Column: Kevin de León says he’s sorry but won’t resign. Kevin, stop gaslighting L.A. and quit.
Kevin de León and Mayor Eric Garcetti have traded barbs on social media. (Los Angeles Times/Beth A. Charnas) Kevin de León and Mayor Eric Garcetti have traded barbs on social media. (Los Angeles Times/Beth A. Charnas)
The tension between Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Councilman Kevin de León has been brewing in the city for months. In March, de León, a former state assembly member, criticized Garcetti for the “lack of leadership” that he claims has left Los Angeles in a “death spiral” and for failing to follow through on a pledge to build two new homeless shelters.
At the time, then-City Council president Herb Wesson called de León’s criticism “outrageous.” A month later, Garcetti told CNN that he was “truly disappointed” with de León’s comments and that they were “not helpful” to anyone.
But on Thursday, de León said he would ask Garcetti to remove him from the city council, saying he’d been “hurt to my soul” by claims that Garcetti told him to resign. He apologized to his colleagues, the people of Los Angeles and himself for how the situation has played out and vowed not to resign.
“L.A. residents deserve leadership that will build L.A., provide relief for the city’s poor, provide leadership on homelessness, protect human, civil and civil liberties, and support the families of our city,” he said in a statement.
“I will not be a ‘yes man’ to Mayor Garcetti who has made it clear that he does not serve the people of L.A. and who only cares about himself, his ego and his personal ambition,” de León continued. “His words and actions have