It was the audio leak that created a political earthquake in Los Angeles.

It resulted in protests.

Calls for a resignation.

You know, I think they're all spineless and we need to see some resignations soon.

And a city reckoning over racism at the highest levels of local politics.

The fact that you are trying to continue with business as usual is unacceptable.

Unacceptable!

But the controversy has also created a political opening that could fundamentally change the makeup of LA City Council.

With midterms just weeks away, what happens next?

I'm Gustavo Ariano. You're listening to The Times, essential news from the LA Times.

It's Wednesday, October 26, 2022.

Today, as part of our special coverage of the 2022 midterm elections,

we talk about the most important but often overlooked races in our democracy,

the city council.

No city's council has gotten more attention nationally over the last couple of weeks

in Los Angeles, but long before the racist comments by former and current council members

caught on tape went nationwide, it was already a cautionary tale of local governance run amok.

We'll talk about that today, and we'll also hear from residents of Los Angeles from a special

town hall hosted by the LA Times and Fox 11 News.

The call for change live on Fox 11.

All right, so we're going to ask the same question to all of you.

Are you guys shocked that Kevin DeLeon refuses to step down?

...