(CNN) — Los Angeles City Council member Nury Martinez took a leave of absence and a labor union leader resigned as the fallout widened from a leaked audio recording of racist remarks by Martinez about a fellow council member and his Black child.
Ron Herrera, the president of Los Angeles County Federation of Labor — who was part of the leaked conversation — resigned at a meeting Monday, the union said in a statement in which it called on elected officials who were present when the racist remarks were made to step down as well.
Martinez took a leave of absence on Tuesday, one day after resigning as city council president.
“This has been one of the most difficult times of my life and I recognize this is entirely of my own making,” she said in a statement. “At this moment, I need to take a leave of absence and take some time to have an honest and heartfelt conversation with my family, my constituents, and community leaders. I am so sorry to the residents of Council District 6, my colleagues, and the City of Los Angeles.”
Earlier Tuesday, Thom Davis, chair of the union’s executive board, said in a statement that racism “in any form has no place in the House of Labor.
“It is unconscionable that those elected to fight for our communities of color would engage in repulsive and vile anti-Black, anti-LGBTQ, anti-Asian and anti-Oaxacan remarks that pit our working communities against each other. These sentiments will not be tolerated by our organization or those who we represent.”
The Los Angeles Times reported that the leaked audio details a conversation among Martinez, Councilmembers Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León and Herrera that focused on maps proposed by the city’s redistricting commission and the councilmembers’ frustration with them.
Martinez was heard in the leaked audio making racist remarks about Councilmember Mike Bonin, a White man, and his Black child. The city council will hold its regular meeting Tuesday afternoon.
Herrera has not responded to CNN’s request for comment, but the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO tweeted an apology from him.
“There is no justification and no excuse for the vile remarks made in that room. Period,” the apology said. “And I didn’t step up to stop them and I will have to bear the burden of that cross moving forward.”
In its statement, the union said, “Equality and justice for all no matter your race or the color of your skin are the core of the labor movement and the work of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. As we move forward, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, on behalf of our over 300 affiliates and over 800,000 workers, remains united in the fight to dismantle racism through our solidarity and our commitment to protecting the rights of working people.”
The leaked audio was posted anonymously on Reddit and obtained by the Times.
When talking about the redistricting maps, the councilmembers discussed the need to “ensure that heavily Latino districts did not lose economic assets” in the once-in-a-decade process, according to the Times.
The councilmembers then discussed Bonin. In clips of the leaked audio posted by the Times, Martinez is heard recounting a conversation and says, “Bonin thinks he’s f**king Black.”
According to the Times, Martinez says Bonin appeared with his son on a float in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade and he “handled his young Black son as though he were an accessory.” The boy is 8 years old, according to a Facebook post by his father.
The Times reported that Martinez also said of Bonin’s child, “Parece changuito,” or “He’s like a monkey.”
In a statement Monday, Martinez apologized for the comments. “I take responsibility for what I said and there are no excuses for those comments.”
Martinez’s resignation as president was effective immediately, according to the statement, though she remains a member of the council.
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