Los Angeles politicians to lose committee positions

The head of the Los Angeles City Council turned up the heat Monday on two members to resign for participating in a private meeting in which they did not object to a colleague's crude and racist remarks and at times joined in the banter.

Acting Council President Mitch O'Farrell stripped Gil Cedillo and Kevin de Leon of committee chairmanships and assignments and named them instead to a board that rarely meets as pressure mounted on the veteran Democratic politicians to leave office.

"These members have lost all credibility, all standing," O'Farrell said at a City Hall news conference.

The two men have refused calls to step down despite widespread condemnation that led former council President Nury Martinez to resign last week.

The leaked recording of the three powerful politicians discussing with a labor leader how to maintain their grip on power and expand Latino influence in the city has plunged the council into chaos as angry protesters shut down meetings last week.

The council has moved to censure Cedillo and de Leon but doesn't have the power to remove fellow elected officials from office unless they've been charged with a crime.

O'Farrell said the only path forward is through their resignation or a recall election in the case of de Leon, whose term ends in 2024. Cedillo lost his seat in the primary and will be replaced in December.

By stripping them of most committee assignments, O'Farrell further weakened their influence in City Hall. Both had been on several high-profile committees, with Cedillo chairing the Housing Committee and De Leon chairing the Homelessness and Poverty Committee.

Under city rules, each council member has to be assigned to one committee, so each man will now serve on the Board of Referred Powers, a rarely used body that takes over when other boards have a conflict of interest.

O'Farrell said the two men should not show up at Tuesday's meeting, which will be held virtually Tuesday because two members have tested positive for COVID-19 since the Oct. 11 meeting.

Image: AP