Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has asked his chief of staff to step down in the wake of disparaging comments made against legendary labor leader Dolores Huerta in a private Facebook group.
The comments posted in the group by Ana Guerrero, reported by the Los Angeles Times, were under a photo of Huerta in 2016. The post was made in the invite-only "Solid Gold" Facebook group, which includes several of Garcetti's staffers, appointees and supporters.
Guerrero wrote: “I hate her. You hate her” and “Viejita envidiosa!,” which translates to “Jealous old lady.”
According to The Times, state Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, former Assembly Speaker John Pérez and Los Angeles City Councilman Gil Cedillo were also criticized in the private Facebook group.
Garcetti issued a statement saying that said he had asked Guerrero to “step away from her executive management responsibilities in the office.”
In a statement Guerrero called her comments “offensive and wrong.” She also apologized to her colleagues and to “anyone in my life who looks up to and depends on me to set an example for leadership.”
Last week, The Times initially reported that Guerrero allegedly posted insults and sexual innuendos about other city employees in the group, including Director of Planning Vince Bertoni, a former aide to Councilman Mike Bonin, City Controller Ron Galperin and County Assessor Jeffrey Prang.
The mayor's office then issued a statement by Guerrero that read, in part:
"These years-old posts were jokes between me and a small group of close friends, and they were never meant to be seen outside that context ... I deeply regret engaging in this type of humor, even with close friends."
The Times' reporting comes amid a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by Los Angeles Police Department Officer Matthew Garza against Garcetti's former deputy chief of staff Rick Jacobs.