Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday called for the resignation of Los Angeles City Council members who used crude and racist language during a private conversation about redistricting that became public two weeks ago.

“I think they should (resign),” Newsom said during a press briefing after Sunday’s gubernatorial debate in San Francisco.

Asked why he didn’t call for his resignation sooner, Newsom said he “wanted to give them space.”

“I wanted to give them an opportunity to justify what they said and an opportunity to be transparent about what they said,” Newsom said. “So we hope and look forward to the (resignation) announcement in the near future.”

The governor’s comments came two weeks after the Los Angeles Times published a tape of the conversation, and officials across the country called for those involved to resign. President Joe Biden called for his resignation on October 11.

The leaders recorded in the conversation were some of the most influential Latino politicians in California: former City Council President Nuri Martinez, City Councilman Gil Cedilla, City Councilman Kevin de Leon and former Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera.

In the conversation, they discussed how to preserve and expand Latino political power, including by diluting the black vote. California Attorney General’s Office Rob Bonta started an investigation in Los Angeles’ redistricting process, a once-a-decade legislative redistricting process.

Shortly after the release of the tape, Herrera resigned and Martinez resigned.

In an interview with Univision and the CBS Los Angeles affiliate last week, de Leon said he would not resign because he wanted to be part of the process of helping the city “heal” from the damage caused by racist speech.

This story was originally published October 23, 2022 at 3:29 p.m.