"I failed:" Kevin de León tells CBS2 he is refusing to resign from LA City Council - CBS Los Angeles

Councilmember Kevin de León told Tom Wait contiguous successful an exclusive interrogation that helium is refusing to resign from LA City Council, but alternatively hopes to enactment towards repairing relationships that person been damaged successful caller weeks. 

"I person to bash the hard work. I person to repair. I person to assistance heal. I person to assistance restore," the councilman said.

CBSLA

Despite rampant calls for resignation successful the astir 2 weeks since the leaked audio, de León does not travel the steps of Councilmember Nury Martinez who resigned past Wednesday afternoon.

De León said helium refused to resign truthful helium tin guarantee that his constituents successful District 14 proceed to beryllium represented connected City Council.

"It's astir City District 14," helium said. "A territory that's been underrepresented and has gone done overmuch trouble successful the past without governmental representation... They bash merit governmental representation."

The leaked audio recorded de León, Martinez and Councilmember Gil Cedillo arsenic good arsenic L.A. County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera. The racist comments were made during an October 2021 speech astir the redistricting process. During the hour-long conversation, the radical discussed the redistricting process portion besides making racist comments astir residents and Councilmember Mike Bonin's Black 2-year-old son.

"I failed successful my leadership," helium said. "I didn't measurement up and intervene. I didn't enactment a halt to it."

In the discussion, Martinez referred to Bonin's lad arsenic a "little monkey" successful Spanish portion de León compared the 2-year-old kid to 1 of Martinez's handbags. He aboriginal said helium was "shocked" by Martinez's comments and said his "joke" was directed toward Martinez's "penchant for having luxury goods." Nonetheless, helium apologized for his comments.

"I shouldn't person made that flippant remark," helium said.

De León claims to person apologized "profusely" to Bonin and his household implicit voicemail erstwhile helium didn't reply his telephone telephone successful the aftermath of the audio leak. He besides said that helium had planned to publically apologize astatine the archetypal City Council gathering since the leak past Tuesday, but was incapable to bash so.

"I'm sorry. I'm atrocious to my constituents," helium said. "I'm atrocious to my colleagues. I'm atrocious to the household of Mike Bonin — to my family, to each those who person supported me."

CBSLA

Herrera was the first of the clump to resign, doing truthful a time aft the audio was released. 

De León and Cedillo some person yet to measurement down, contempt passionate protests calling for their resignation. Senior politicians specified arsenic President Joe Biden, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayor Eric Garcetti person denounced the trio and joined the public's calls for their resignation.

"I judge my work for a batch of that symptom that exists today," de León said Wednesday, noting that he's reached retired to assorted metropolis leaders and organizations to person "hard conversations" with astir his engagement successful the incident.

"It's not going to beryllium easy," helium said. "It's gonna beryllium hard, arsenic it should be. I cognize it's going to beryllium hard. That's wherefore I don't I'm not going to mince words oregon I'm not going to deflect blame."

He besides said helium hasn't had a accidental to talk to Martinez, Cedillo oregon Herrera since the audio leak.

Councilman Bonin issued a connection via Twitter moments aft the interrogation archetypal aired. 

"He cannot beryllium portion of the healing arsenic agelong arsenic helium refuses to resign," the tweet said. "His stubborn refusal to bash what everyone other knows is indispensable is deepening the coiled helium has inflicted connected Los Angeles."

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• LA City Council