LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti Tuesday asked Chief of Staff Ana Guerrero to step down after inappropriate comments made in a private Facebook group came to light.
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 23: Mayor Eric Garcetti's Chief of Staff, Ana Guerrero speaks at the 2017 Farmworker Justice Awards on February 23, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images)
According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, Guerrero criticized and made those comments about several state leaders back in 2016 and 2017 in the private group named, "Solid Gold."
According to the Times, the group was invite-only and included several of Garcetti's staffers, appointees and supporters.
In the posts, Guerrero allegedly said, "I hate her," when speaking about labor icon Dolores Huerta and used a Spanish term that translates to "jealous old lady." Guerrero also reportedly posted insults about a former aide to Councilman Mike Bonin making derogatory comments about his weight among other insults and comments about other local leaders.
Garcetti said he first learned of the private posts Tuesday and said he asked Guerrero to step away from her executive management responsibilities in the office, saying in a statement that the posts were, "wrong and do not reflect the values that I expect from members of my administration nor do they reflect the deep feelings of respect and friendship that I hold for the affected individuals."
He went on to say that he was a "big believer in second chances and in teachable moments of both growth and reconciliation. Ana has been an important part of the work we have done at City Hall and has exceptional talents, and it is my hope that she can grow from this experience."
Guerrero also released a statement calling her comments offensive and wrong and stating that she "deeply" regretted making them.
"This experience and the embarrassment it has caused for me and others is a hard lesson about how this kind of behavior, whether in public or private, is unacceptable and can have profound consequences," the statement continued.
The news comes at a tough time for the mayor's office. Last July, an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Garcetti's former Deputy Chief of Staff Rick Jacobs.
Garcetti Asks Chief Of Staff Ana Guerrero To Step Down Over Facebook Comments
/ CBS LA
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti Tuesday asked Chief of Staff Ana Guerrero to step down after inappropriate comments made in a private Facebook group came to light.
According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, Guerrero criticized and made those comments about several state leaders back in 2016 and 2017 in the private group named, "Solid Gold."
According to the Times, the group was invite-only and included several of Garcetti's staffers, appointees and supporters.
In the posts, Guerrero allegedly said, "I hate her," when speaking about labor icon Dolores Huerta and used a Spanish term that translates to "jealous old lady." Guerrero also reportedly posted insults about a former aide to Councilman Mike Bonin making derogatory comments about his weight among other insults and comments about other local leaders.
Garcetti said he first learned of the private posts Tuesday and said he asked Guerrero to step away from her executive management responsibilities in the office, saying in a statement that the posts were, "wrong and do not reflect the values that I expect from members of my administration nor do they reflect the deep feelings of respect and friendship that I hold for the affected individuals."
He went on to say that he was a "big believer in second chances and in teachable moments of both growth and reconciliation. Ana has been an important part of the work we have done at City Hall and has exceptional talents, and it is my hope that she can grow from this experience."
Guerrero also released a statement calling her comments offensive and wrong and stating that she "deeply" regretted making them.
"This experience and the embarrassment it has caused for me and others is a hard lesson about how this kind of behavior, whether in public or private, is unacceptable and can have profound consequences," the statement continued.
The news comes at a tough time for the mayor's office. Last July, an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Garcetti's former Deputy Chief of Staff Rick Jacobs.
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