LA city council members defy calls to resign after racist recording, setting up power struggle

Magic Johnson joins in with citywide denunciations of De León and Cedillo, but council is powerless to expel them

The Los Angeles city council appears to be headed for a long and bruising power struggle, as two councilmen resist widespread calls for their resignation amid a racism scandal and state investigation.

A week since the president of the city council, Nury Martinez, resigned over crude and racist remarks she made during an October 2021 meeting with other Latino leaders, two other councilmembers present at the meeting have refused to step down, despite Democratic leadership – up to Joe Biden – calling on them to do so.