A key step in determining the political future of a long-time Los Angeles city councilmember facing criminal charges will be taken Friday when colleagues consider moving ahead with his suspension.
A council committee will forward its recommendation regarding Councilmember Curren Price, who has represented his district for 10 years, a day after supporters of the long-time Southern California politician demanded any decision on suspension be placed on hold as the legal process plays out. Price is facing charges of embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest.
The committee meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. He could become the third member of the council to be suspended in the last three years over criminal charges.
“This is our leader, this is our city councilor,” Dr. Jerry Abraham, a community physician, said Thursday during a news conference in South Los Angeles. “Let us be represented. Let us have a voice at the table so we can continue to do the work God has intended us to do — to help, to heal… to bring everyone together.”
Price, the Ninth District representative, and the community leaders at Thursday’s event insisted he should remain active on the council as he fights the corruption charges.
“I have lived my entire life in public service honorably and with no other focus than the best interests of my constituents,” Price said. “As such, I am eager to respond both to the misguided charges that have been filed against me, and the unfair aspersions that have been cast upon my wife. I am confident that the court, and any fair observers, will recognize that these charges are unwarranted.”
Price, 72, was charged June 13 and is accused of voting on projects in which he held a financial interest. His wife’s company allegedly received payments from projects that her husband voted to approve, according to prosecutors. He’s also accused of embezzling money by having the city cover medical insurance premiums for his now-wife, even though Price was still married to his first wife at the time.
Price has said he is not guilty of the accusations.
The Rules, Elections, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee decision will return to the full council for consideration.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Price has represented the Ninth District, which includes most of South Los Angeles and the western part of downtown Los Angeles, since 2013. He previously served in the state Assembly and state Senate.
On Tuesday, the council appointed Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson to replace him as president pro tempore. Price was not in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting, and he will not attend any of the remaining meetings this week, according to his office. Price earlier announced his decision to step down as council president pro tem and yield all of his committee assignments.
The allegations against Price add to the scandals plaguing City Hall. Former council members Jose Huizar and Mitch Englander have both pleaded guilty to federal charges in recent years, while Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas was convicted earlier this year of federal charges for trading votes during his time on the county Board of Supervisors in exchange for benefits provided by USC to his son.
Former City Council President Nury Martinez resigned last year after being caught on tape in a racially charged conversation with two other council members and a county labor official discussing the council’s redistricting process. Councilman Kevin De León, also part of the conversation that veered wildly into racist remarks about a now-former council members young Black adopted son, has refused calls to resign.
Source: NBC Los Angeles
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