Dear friends,
At no time have I ever condoned or defended racism or the use of racially offensive language, and under no circumstances is such conduct acceptable. Period.
When news about the bigoted, hateful comments by our elected officials broke, I condemned the behavior, rejected the endorsements of Nury Martinez and Gil Cedillo, and called for their resignations. There is no space for hate in our City. I expect the highest level of ethics and professionalism from our leaders, and their language and behavior does not align with me, this campaign, or the expectations of CD11 constituents.
In my own campaign, Mr. Bonin and Mr. Darling have fixated on a case that involved an allegation about use of a racially offensive term. As an attorney, my job is to review allegations and assess the facts and evidence supporting those allegations. In my communications with the court, I acknowledged this was a very serious allegation. I am a partner in a women and minority-owned firm, I serve as the chair of our DEI-Civic Engagement Committee, and I have spent the bulk of my career training employees about proper workplace conduct.
In their attack ads, Mr. Darling and Mr. Bonin have attempted to paint a different picture by putting words in my mouth that are in fact legal holdings written by judges. Their attacks are false and misleading, and they both know better.
Erin Darling is a criminal defense lawyer who defends rapists, murderers, pedophiles, drug traffickers, and more – for personal profit. But just as I do not condone racist language or behavior, I expect that Mr. Darling does not condone child pornography, rape, or murder – even though he represents clients accused of those acts. It is absurd to attribute the alleged misconduct of either a criminal defendant or civil litigant to the lawyer whose job it is to represent them.
At a time when our City is shaken from the abhorrent behavior of some of our most trusted elected officials, while people are calling for unity and healing, Mr. Bonin and Mr. Darling are exploiting the moment for personal political gain. It’s shameful, and voters should see it for what it is: a desperate attempt to distract from the fact that Mike Bonin created the mess on the Westside, and Erin Darling has no plans to clean it up.
My entire campaign is built around inclusivity, and I am dedicated to representing ALL the people in our District, and all the people in our City, while holding myself to the highest standards of conduct.