LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles City Council members called on TV and radio broadcasters to keep their hosts from spewing crude slurs, citing KFI radio calling Whitney Houston a "crack ho."

The council voted 13-2 on Wednesday for a resolution urging Los Angeles stations to do "everything in their power to ensure that their on-air hosts do not use and promote racist and sexist slurs over public airwaves."

The resolution stems from comments made by KFI talk show hosts John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou of the “John and Ken Show” who, three days after Whitney Houston died, referred to the pop music icon as a “crack ho.”

Read NBCLosAngeles.com's coverage of council's mission to cut racist remarks

“It is easy to become desensitized to what other groups find intolerable which ultimately fosters an environment where negative comments can go unchecked and corporate guidelines and policies are no longer being enforced,” the resolution stated.

The resolution also states that it important for stations to hire more women and minorities.

The measure is a symbolic stance and has no legal force. However, council members argued that it was proper for the ethnically diverse city to speak out against what they called hate speech.

Government has no right to suppress "hateful, vile, despicable speech" but society should not tolerate it, Councilman Paul Krekorian said. "We can drown out that hatred with a loud chorus."

The measure was sponsored by three black council members and supported by civil rights and minority media groups. It was broadened after originally naming only KFI-AM and its owner, Clear Channel, which carries Rush Limbaugh and owns hundreds of stations nationwide.

The comments led to a public outcry, a seven-day suspension for the hosts and a public apology.

"They brought Latinos, African Americans, native Americans, women's groups -- everyone together around this particular issue," said Jasmyne Cannick, of the Black Media Alliance, who urged the council to pass the resolution.

Station officials have promised to diversify their staff and add more minority hosts at the station where conservative hosts often rail against taxes and illegal immigration.

Clear Channel Los Angeles and KFI responded with the following: We "support the LA City Council resolution regarding the need for diversity of personnel, inclusionary programming, and appropriate on-air language across all media."

The resolution also cited recent remarks by Limbaugh. Limbaugh called law student Sandra Fluke a "slut" and a prostitute who wanted the government to subsidize her sex life after she urged lawmakers to consider the importance of contraception coverage in their discussion of national health care policy. He later apologized after several sponsors dropped his show.

The station has 1.5 million listeners during any given weekday.

This story includes reporting from NBCLosAngeles.com’s Jason Kandel and Ted Chen, and The Associated Press.

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CHICAGO -- The president of a suburban youth baseball organization has been suspended for posting a racist rant on Facebook regarding the death of singer Whitney Houston.

Oak Lawn officials banned John Kelly from coaching for one year after a parent reportedly spotted the post by Kelly using the "n"-word, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Kelly used the racial slur to complain about the amount of media coverage Houston's death brought.

“I’m so sick of reading about this dumb stupid N - - - - - Whitney Houston,” read part of his Facebook post, according to the Sun-Times.

Read NBCChicago.com's coverage of coach's benching for racial slur

Kelly said his social media page was restricted to adult friends and family, but a former player’s mom spotted the comment and reposted it.

Since the posting, Kelly told the Sun-Times his life has been ruined. He said he's worried about the effect on his business and his kids being taunted. He claims he's not a racist and said he didn't realize he'd used the word in the post.

“I do stand behind everything I said except the ‘n’-word. I regret using that adjective,” he told the Sun Times. “Does that make me a racist? Are you kidding me? It was the farthest thing from my mind. I have some amazing friends who are black.”

This article includes reporting by NBCChicago.com and msnbc.com staff.

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A western Michigan man whose son was killed while serving in the military has burned a replica of New Jersey's flag to protest that state's decision to lower it in honor of performer Whitney Houston.

John Burri set the flag on fire Saturday on a grill outside his home in Wyoming, near Grand Rapids.

"It was $12.95 and it was the best money I ever spent," Burri told The Detroit News.

The 60-year-old Burri says lowering flags should be done for men and women who have given their lives in service to the United States.

"It was a slap in the face. It cheapens the meaning of lowering that flag," Burri told The Detroit News. "They're watering down the meaning of a hero."

Related: Whitney Houston laid to rest
Related: NJ governor doesn't back down on flag tribute

Army Specialist Eric Burri died in 2005 in Baghdad. Michigan flags were lowered in his honor.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie defended his decision to lower flags for Houston. Christie noted the 48-year-old icon was born in Newark and raised in nearby East Orange.

Houston died Feb. 11 in Beverly Hills, Calif.

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