In the midst of continuous protests inside and outside the LA Council, which was once a pride for the Latino community, she announces her retirement through the back door

Nury Martínez announced her resignation as Los Angeles City Council member amid a series of protests from the community, including calls from the White House and a large number of members of the political class asking her to step aside. as a councillor.

Martínez was one of the officials who at one point sounded like a candidate for mayor and even made history, by becoming the first Latino woman to be the president of the Los Angeles Council. Until yesterday, the official was a councilor for District 6, an area with a high concentration of Latino residents that includes cities such as Van Nuys and Panorama City.

In her statement, the now former councilwoman avoided mentioning the conversation that caused her departure and limited herself to listing the aspects in which she was successful during her time on the Council.

Martinez also addressed her work staff, her family, colleagues and city employees. She told her constituents that it has been a privilege and she is not abandoning them lightly.

“You are my neighbors, my friends and the reason for this service. Throughout these 9 years, we have been able to work together to repair our parks, our streets, our sidewalks, and improve the overall quality of life in our neighborhoods,” she stated.

“I hope they stay engaged and continue to fight for their fair share of the city’s resources. It’s hard to say goodbye, but know that I was in this fight for you.”

She ended by saying that her deceased father is her “inspiration” and she hopes to have inspired Latina girls to dream beyond what they can see.

“As I take the time to recap and reflect, I ask that you give me space and privacy,” she said.

While early Wednesday in the Los Angeles City Council there were protests from the same community, calling for the resignation of councilmembers, including Martinez’s, a few miles east of the city at the office of Councilman Kevin de León, the SEIU union (United Service Workers West (USWW), a lifelong supporter of the councilman, also called for his immediate departure.

The members of the SEIU-USWW, who are mostly African-American, indigenous and Latino, assured that these officials are not fit to lead and told her clearly that she was no longer appreciated by her union.

Ana Castro, a cleaning worker, said she remembers De León from when she was in the California assembly.

“He came to my house to ask for support, I have known Kevin [De León] for 22 or 24 years,” Castro acknowledged.

Union members said that in the years they have known De León, she has had an impeccable record, which is why they had his support. Everyone admired him because she said she was proud of his mother who, like many of them, worked for many years in cleaning.

“It’s the first time I’ve heard this from him and that’s why it’s very frustrating,” Castro said. “Because, just as we have put it, we can remove it.”

María Estrada, a 21-year union member, said they had a very good impression of De León as a leader who supported the cleaning workers.

“As a wife, daughter-in-law and mother of Oaxacans who speak the dialect, it is sad to see that Kevin did not have the empathy to stop those racist comments.”

The worker said that apparently De León forgot about the struggle that his mother made to get him ahead as a cleaning worker and the representation that she should have before the community that she represents.

Alma Martínez said that it hurts her, but she is supporting the union in demanding the resignation of the three politicians who, according to her, do not deserve to be in those positions because they are racist.

“We have walked through all those politicians and now that they come to speak negatively about the people, it hurts. We usually work at night and wake up to walk through them,” said Martínez.

She should have stopped the conversation

The SEIU-USWW union said De León is as complicit as the other participants in the meeting because he did nothing to stop the conversation from turning disrespectful and demeaning.

David Huerta, president of the SEIU-USWW, said that a politician must have the trust of the people and must maintain a high standard in the public eye.

Huerta explained that to begin with that was an illegal meeting where the issue of how the city’s districts would be better divided was touched upon.

“The topic and the words they used are violations that people do not have to wait for a hearing or an explanation because they are already hearing what was spoken and because they met,” Huerta said. “We understand that it was possibly not with that intention, but the action speaks.”

David Huerta did not want to confirm whether or not he had already spoken with De León, with whom he had a very good relationship, but he did say that it hurts him that this situation has happened, which confirms the problems that exist in the city.

“Now we are judging entire communities for one’s actions and that is why it has cost us a lot, it hurts, but for the well-being of the city we are demanding that they take responsibility.”

Huerta added that he cannot verify if this is a political move, but the councilors agreed to participate in that game.

“If someone is talking badly, you have a responsibility to act,” Huerta said. “When you listen to those comments and do nothing, you are just as guilty, just like the people who are speaking those bad words.”

On Wednesday, the protests continued inside Los Angeles City Hall where other disaffected protesters again filled the meeting room and said they will not stop until the guilty council members resign from their positions.

Inside the courtroom they continued to shout “No resignations, no meeting.” Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, acting president of the city council, assured them that Martínez, De León and Cedillo were not present.

Because there were not enough council members present to fill the quorum, the town hall meeting was postponed to Friday.

La Opinion tried to get a comment from Councilman De León, but at press time there was no response.

Rob Bonta, Attorney General of California, said yesterday that his office will investigate the process of distributing districts in the city of Los Angeles because the protests that are taking place today calling for the resignation of Councilmen De León, Cedillo and Martínez, are made during a meeting where said distribution was discussed.

The scandal began with leaked audio of an October 2021 conversation between Martinez, De Leon, Councilman Gil Cedillo and then-Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera about the city’s redistricting. .

There you can hear the four Latinos laughing and making racist and demeaning comments about the black, immigrant, indigenous and LGBTQ+ community.

On Monday, Herrera resigned from his post as president of the Labor Federation. At the close of this edition, councilors De León and Cedillo had not yet touched on the subject of resignation.

Categorized in: