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OP-ED: Why I Did Not Resign; Outgoing Council Member Issues Righteous Reality Check

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  By Los Angeles City Councilman Gilbert Cedillo (Ret.)  Special to Brooklyn & Boyle Most people find the subject of redrawing political boundaries based on census data about as exciting as watching paint dry. In Los Angeles, however, a year-old, illegally recorded conversation about the subject touched off a political firestorm. On the tape, City Council President Nury Martínez, Councilman Kevin de Le ó n, County Labor Federation head Ron Herrera, and myself—all Latinos—spoke frankly about how districts based on the 2020 census could best represent the city’s evolving ethnic balance. At one point, the discussion turned to the jarring discrepancy that Latinos are half the city’s population but hold only four of 15 seats on the Council. That led to assessing which Council members might support expanded Latino representation and who might see that as a step back for other communities, particularly districts represented by African Americans. Balancing Black and Latino interes
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OP-ED: It's the People's House, Disrespect at Your Own Peril

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A BROOKLYN & BOYLE POINT /COUNTERPOINT EXCLUSIVE Guest Editorial by Richard Vásquez I, too, feel saddened and let down by the disclosures in the wake of the recently leaked audio recording of a conversation which took place during the course of a private, closed-door meeting held over a years ago at the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor offices. Present, we know, were L.A. City Council members Kevin De León, Nury Martínez and Gil Cedillo along with labor leader Ron Herrera. Of the four, I know Cedillo best. During our undergrad days at UCLA, we shared an affinity for progressive Democrats and a passion for the inclusive politics favored by some—but not all—of the first-generation Bruins from L.A.’s Chicano East Side whom we knew. Gil and I were inspired by the idea civic engagement and often spoke of how we might best serve our emerging community. Although I don’t know his Council colleagues well, I have had occasion to cross paths with both. Nury was the honored guest at
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