Two members of the Los Angeles City Council and a union leader released apology statements Sunday after a report published by the Los Angeles Times included transcribed leaked audio of offensive and racist remarks that were made during a private meeting. A third council member claimed to have no recollection of the conversation.
In the leaked audio, which was summarized by the Times but was originally posted to Reddit and remains readily available on social media, Council President Nury Martinez (D) can be heard making derisive and racist comments about the child of Mike Bonin, the council member representing the 11th District.
Bonin, who is white, has an adopted son who is Black. In the leaked audio, Martinez can be heard describing Bonin’s son as “ese changuito,” or that little monkey, according to the Times. At one point, Martinez also refers to Bonin as a “little bitch.”