LA Council Defers Curren Price Suspension Decision Amid Development-Related Scandal
Whether Los Angeles City Council Member Curren Price will be suspended from the council following felony charges of embezzlement and perjury won't be determined until at least August after a council committee voted Friday to hold off on a decision.
Price was the subject of a complaint filed by the district attorney earlier this month focused largely on his votes to give funding to affordable housing projects developed by companies that his wife was consulting for, the Los Angeles Times reported. Developers GTM Holdings and Thomas Safran & Associates are named in the complaint.
The charges also relate to medical benefits Price's wife received at the city's expense before the couple married, according to a release from the district attorney's office.
By holding its vote until the next scheduled meeting of the council's Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee in August, the committee will have time to get a report back on ways to ensure that constituents of Price's district wouldn't lose council representation if he were suspended.
Council Member Paul Krekorian, who chairs the committee, said public commenters raised numerous consequences that would come from suspending Price, including the repercussions on the Angelenos living in his district.
"What happens to the district if a member that represents that district is suspended?" Krekorian asked. "What happens to delivery of services? What happens to advocacy with city departments? Where is [their] voting voice on the floor of the city council?"
Price represents a district that flanks the 110 Freeway, largely south of the 10 Freeway, though it includes a sliver of Downtown that holds the Crypto.com Arena and the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Council Member Marqueece Harris-Dawson said the charges against Price come as the city council is considering reforms to the city charter regarding the redistricting process.
"We have a situation where you're going to have less representation from this community and this part of the city during a time when critical decisions are being made that will last for at least 10 years," Harris-Dawson said. "All those things have to be taken into account before we move."
Three other sitting or former council members have faced legal action in the last four years, the LA Times reported.
Earlier this year, Council Member Mark Ridley-Thomas was found guilty in federal court of conspiracy, bribery and fraud relating to benefits his son received from the University of Southern California as he was voting favorably for issues affecting the school. Former Council Members Jose Huizar and Mitchell Englander have also pleaded guilty to charges ranging from racketeering to lying to federal officials.
Last year, a scandal erupted following the release of audio featuring three then-council members using racist language to describe constituents and colleagues and their families. The audio leak resulted in the resignation of then-Council President Nury Martinez.
