Part 173: The LA Fed Tapes on Appeal - Can the Watergate of Los Angeles Be Solved?
Published May 24, 2025.
By Zachary Ellison, Independent Journalist
The scheduled potential June jury trial for Kevin de León in his case against the two accused leakers of the LA Fed Tapes has been stayed pending appeal. Uncovered by the media, the latest filing is largely a rehash of prior proceedings last summer, during which defendants Santos Leon and Karla Vasquez failed to prevail in initial proceedings contesting the liability claim. The two former employees of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO (the LA Fed), perhaps the most politically powerful labor union in the City of Angels, have different attorneys representing them. Vasquez’s firm is currently working on a replacement following the death of attorney Jeffrey Zinder from natural causes. The matter pending now in the California Second Appellate District is case number B341428. Will it reveal any new facts, though?
Both Leon and Vasquez have strenuously denied responsibility for the recordings, which captured the prominent Kevin de León, recently elected to the Los Angeles City Council, in discussion with former City Council President Nury Martinez, former Councilmember Gil Cedillo, and the former President of the LA Fed, Ron Herrera, engaged in an inflammatory discussion about redistricting in Los Angeles and the Mark Ridley-Thomas criminal investigation. The MRT case is similarly pending appeal still before the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals after he was convicted of bribery, fraud, and conspiracy. Leon and Vasquez have been cleared of criminal responsibility by both the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office and the District Attorney’s office following a lengthy investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department. MRT was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and tried by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Link: https://zacharyellison.substack.com/p/part-173-the-la-fed-tapes-on-appeal