WHODUNIT

LAPD Zeroing in on Mole Who Recorded Racist City Council Meeting

The audio of several city council members making racist comments leaked last fall, leading to two resignations.

Los Angeles police are zeroing in on whoever recorded and leaked a meeting in which L.A. city council members were caught out making racist remarks, according to search warrants obtained by the L.A. Times. It’s illegal to record conversations without consent in California, and investigators believe whoever made the recordings likely broke the law. A Reddit account first posted the recordings last October, and a Twitter account later alerted reporters to the post. Police have issued search warrants to both platforms and, after months of searching, investigators told the Los Angeles Times they’re close to identifying the person who recorded the meeting. Former city council president Nury Martinez resigned over the leak, alongside former president of the L.A. County Federation of Labor Ron Herrera. Councilmember Gil Cedillo evaded calls to step down but had already lost his race for re-election in June, while councilmember Kevin de León has refused to step down and plans to serve the rest of his term.