Former Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez called the Black son of one of her colleagues a changuito a monkey. She also said the young child needed a beatdown and derided his parents for raising him like a little white kid whatever that means.
And these are just some of the racist remarks Martinez was caught spewing in a secret recording of an hour-long meeting that was uploaded to Reddit and obtained by the Los Angeles Times. Its, of course, all very despicable, but I want you to focus on the key word here: former. Thats right, former.
In New Jersey, shed still be on the payroll. But in L.A., just four days after the scandal broke Sunday, Martinez was rightly pushed to resign.
She first issued a publicly apology Monday and announced her resignation as council president. Then on Tuesday, she said shed be taking a leave of absence. But by Wednesday, she simply couldnt take the pressure anymore as national, state, and local leaders piled it on, urging her to resign.
It was then that with a broken heart she finally said she was giving up her seat on Council District 6.
On the recording, three men, Councilmembers Gil Cedillo and Kevin de Len, and Ron Herrera, a top L.A. County labor official, plotted with Martinez to manipulate district maps to favor Latinos and deprive Black Angelenos of political power. As of Thursday, only Herrera has also stepped down but even President Joe Biden has chimed in and says its time for all of them to go.
Shervin Aazami holding his son Barrett and a sign protest outside City Hall during the Los Angeles City Council meeting Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
The fallout that so quickly cost Martinez her seat on the Los Angeles City Council? Nah, in New Jersey, shed be fine. If it sounds familiar, thats because the same racist remarks happened right here in Clark Township.
The difference is here, not only do we continue to pay to keep those leaders in power, but we also pay the whistleblowers to keep them quiet.
And whats truly astonishing about us is that even when officials here do lose their jobs they dont always lose their paychecks. Say what you want about us but as taxpayers, we New Jerseyans are generous. And we wonder why our taxes are so high.
In March, NJ Advance Media revealed Clark Township paid a whistleblower more than $400,000 to conceal secret recordings hed made of the mayor, the police chief and an internal affairs sergeant, in which the three used a laundry list of racial slurs, including the N-word. They were also caught making disparaging comments about women police officers calling them all [expletive] disasters.
To avoid a lawsuit, the township had the whistleblower, police Lt. Antonio Manata, turn the recordings over and allowed him to remain on the payroll without working for two more years until he retired at the rank of captain with his full pension. Let that sink in.
Obviously, that neat plan to keep things quiet did not pan out for them. And here we are. But wait, theres more: The long-stalled investigation by prosecutors into misconduct at Clarks police department continues in its third year without an end in sight, at a cost to local taxpayers thats reached about $1 million. And counting. I did tell you we were generous, right?
Two of the police officials caught on Manatas tapes using racial slurs have been on paid suspension since the probe was launched in July 2020, as has a police captain Manata accused of retaliation. And get this, all three continue to draw six-figure salaries, though they have not worked in 26 months. Yes, 26 months, thats two full years and a lot of change.
Mayor Sal Bonaccorso initially denied that he and others made racist and sexist remarks, but then later publicly apologized. But despite protests over his refusal to resign and condemnation from residents, the six-term mayor who makes a part-time salary of about $21,000 according to pension records said hes not going anywhere. Hes not up for re-election until 2024, either.
And three years later, were all still paying for it. Bonaccorso, of course, continues to downplay the controversy. In a recent interview with NJ Advance Media he said: Its words. Thats all it is, trust me … its words.
Trust you? No, thanks. But you can trust me words matter. And in Clark, the words of the three suspended officers can be summed into one: expensive.
Daysi Calavia-Robertson may be reached at dcalavia-robertson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Instagram at @presspassdaysi or Twitter @presspassdaysi.
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.