Most Los Angeles residents have already forgotten about the 2021 tape of three Hispanic members of the Los Angeles City Council, along with the Hispanic head of the Los Angeles County California Federation of Labor (Cal Labor), secretly plotting how to manipulate the redistricting process and consolidate their power. In October 2022, the leaked audio revealed District 6 Councilwoman and City Council President Nury Martinez, District 14 Councilman Kevin de León, District 1 Councilman Gil Cedillo, and Cal Labor President Ron Herrera spouting racist stereotypes and diatribes about everyone from Oxacan Mexicans to the adopted Black child of a gay councilmember Mike Bonin. In case you need a refresher, here's a walk down memory lane. (Warning: Strong language).

“Fuck that guy… He’s with the Blacks.”

LA City Councilmembers Nury Martinez, Gil Cedillo, Kevin de León and LA Labor Federation President Ron Herrera making racist comments and discuss redistricting.

Listen to the audio: https://t.co/rYgFj2Wl2E

— Knock LA (@KnockDotLA) October 9, 2022

This scandal was reported around the nation and the world, and rocked L.A. for months, sparking protests that disrupted the weekly council meetings, and elicited calls for the resignations of those involved. In the end, Nury Martinez was forced to resign, as was Ron Herrera. Gil Cedillo had already been primaried by Democrat Socialist of America (DSA) candidate Eunisses Hernandez; he rode it out until the end of his term so he could collect that fat Los Angeles City pension, then turned around and sued Cal Labor because of the leak.

Despite protests and harassment by his constituents and activists, Kevin de León also refused to resign, and issued the ultimate center-finger salute by running for reelection and also filing a lawsuit targeting the leakers. His opponent (and another DSA-backed candidate) Ysabel Jurado was at the top of the Top 2 March 5 primary winners, along with de León, by mere percentage points. So, de León may well get his comeuppance on November 5.

Along with Nithya Raman in District 4, Eunisses Hernandez in District 1, and Hugo Martinez-Soto in District 13, DSA is now firmly entrenched in the Los Angeles City Council. The old guard of de León and District 2 Councilman Paul Krekorian are outnumbered and outgunned, which was the ultimate play to begin with—the work to be done through the leaked tape had been accomplished. 

But who actually leaked the tape? As RedState reported, it was a couple of low-level former employees of Cal Labor, Santos Leon and his wife Karla Vasquez. These two were questioned by the Los Angeles Police Department in late July of 2023, and their Eagle Rock home was searched:

Los Angeles police officers recently searched the Eagle Rock home of two people who have worked at the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, as part of their investigation into a secret audio recording that dramatically upended City Hall politics last year.

A search warrant was served earlier this month at the home of Santos Leon and Karla Vasquez, who are married and were employed by the federation when the recording was made, according to a source familiar with the probe, who has knowledge of the warrant but is not authorized to speak publicly. Leon’s computers were taken by police, the person said.

Recording conversations without a person’s consent is illegal in California, with rare exceptions, and can be pursued as a felony. The warrant cited the penal codes for eavesdropping and destroying or concealing evidence, the source said.

Almost a year later, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has chosen not to prosecute Leon and Vasquez, but has kicked the case down to Los Angeles District Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto, whose legal background, like L.A. County DA George Gascón, does not include ever prosecuting a case: 

However, during the weekend, a memo was released, stating that the prosecutors would not be filing charges against the two former union workers. They found that the charges didn’t warrant being felonies. In addition, neither of the two had a criminal record, meaning that any punishment against them would likely be far less than what they were used to. The memo did however acknowledge that a crime had indeed taken place, still warranting some sort of legal action.

“The evidence indicates that a crime was committed,” said the memo.

As a result, L.A. County prosecutors sent the matter to the city, with the L.A. City Attorney’s office now handling the case. In addition, all charges are now dropped to misdemeanors as the nature of the crime didn’t warrant a felony. As of Monday afternoon, the City Attorney’s office has not commented on the case or what the current status of it is.

Legal experts told the Globe on Monday that the case would likely be prosecuted at the city level with misdemeanors charges. While it is likely that some charges will stick, they noted that it is not a sure thing with this case.

Feldstein Soto's focus appears to be on homelessness and housing, so expect those misdemeanor charges to end up in the round file. It has always been this writer's suspicion that bigger actors engineered the leak of the tape, and the song and dance with these low-level former Cal Labor employees was merely a smokescreen. The LA County DA passing the buck, and the reduced charges, are a clear indication that this matter joins the big pile of Los Angeles corruption that is conveniently swept under the rug, until the stench can no longer be ignored. See, Ridley-Thomas, Mark and Huizar, Jose.