EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to reflect Martinez's status on the LA City Council. (Oct. 13, 2022)

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — In a closed-door conversation in October 2021, three Los Angeles City Council members were recorded mocking the Black son of a white council member in a profanity-laced recording.

The conversation was about protecting their political power during the redrawing of council district boundaries last year. In that recording, the city leaders also discussed the need to reelect Latino members and protect economic interests within Latino districts.

The news sent shockwaves Tuesday at LA City Hall, where protesters gathered to call for the removal of the council members and put a spotlight on the rivalry between Latinos and Blacks. 

Below are the people involved, brief summaries of their careers and how they're involved.

Martinez, 49, a Democrat, grew up in Pacoima and had served on the LA City Council since 2013. She represented districts in the eastern San Fernando Valley. Martinez was the second Latina to serve on the council and was the only female member when she won election. She was the first Latina to become president of the City Council when she was elected in 2019, replacing long-time President Herb Wesson. Prior to joining the council, Martinez served on the San Fernando City Council from 2003 to 2009 and on the Los Angeles Unified School District Board from 2009 to 2013. Following the scandal, she apologized and stepped down as president. A day after, she announced she was taking a leave of absence. Then she resigned from her City Council seat and apologized, saying she was ashamed of her racially offensive language.

De León, 55, was born in downtown Los Angeles to a single, immigrant mother. The former labor organizer for the California Teachers Association and the National Education Association was the first Latino leader of the California State Senate. He represents the 14th District of LA, which includes downtown LA, Boyle Heights, Eagle Rock, Highland Park, El Sereno, Garvanza, Glassell Park, Lincoln Heights, and Monterey Hills. He has been on the council since 2020 and made an unsuccessful run for mayor this year.

Cedillo, 68, grew up in Boyle Heights. He was the general manager of the Service Employees International Union, Local 660, from 1990 to 1996. He was elected to the Los Angeles Council in May 2013. The former state assemblyman and senator represents the First Council District, which includes parts of northeast Los Angeles and northwest Los Angeles. He took office on July 1, 2013, and was reelected in 2017. He lost his bid for reelection this year. His term will expire in December, and he will be replaced by Eunisses Hernandez.

Herrera is the fourth official who took part in the conversation. He was the president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, over 300 affiliated union and labor organizations, representing more than 800,000 workers across 300 unions. He has resigned from his post.

In the conversation, Martinez made racist comments aimed at Bonin's 2-year-old Black adopted son. Bonin, a Massachusetts native and former newspaper reporter, represents the 11th District, areas of the Westside of the city. He first won election in 2013 and was was reelected in 2017. Before becoming a City Council member, he worked in senior positions for Council member Bill Rosendahl, Congresswoman Jane Harman, and Councilwoman Ruth Galanter. He also served as a regional field organizer in California for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. He was the co-founder and program director of Camp Courage, an acclaimed training program for community organizers fighting for the freedom to marry for the LGBT community. Bonin issued a statement with his husband calling for the resignations of Martinez and others involved in the discussion, describing it as "a coordinated effort to weaken Black political representation in Los Angeles."

The recorded conversation also dealt with the future of Ridley-Thomas and his council seat. He was suspended from the council following his indictment in October, faces trial along with former dean of the USC School of Social Work Marilyn Flynn. The defendants are charged in a 20-count indictment alleging a secret deal whereby Ridley-Thomas — when he was a member of the county Board of Supervisors — agreed to steer county money to the university in return for admitting his son Sebastian Ridley-Thomas into graduate school with a full-tuition scholarship and a paid professorship.