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COURTESY PHOTONury Martinez
By MADISON HIRNEISEN
THE CENTER SQUARE STAFF REPORTER
(The Center Square) — Los Angeles police are investigating whether the leaked recording that captured racist comments made by city councilmembers was recorded illegally, officials announced this week.
The recording, which featured three Latino Los Angeles City Council members and a prominent labor leader discussing how to consolidate political power through redistricting while spewing racist insults, sparked outrage across the state. It remains unclear who recorded and leaked the conversation, but it was first posted on Reddit by a user who has since been suspended.
The conversation occurred in October 2021 and was reported by the Los Angeles Times earlier this month.
Since the recording was released, former City Council President Nury Martinez and former Los Angeles Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera have resigned. The two were involved in the conversation alongside Councilmembers Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León, who have thus far resisted mounting calls for their resignations.
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore told reporters Tuesday that the department “has initiated a criminal investigation into an allegation of eavesdropping,” according to The Associated Press. Chief Moore said that Ms. Martinez, Mr. de León, Mr. Cedillo and Mr. Herrera approached the police department on Friday to request an investigation, but a spokesperson for Mr. de León told the AP that the councilman was not involved in the request for an investigation.
California has a two-party consent wiretapping law, meaning it is illegal to record or eavesdrop on a confidential conversation without the consent of all involved. The Los Angeles Federation of Labor previously called the recording illegal and attempted to stop the Los Angeles Times from publishing the details of the recording.
Madison Hirneisen covers California for The Center Square.
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