After every week and a half of silence, Kevin de León emerged Wednesday afternoon to let the world know he’s actually, actually, truthfully sorry for what he mentioned, and didn’t say, on the racist recording that has rocked Los Angeles.

The embattled councilmember appeared on CBS Los Angeles to repeat repeatedly that he “failed” to cease one colleague, Nury Martinez, from taking bigoted pictures at a variety of Angelenos, and one other, Gil Cedillo, from plotting to take over seats held by Black politicians.

“I failed in that second in time to step up and shut that assembly down,” De León instructed reporter Tom Wait. He requested for forgiveness “from my individuals, my neighborhood for the hurt attributable to the painful phrases” uttered on the tape.

Additionally up: an interview in Spanish with Univision anchor León Krauze, who flew out from the community’s house base in Florida. Lighted in funereal shadows, De León mentioned he felt “horrible” six occasions about what Martinez, Cedillo and former Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera had mentioned about Black individuals, Jews, Armenians, Oaxacans and different councilmembers. When Krauze pressed De León on why he stayed quiet, the councilmember responded in Spanglish, “Estaba yo en shock, completamente shock.”

De León punctuated his afternoon of apologies with a letter to newly appointed L.A. Metropolis Council President Paul Krekorian, writing with “a disgrace deeper than I’ve ever recognized and from a spot of deep humility.” The one factor, De León mentioned, that gave consolation throughout his arduous occasions was “a neighborhood of angels” who got here to him with encouraging phrases “I really feel I hardly deserve.”

It will’ve been a superb train in contrition — if any of it was actual.

As a result of, you see, within the midst of this forgive-me farce, De León reiterated that, nope, he’s going to remain in his seat regardless of practically your entire Democratic institution, from fellow councilmembers to U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) to even President Biden, asking for his resignation.

Martinez, who uttered probably the most offensive feedback, has resigned, whereas Cedillo stays in workplace.

To Krekorian, De León wrote that resigning could be “solely an answer that advantages me — not the individuals who elected me to signify them.”

To CBS Los Angeles, he mentioned he wished to “assist heal the injuries which have existed for therefore a few years, if not many years.”

In the meantime, he instructed Krauze that resigning wouldn’t assist anybody in his working-class district “as a result of there’s nonetheless lots of work forward” with “COVID, unemployment, the specter of evictions and the humanitarian disaster of homelessness.”

His stance was traditional Kevin: self-serving, messianic and calculating.

He’s leaning on his popularity as a Latino political large — longtime immigrant rights and labor activist, former assemblymember and head of the California Senate — in betting that some will cool their ire as a result of they want somebody who is aware of the right way to get issues carried out for Latinos. He’s banking that his overwhelmingly Latino constituents are far sufficient faraway from Metropolis Corridor to not care a lot in regards to the controversy.

And he thinks that if he casts stones at Martinez and Cedillo, the general public will overlook his sins.

I’ve met Kevin a few occasions through the years and discover him smarter than most. He’s humorous, hardworking and constant. That’s why I don’t underestimate his technique — in reality, it’s slowly unspooling as I write.

A gaggle of Latino males confirmed up exterior De León’s home this week demanding that Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles protesters “give him his house.” Different supporters plan a rally this Saturday in East Los Angeles, which isn’t in De León’s district — however irrespective of. “Sadly,” a Fb posting promoting the occasion reads, “political opposition has created a media circus to scale back the variety of Latino councilmen which can cut back the providers going to our neighborhood.”

Pals who’ve lengthy labored with De León on a lot of his signature causes — local weather change, turning California right into a sanctuary state for immigrants, gun management, however particularly Latino illustration in California’s corridors of energy — maintain calling me to argue that to lose him now could be an incalculable blow at a time when Latinos can least afford it. Some have even ridiculously described what has occurred to him, Martinez and Cedillo as little higher than an execution.

My response, moreover slapping down the comparability, is to level out that this episode has illuminated the worst of De León’s tendencies, which he shares with one other embattled Latino elected official, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva.

The huge chips on their shoulders consistently sink their ambition — and put the individuals they serve in danger.

Within the grand scheme of the tape, De León didn’t say the worst issues. He did name Councilmember Mike Bonin the “fourth Black councilmember” who “gained’t f—ing ever say peep about Latinos. He’ll by no means say a f—ing phrase about us.”

He additionally in contrast Black political energy to the Wizard of Oz — the concept that it’s not all it’s made out to be. And he instructed each CBS Los Angeles and Univision that when he in contrast Bonin’s Black son to a Louis Vuitton purse, it was truly meant as a jab towards Martinez’s style for luxurious items — a face-saving low blow towards a former ally.

No, what struck me probably the most about De León is how aggrieved he’s.

The leaked tape caught him whining about how individuals criticized him for holding a celebration at Walt Disney Live performance Corridor to mark his ascension as Senate president professional tem “as a result of we as Latinos — whether or not you’re labor otherwise you’re within the political house — we’re not alleged to fill these positions.” White individuals would have been OK with the social gathering if he’d had it at El Pueblo, Olvera Avenue, Roosevelt Excessive or Pacoima, he mentioned.

He talked about white individuals six occasions, from “little white girl” to “white individuals will lower you in a heartbeat” and the “white liberal world.”

He claimed that when white politicians get caught in corruption, “they work out some s—.” (Somebody inform that to Mitch Englander.)

It’s a aspect of De León I’ve seen from the beginning — one I all the time felt was beneath his skills.

After I interviewed him for my 2019 podcast on Proposition 187, the 1994 anti-immigrant poll initiative that impressed a technology of Latino activists like De León to run for workplace, one of many first issues he mentioned was how racist The Instances had been for endorsing the measure. I replied that whereas I agreed that the paper was terribly flawed, The Instances of at this time was vastly totally different.

He moved on.

Throughout a mayoral candidate debate on homelessness this month co-hosted by The Instances and KCRW, De León punted on a troublesome query by my co-moderator Anna Scott by enjoying the dumb Latino immigrant. “No hablo ingles,” he mentioned — I don’t converse English.

After I responded in Spanish to inform him to, effectively, reply in Spanish, all of us laughed — however he nonetheless didn’t reply the query.

This isn’t the idealistic son of a housekeeper from Guatemala, who completed a lot in his profession. This can be a control-hungry pol who believes his personal hype — he even talked about himself within the third particular person to CBS Los Angeles.

Is that this actually what Los Angeles wants proper now? Is that this actually the very best that Latinos can elect? What De León is doing isn’t an instance in management — it’s a lesson in the right way to gaslight a metropolis.

The 55-year-old De León plans to serve out his time period, which ends in 2024, and probably run once more as he plots one other go at larger workplace, after unsuccessful bids for U.S. Senate in 2018 and L.A. mayor this yr. Exterior of a recall, there’s nothing anybody can do about it.

So I’ll go away him with what he instructed me in 2019 about how the California Republican Social gathering was flawed to gamble its political future on Proposition 187. The measure handed convincingly however was later invalidated and finally destroyed the social gathering.

“It was short-term delirium for long-term, in perpetuity, ache,” De León mentioned. “And I inform my Republican colleagues, ‘If I can provide you some free recommendation, take it for what it’s price. I feel it’s good recommendation: This doesn’t find yourself effectively for you.’ ”

Kevin, are you listening to your self?