Martinez attacked our son with horrific racist slurs, and talked about her desire to physically harm him. It's vile, abhorrent, and utterly disgraceful. The City Council needs to remove her as Council President immediately, and she needs to resign from office. Any parent reding her comments will know she is unfit for public office," Bonin tweeted.

Arian retweeted the statement, adding, "The first thing I learned as a political spouse is not to respond. But I cannot stay silent when someone attacks my beautiful child. And none of us should be silent in the face of such disgusting anti-Black racism."

After the audio was leaked online, council members Paul Koretz and Nithya Raman, council member-elect Eunisses Hernandez, several members contesting the upcoming Nov. 8 midterm elections and community leaders called for Martinez's resignation.

"This entire situation shows that city hall is fundamentally broken and dysfunctional," Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso said in a statement.

Martinez had also reportedly slammed LA County District Attorney George Gascon, saying, "F--k that guy. He's with the Blacks."

Gascon responded with a tweet Sunday afternoon: "I am saddened & disappointed by the racist comments made in the conversation between various LA City Councilmembers. I share the outrage of Councilmember Bonin as well as all members of the African American community. Anti-Blackness has no place in Los Angeles."

Martinez and De León apologized after the audio was leaked Sunday.

"On that day, I fell short of the expectations we set for our leaders -- and I will hold myself to a higher standard," De León told NBC4.

"The context of this conversation was concern over the redistricting process and concern about the potential negative impact it might have on communities of color. My work speaks for itself. I've worked hard to lead this city through its most difficult time," Martinez told the publication.