The Los Angeles City Council struggled again Wednesday with a still-unfolding racism scandal that led to the resignation of its former president and left behind a quandary about how to deal with a disgraced member who has resisted calls from President Joe Biden to step down.
On a 12-2 vote, the council agreed to explore possible additional, punitive steps against censured Councilman Kevin de León, including restricting his use of certain office funds and collaring publicly funded mailers he sends to constituents.
He is the only council member involved in the scandal still in office, allowing him to continue to collect his annual salary of nearly $229,000 — among the most lucrative paydays for city council members in the nation.
The scandal has strained racial tensions and become a national embarrassment for the nation’s second most populous city, which also has been contending with an unchecked homeless crisis and rising crime rates. Meanwhile, three current or former council members have been indicted or pleaded guilty to corruption charges.
The turmoil was triggered in October by a leaked recording of crude, racist comments from a year-old meeting involving de León, then-council President Nury Martinez, labor leader Ron Herrera and then-Councilman Gil Cedillo — all Latino Democrats — in which they plotted to expand their political power at the expense of Black voters during a realignment of council district boundaries. Herrera resigned and Cedillo’s term ended in December.

Apnews