STATEMENT: KADC, ADLAC, PALAD Condemn Racism and Anti-Blackness Revealed in Recordings, Call for Redistricting Reform

At a time when communities of color, including Black, Latine, Indigenous, LGBTQ+ and Asian Pacific Islander (API) communities are under attack, the Korean American Democratic Committee (KADC), the Asian Democrats of Los Angeles County (ADLAC), and the Pilipino American Los Angeles Democrats (PALAD) affirm there is no excuse for the hate speech used by elected City Council leaders in recently revealed audio recordings. Racism, anti-Blackness, Indigenous erasure, and homophobia must be uprooted from all levels of government. Furthermore, we strongly condemn attacks specifically targeting Asian communities and Asian community leaders.

We join fellow elected officials, advocacy organizations, and community leaders in calling for the resignations of Councilmembers Martinez, Cedilo, and De León, and for an investigation into how their comments may have affected the redistricting process.

Throughout redistricting, we worked collaboratively with many organizations in the Black, Latine and API communities to ensure that the voices of communities of color are adequately and equitably represented - not diluted. This incident reaffirms our call for an independent redistricting commission ensuring that LA City Councilmembers are not responsible for drawing their own district boundaries. Any illegal backroom-dealing outside of the public redistricting process, for personal political gain or other undemocratic benefit, is categorically unacceptable.

In a time in which racial solidarity is needed to counter the increased normalization of white supremacy, especially in government, KADC, ADLAC, and PALAD along with other API leaders commit to continued advocacy in solidarity and allyship with all diverse Angelenos, including Black, Latine, Indigenous, Armenian, and LGBTQ+ communities who were attacked in the revealed recordings. We send our sympathies and support to Councilmember Bonin, his son and family, and all those directly impacted. We believe that character matters, especially behind closed doors. Now is the time for accountability, for healing, and for a more democratic process that embraces and values transparency and inclusivity.