L.A. Councilman Caught Being Racist on Tape Will Run Again
Kevin de León compared a colleague’s Black child to a luxury handbag—and then refused to resign.
Jonathan Bachman/Reuters
Los Angeles Councilman Kevin de León, who refused calls to resign after being caught on tape with colleagues making racist and insulting comments, says he’s running for re-election. “When a lot of people that I called my friends and allies turned away from me, my constituents had my back,” de León said. An effort to recall de León, after it was revealed he compared a councilmember’s Black child to a luxury handbag, foundered. Even after the two other pols in the leaked audio resigned—and President Joe Biden said de León should do the same—he hung onto his seat, spending most of his time in his district.
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