Nury Martinez resigns from Los Angeles City Council following release of secret recording


Nury Martinez, the former Los Angeles City Council president, resigned her seat on Wednesday, following outrage over a leaked recording of her making racist remarks.
"It is with a broken heart that I resign my seat for Council District 6, the community I grew up in and my home," Martinez said in a statement. "When I ran in 2013, I wanted to see a change in my community and fight for my neighbors. That is what it has been about all along." She called on her constituents to "stay engaged and continue to fight for your fair share of the city's resources," adding, "To all little Latina girls across this city, I hope I've inspired you to dream beyond that which you can see. While I take some time to look inwards and reflect, I ask that you give me space and privacy."
On Sunday, the Los Angeles Times reported on an audio recording of a conversation between Martinez, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, and council members Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo. The meeting took place in October 2021, and the secret recording was posted on Reddit this month. In the audio, Martinez is heard calling white council member Mike Bonin a "little b---h" and saying his young son, who is Black, "parece changuito," or appears "like a monkey," adding that he misbehaved and needed "a beatdown," the Times reports. She also implied that Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón should not be supported because he's "with the Blacks," and called Oaxacans "little short dark people" and "ugly."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The audio was met with outrage and calls for the three council members to resign; before she gave up her seat on Wednesday, Martinez stepped down as council president.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Marisa Silver’s 6 favorite books that capture a lifetime
Feature The author recommends works by John Williams, Ian McEwan, and more
-
Book reviews: ‘We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution’ and ‘Will There Ever Be Another You’
Feature The many attempts to amend the U.S. Constitution and Patricia Lockwood’s struggle with long Covid
-
Philadelphia’s Calder Gardens
Feature A permanent new museum
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to Chicago
Speed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies