Los Angeles reels from racist recording

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THE BUZZ: From the moment the tape emerged, it was clear it would register among the most infamous moments in Los Angeles politics.

We often wonder what happens in the room where it happens, when the absence of cameras or constituents or reporters allows those in power to speak freely. The answer, revealed in a recording posted to Reddit this weekend, was shocking: The Los Angeles City Council president, two colleagues and an influential labor leader making racist comments about another council member’s child, disparaging colleagues and discussing how to use redistricting to shape political clout.

The fallout was immediate and swiftly escalated. Within 24 hours, City Council President Nury Martinez had stepped down as the body’s leader. A rising chorus of labor leaders and elected officials wanted more: L.A. council members, Mayor Eric Garcetti, both mayoral candidates, state lawmakers, statewide officials, the Los Angeles and state Democratic Parties, LA Congress members, and LA-rooted Martinez ally Sen. Alex Padilla and others urged Martinez, Councilmembers Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera to relinquish power altogether (Cedillo is on his way out after a primary upset; Martinez and de León are not up for re-election this year; Herrera resigned in a Monday night meeting with the federation’s executive board.)

The overt racism on the tape drew the loudest condemnations, as you would expect after hearing an elected official mock and caricature a small child as a “parece changuito” (like a monkey) who deserves a “beatdown” and is used like an “accessory.” But the recording also illuminated, in the starkest way, how control of political representation is wielded like a blunt instrument to reward allies, punish foes and preserve or expand power.

The officials talk about how to distribute economic “assets” to “Latino districts.” They mused about drawing a colleague’s district to dilute the power of renters and thus undercut the incumbent — putting her district “in a blender.” Herrera emphasizes the need to “massage to create districts that benefit you all.”

The conversation also veered into ethnic fractures, underscoring some ugly realities in a city whose overwhelmingly Democratic government encompasses a multitude of subgroups. Martinez and de León talk about how District Attorney George Gascon was “for the Blacks” and about white council members ignoring Latinos or being willing to “motherfuck you in a heartbeat.” Martinez warns Black people could “come after us” in an act of political reprisal.

Campaigns and governance can turn on coalition-building, but politics can also become a zero-sum game in disputes about representation and resources. Racism is not new in Los Angeles, whose proud diversity coexists with a history of discrimination and where the confluence of a booming Latino population and a diminishing Black population has fueled political tension. (Take a minute to read how the LATimes’ Erika D. Smith sees it.) That broader context stood behind mayoral candidate Rep. Karen Bass saying she’d spent Sunday “speaking with Black and Latino leaders about how to ensure this doesn’t divide our city.”

Many Angelenos responded to the tapes by repudiating the speakers while urging unity in the face of bigotry and division. But the wounds from this episode will likely take time to heal — and the concrete political implications are likely far from done playing out.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Tuesday morning. President Joe Biden is touching down in the Golden State today, expected to stay through Thursday, when he and Speaker Nancy Pelosi are headlining a DCCC fundraiser in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, back in Washington, it’s a pig day at the Supreme Court, which will hear oral arguments in pork producers’ challenge to California’s Proposition 12. Passed by voters in 2018, the measure bans the sale of pork, eggs, and veal if the animals weren’t bred in conditions that meet the state’s animal welfare standards.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY: “We cannot and will not tolerate this level of hate towards anyone. Not in Los Angeles, not in California and not in the United States of America. I am a Black woman, not a pawn.” Los Angeles City Council Member Heather Hutt, whom the embattled members discussed appointing so she would vote with them, calls for their resignations.

BONUS QOTD: “As President Biden has said, we need to heal the soul of America, and now is the time for us to heal the soul of Los Angeles.” The Los Angeles Democratic Party’s leadership in a statement calling on the council members to resign.

TWEET OF THE DAY:

BONUS TOTD:

WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced

Top Talkers

A SPECIAL START: Gov. Gavin Newsom took his crusade against oil companies one step further on Friday, promising to call a special session of the Legislature on Dec. 5 to pass a windfall tax intended to “claw back” and return to consumers the profits companies are reaping from exorbitant gas prices. Details on the tax are scant right now (“It’s about making sure we get our ducks in a row,” Newsom said) but Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins signaled they are at least amenable to the idea by saying in a joint statement that such a proposal “deserves strong consideration by the Legislature.”

Legislators are already set to convene Dec. 5 for an organizing session, where they’ll welcome the new class of lawmakers and elect leadership. Even before Newsom called the special session, the ongoing power struggle between Rendon and Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) was set to culminate in returning and newly arrived members casting their leadership vote. Whoever ends up with the speaker’s gavel would then bear the task of trying to unite lawmakers to pass a new tax — something that requires a two-thirds vote and has been historically difficult to do, even with a Democratic supermajority. Here’s our story on the situation.

— “The fall of Nury Martinez: A blunt talker undone by her words,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Benjamin Oreskes and Emily Alpert Reyes: “Beyond the offensive words and jabs at other politicians, the recording gives an unvarnished glimpse into how Martinez and the others aim to preserve their political power.”

CARUSO CASH — “Billionaire Caruso on spending binge to sway LA mayor’s race,” by the Associated Press’s Michael R. Blood: “Rick Caruso, billionaire developer and underdog candidate for Los Angeles mayor, is mounting what might become the city’s largest-ever voter-turnout operation to try to defeat U.S. Rep. Karen Bass, who could be the first Black woman to lead the nation’s second-most-populous city.”

LOST IN TRANSIT — “How California’s Bullet Train Went Off the Rails,” by the New York Times’ Ralph Vartabedian: “A review of hundreds of pages of documents, engineering reports, meeting transcripts and interviews with dozens of key political leaders show that the detour through the Mojave Desert was part of a string of decisions that, in hindsight, have seriously impeded the state’s ability to deliver on its promise to create a new way of transporting people in an era of climate change.”

— “Changing the way harassment is investigated in the Capitol,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Hannah Wiley: “After the #MeToo movement revealed a described culture of rampant workplace misconduct in the state Capitol, legislative leaders announced the creation of an independent panel of legal experts to handle employees’ complaints of discrimination and harassment.”

CAMPAIGN MODE

NEWSOM SPENDING— Gavin Newsom makes another unorthodox play on abortion, by POLITICO’s Christopher Caedlago: The California Democrat is spending $2.5 million over the next two weeks to implore Californians to back Proposition 1, a measure on the fall ballot that would enshrine the right to abortion and contraceptives in the state constitution.

RECALL REDUX: As if Angelenos didn’t have enough on their minds, on Monday the committee to recall Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón announced it was suing the LA County Registrar. The campaign failed to trigger an election after the county determined in August it had submitted enough valid signatures. Now it is seeking a complete review of the invalidated signatures, with the committee’s lawyers saying a majority of rejected petition signatures were valid while only a minority of invalidated signatures presented “clear, obvious and legitimate challenges.” The committee also argued “bloated voter rolls” pushed up the qualification threshold.

— “Donald Trump uses California as a punchline in Nevada rally for GOP candidates,” by the Sacramento Bee’s Lindsey Holden: “Former President Donald Trump and GOP candidates are using California as a midterm cautionary tale in neighboring Nevada: Vote Republican or see your state become a haven for the “radical left.”

BAY FOR WARNOCK — “This campaign has received the most donations from San Franciscans. It’s not a S.F. race,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Leila Darwiche: “More than 700 city residents have donated to Sen. [Raphael] Warnock’s campaign against [Herschel] Walker, 200 more donors than the next highest federal campaign.”

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

WAREHOUSE WOES — “As Warehouses Multiply, Some Cities Say: Enough,” by the New York Times’ Kurtis Lee: “[Pam] Lemos is part of a growing coalition of residents and leaders in Colton and neighboring cities — a logistical hub for the nation — who are increasingly frustrated with the proliferation of warehouses in the region, as well as the side effects of the rapid expansion.”

— “It’s been five years since the catastrophic Tubbs Fire. Survivors are still tending to the scars,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Claire Hao: “The Tubbs Fire, at the time the most destructive wildfire in California history, killed 22 people — nine within the city limits of Santa Rosa, Wine Country’s largest city. More than 5,000 homes burned down, including over 3,000 in Santa Rosa — 5% of the city’s housing stock.”

— “New California law to protect students in foster care. Here’s how it’ll keep them in class,” by the Sacramento Bee’s Marcus D. Smith: “The new law expands the number of people who must be informed if a foster student is facing serious discipline by giving notification rights to the student’s attorney or county social worker. It aims to ensure the child has a “qualified person advocating on their behalf,” as the law’s author, Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento, wrote in a statement on his legislation.”

MORE PAIN AT THE PUMP — “California repeatedly warned about spiking gas prices, fragile supply. But fixes never came,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Grace Toohey: “California officials have had repeated warnings over the last two decades that the state’s unique blend of gasoline is susceptible to supply shortages and sharp price spikes.”

— “State withdraws plans to limit California LifeLine internet and cell phone discount for low-income users,” by CalMatters’ Lil Kalish: “A day before the California Public Utilities Commission was to vote on a rule that would have shrunken subsidies low-income residents use for phone and internet services, officials pulled the item from the commission’s agenda.”

— “‘I’m already stressing out’: Families to face bigger bills for subsidized child care as California ends waivers,” by CalMatters’ Elizabeth Aguilera: “During the pandemic, California’s low-income families that are required to pay a fee to receive subsidized child care got a waiver from paying. That waiver is set to expire next year, worrying parents who have struggled to afford it in the past.”

— “A California city’s water supply is expected to run out in two months,” by the Washington Post’s Joshua Partlow: “The residents of this sun-scorched city feel California’s endless drought when the dust lifts off the brown hills and flings grit into their living rooms. They see it when they drive past almond trees being ripped from the ground for lack of water.”

BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL

— “In scathing statement, Democrat calls for new leaders in House,” by the Hill’s Mychael Schnell: “Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) on Friday called for new Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill after top House Democrats scrapped plans to vote on legislation banning lawmaker stock trading.”

SILICON VALLEYLAND

— “Twitch Streamer Broke Her Back After Jumping in Foam Pit Live at TwitchCon,” by Gizmodo’s Jody Serrano: “A Twitch streamer says she broke her back in two places after jumping in a foam pit live at TwitchCon on Saturday.”

HOLLYWOODLAND

IN COURT — “Harvey Weinstein goes on trial in LA, where he once reigned,” by the Associated Press’s Andrew Dalton: “Five years after women’s stories about him made the #MeToo movement explode, Harvey Weinstein is going on trial in the city where he once was a colossus at the Oscars.”

MEDIA MATTERS

— “KGO was once a local talk radio juggernaut. How could it die so fast?” Opines Peter Hartlaub for the San Francisco Chronicle: “Start by toasting the station’s century-long run. Many of the people who were part of it are still around. No sports gambling station can diminish their enormous contribution to Bay Area dialogue and culture.”

MIXTAPE

THE FACES BEHIND 30 — “Is Newsom’s opposition to Prop. 30 driven by political donors?” by the Sacramento Bee’s Stephen Hobbs.

— “A Reckoning With Mother Nature In South OC As Coastal Train Travel Is Suspended,” by LAist’s Jill Replogle.

— “Beane still believes Oakland ballpark project will succeed,” by the Associated Press’s Janie McCauley.

— “California’s drought withers tomatoes, pushing grocery prices higher,” by Reuters’ Nathan Frandino, Christopher Walljasper and Aude Guerrucci.

— “UC Berkeley to offer course on hip-hop star Nicki Minaj,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Jordan Parker.

IN MEMORIAM

— “Nikki Finke, Deadline founder and once the ‘most feared writer’ in Hollywood, dies at 68,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Christi Carras and Meg James: “Veteran journalist Nikki Finke, who founded the entertainment trade site Deadline and who in her heyday was an elbows-out columnist serving up juicy industry scoops and skewering Hollywood’s elite, has died at age 68.”

BIRTHDAYS

Was Monday — California Gov. Gavin Newsom … Marlowe Early … Jason Millman … NYT’s Adam Nagourney … Fox Corp.’s Raj Shah and Brian Nick … Alexandra LaManna … Rodney Freeman … Don Burnette ... Sam Feinburg

Twitter’s Lauren Culbertson … Amazon’s Brad Anderson … Autumn Barr … Ben Mendelson

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