LOS ANGELES — Police have requested a search warrant on the website Reddit in an attempt to identify the person who posted a leaked racist discussion between Los Angeles City Council members and an influential labor leader, sparking a scandal that rocked society and shook faith in its lawmakers.
According to a statement on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Police Department is trying to determine the origin of the recording, which appeared on the website in October.
“The investigation involves interviewing those present and any potential witnesses relevant to this investigation. A search request has been initiated at Reddit to identify the person responsible for posting the post,” the statement said.
As reported on Wednesday, officer J. Chavez, the Los Angeles Police Department spokesman, had no immediate word on whether the request had been granted or other details about the ongoing investigation.
An email to Reddit seeking comment was not immediately returned.
Police Chief Michelle Moore announced last month that detectives were investigating whether the recording was made illegally last year.
The previously unknown recording was of a private meeting in 2021 involving then-Council President Noori Martinez and Council members Kevin de Leon and Gil Cedillo, as well as Ron Herrera, head of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor.
The panelists, all Latino Democrats, were caught on tape plotting to protect their political influence in redrawing council districts during an hour-long closed-door meeting that was riddled with bigoted comments. They used racist language to taunt colleagues, as well as the young black son of one councilman, while they planned to protect Latino political power in council constituencies.
It is not known who made the tape or why. It was released weeks before the November midterm elections.
Under California law, all parties must consent to the recording of a private conversation or telephone call. Otherwise, the person who made the recording may be held criminally and civilly liable.
Martinez resigned in disgrace, but other council members resisted widespread calls — from the White House — for their ouster. At the end of last month city council voted to condemn this trio. This was the strongest step happy may take to publicly rebuke them.
