Los Angeles City Council President resigns after racist controversy

Los Angeles Council President Nury Martinez has finally tendered her resignation. Martinez, a member of the Democratic Party, resigned following the controversy over her comments and racist insults towards the son of her party colleague and fellow Angeleno Council member Mike Bonin. However, Martinez will keep her post as councilwoman, at least for the time being.

"I'm truly ashamed. “I ask for forgiveness from my colleagues and from the residents of this city that I love so much. In the end, it is not my apologies that matter most; it will be the actions I take from this day forward. I hope that you will give me the opportunity to make amends," Martinez said. As a first gesture, "effective immediately, I am resigning as President of the Los Angeles City Council.”

No apology for insulting Oaxaca's indigenous people

However, as the New York Journal points out, Martinez, who is of Hispanic descent, did not apologize for insulting the indigenous people of Oaxaca. In the recordings, Koreatown is mentioned, and the ex-president refers to the people from that town as "chaparros" and ends by saying "they are so ugly.”

The situation with the former president became untenable as the day progressed. After the audios of her conversation were posted with fellow councilmen Gil de Cedillo and Kevin de León in the Los Angeles Times, the reactions and calls for her to resign from her job continued. The resignation requests also referred to councilmen Cedillo and De León and union member Herrera, who participated in the conversation. At the time of going to press, none had resigned.

"Unsuitable for the position”

In a harsh statement, published on social media, Bonin and his husband, Sean Arian, called for Martinez's immediate resignation. In their statement, they describe the former president as "unfit for public office" after her "horrible racist insults" and "her desire to physically harm" their son.

Complicated situation for the Board after her resignation

With Martinez's resignation, the Los Angeles board is left with a complicated situation. As a race for the position of president is expected to begin, four councilors will leave office before the end of the year. It could even be five, since Mitch O'Farrell is immersed in a tough fight for reelection.

Nury Martinez made history in 2019 by becoming the first Hispanic to become president of the Los Angeles Council.