Together with the dignitaries attending President Biden’s star-studded fundraiser at Peacock Theater on Saturday night time was the person Biden had urged to resign from the Los Angeles Metropolis Council: Kevin de León.
De León, who weathered a scandal that rocked Metropolis Corridor, was seen within the theater foyer whereas different elected officers met with Biden and former President Obama.
Outdoors the theater, De León took the chance to talk to reporters about what he characterised because the hazard of Donald Trump changing into president once more.
He famous the pro-Palestinian protesters who had flanked the theater, saying, “What’s at stake right here proper now, within the battleground states … is the well-being of immigrants, undocumented immigrants, the poor, essentially the most weak, our senior residents. That’s what’s at stake right here, too — not simply world issues.”
In a video posted on-line by a Pasadena Star-Information journalist, De León added, “I’m trying ahead to Presidents Biden and Barack Obama actually instilling a way of deep enthusiasm amongst Democrats. Pay attention, it is a blue city; it is a blue state. We’re not going anyplace. … I’m hoping that California can have that massive constructive influence.”
De León is scraping collectively a political comeback after the Los Angeles Occasions revealed in 2022 that he had participated with different councilmembers in a secretly recorded dialog riddled with racist remarks. The audio leak led then-Council President Nury Martinez to step down. Many referred to as for De León to resign too — together with Biden.
“The president is glad to see that one of many contributors in that dialog has resigned, however all of them ought to,” Karine Jean-Pierre, the White Home press secretary, mentioned on the time.
As an alternative, De León clung to his seat — regardless of persistent protests in Metropolis Corridor chambers, the lack of his committee assignments and his bodily altercation with a critic that was captured on videotape. He mounted a reelection marketing campaign, scoring second place in March’s main election. Final month, Council President Paul Krekorian introduced he was putting De León on 4 council committees.
And on Saturday night time, the controversial councilmember was noticed on the downtown occasion, Los Angeles’ highest-dollar Democratic fundraiser on report. However different elected dignitaries from Southern California, together with Mayor Karen Bass and Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Lengthy Seashore), mingled with Biden and Obama within the VIP part.
Los Angeles Metropolis Councilman Curren Value was additionally noticed arriving on the theater, although he was blocked from coming into close to the JW Marriott resort when protesters sat down in entrance of the gates. A few of the demonstrators shouted at him, referencing his pending prison costs.
Value was charged final 12 months with 10 counts of embezzlement, perjury and battle of curiosity for voting on growth tasks through which he allegedly had a monetary curiosity. He’s additionally the topic of an L.A. Metropolis Ethics Fee assessment over comparable accusations.
Employees writers Liam Dillon and Seema Mehta contributed to this report.
