Embattled Los Angeles City Councilman Kevin de León sat by himself in the council horseshoe Dec. 13, talking to staff and mulling over his options after he made his second consecutive appearance at a council meeting despite protesters and some of his colleagues making it known that he was unwelcome.
Tuesday’s council meeting devolved into chaos when de León walked into the chamber in the middle of a vote, slipping in quietly as he did last Friday. Like on Friday, he eventually left the chamber but remained in the building, allowing him to vote on items.
The council voted Tuesday to ratify new Mayor Karen Bass’ declaration of a state of emergency on homelessness—on which de León voted “yes” as part of a 13–0 vote. Upon seeing the councilman’s vote next to his name on the screen in the chamber, audience members were furious, shouting “shame” and “you lied!” Some began slapping the benches.
According to a council rule, members who are deemed “present” have their votes automatically set to “yes.” De León’s name remained on the screen at the chamber even after he left his seat.
“In the event a member fails to affirmatively vote either ‘yes’ or ’no,‘ that member will be deemed to have voted ’yes,'” and the member’s vote will be recorded as such, the rule states.
De León, who has defied widespread calls to resign over his role in the City Hall racism scandal, began the day by appearing on CNN, where he urged his colleagues—who unanimously voted to censure him in October—to work with him.
“Tens of millions of Americans go to work every single day with folks that they don’t like,” de León told anchor Kate Bolduan. “But you know what they do every morning? They get up and go to work.”
De León was not present when the council meeting began Tuesday, but protesters had already filled much of the council chamber, disrupting and delaying the start of the session as they have done for weeks since the racism scandal broke. Around 20 protesters gathered outside the door to the chamber before the meeting, chanting, “Fuera, fuera, fuera [out, out, out] Kevin de León.”
It was the council’s first meeting featuring five new members, and City Clerk Holly Wolcott struggled to get the boisterous crowd under control as she tried to convene the session so a council president could be selected. She ordered one protester—who repeatedly shouted “Arrest KDL”—to be ejected from the council chamber. She also ejected Baba Akili—an activist with Black Lives Matter Los Angeles—who at first refused to leave the chamber, leading police around the room and climbing onto several rows of seats before departing.
When the meeting was finally able to resume, the council re-elected Paul Krekorian as council president.
The meeting then continued as normal, but turmoil erupted shortly before noon when de León walked into the chamber.
Immediately after de León took his seat, three council members sitting on his side of the chamber—Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Eunisses Hernandez, and Heather Hutt—stood up and walked out. Krekorian, as he did last week, called a recess and the rest of the members filed out as well.
Hernandez wrote on Twitter that de León’s appearance showed “his disrespect for people in his district and the communities that were harmed by the racist, anti-Indigenous, homophobic conversation that he took part in.”
“At a time when we should be focused on tenants’ rights, on homelessness and housing justice, and on restitution for the very people that were disparaged on those tapes, he chose to make the day about himself,” said Hernandez, who took part in her first council meeting.
After calling a recess, Krekorian walked over to de León, and the pair had a lengthy private discussion at de León’s seat. The pair talked for more than 15 minutes, after which Krekorian left the room, but de León remained, conferring with members of his staff. For another hour, de León was the lone council member in the chamber.
Krekorian told reporters after the meeting that he did not make a deal with de León that would allow de León to vote on items but not be present in the chamber. He called his discussion with de León “private,” but described it as “long and heartfelt.”
The lingering group of protesters heckled de León as he sat in his chair, while his supporters shouted “Sí, se puede.”
“Look around, Kevin,” one protester yelled. “You’re the only one seated.”
The council does not meet again until mid-January, with winter recess beginning on Wednesday.
The council requires 10 members for a quorum—which means it could afford to lose four members to still hold a meeting, with the Sixth District seat vacant after Nury Martinez’s resignation.
Krekorian told reporters after the meeting that he was concerned the council would lose a quorum and not be able to vote on the declaration.
At one point, de León briefly walked back into the room, but did not take his seat. He instead looked up the voting screen with all the council members, seemingly looking for confirmation that his name was on the board and his votes would be registered. Krekorian then walked back into the chamber, and walked de León out again.
Tuesday marked de León’s second appearance at a council meeting since Oct. 11. He tried to attend the meeting on Friday, but protesters shouted for him to leave, prompting a roughly 45-minute recess before de León departed.
Hours after Friday’s meeting, de León fought with community activist Jason Reedy at a holiday event in Lincoln Heights. Reedy and other protesters have regularly shown up at City Council meetings the last two months to demand that de León resign before the council conducts its business.
