The Difference With Curren Price (And Other Headlines)

In a little over three years, we Angelenos have seen our fair share of scandals from our city leaders. The latest, of course, being Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price who was charged with corruption a couple weeks ago.

What charges against Curren Price mean for his district

Price is the fourth sitting member of the council to face charges in recent years. What’s different is how the community and his colleagues on the council have responded. Unlike past situations, like with Mark Ridley-Thomas, the council’s Rules Committee voted to pause on a suspension of Price from his seat. This followed a rally from his supporters just the day before.

Sure, there’s been criticism from some of his constituents in District 9. One man told my colleague Frank Stoltze that Price should resign, arguing he favored developers over residents. But others said Price has shown a commitment to his community’s economic well-being.

But wait. Let’s pause.

Why are they handling Price’s case differently?

My colleague How to LA podcast host Brian De Los Santos spoke with Frank, the civics & democracy correspondent at LAist, and Erika D. Smith, a politics columnist at the Los Angeles Times, about why the city council is slowing the process down with Price. Frank noted to Brian that Paul Krekorian, the city council president, said the council moved too quickly in previous cases and that “the DA has not, in his words, presented one iota of evidence against Price.”

But politics are at play. In past cases with Ridley-Thomas and José Huizar, their districts were left without a voting member to represent constituents for months after their suspensions. This matters even more when you consider the fact that Price is one of only two elected Black city council members in a city that has a dwindling Black population.

Smith, who recently wrote about whether Price's indictment is another blow to Black political power in the city, said council members saw how the Ridley-Thomas’ case unfolded. “I don't think anybody really wanted to repeat that trauma in Council District 9,” Smith said.

Smith also pointed out that Price’s district is low-income and economically vulnerable. “I don't think anybody on the council wants to be seen as disenfranchising some of the poorest people in the city,” Smith said, “particularly people of color in the district who are majority Latino.”

For now, things remain on hold with Price. He is expected to be arraigned in L.A. Superior Court in mid-July. We’ll be watching at LAist to see how this all unfolds.

To further understand the impact of the charges against Price and the effect on his district and the wider Black community in L.A., listen to the rest of Brian’s conversations with Frank and Erika Smith in the How To LA podcast.

Stay safe and cool, L.A. There’s more news below — just keep reading.

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(After you stop hitting snooze)

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• Looking for something to do this weekend? Attend Friday Nights with Basquiat at The Grand LA. Dance the night away at Dance DTLA’s salsa night at the Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center. Cosplay as your favorite character at the Anime Expo 2023 inside the L.A. Convention Center. Check out more cool events on this weekend’s Best Things To Do list.

Wait! One more thing...

Cheap Fast Eats hits up Inglewood

A selection of wings and fries at Wings 2 Go in Inglewood.

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Brian Feinzimer

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LAist

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The Forum. The Wood. Issa Rae.

Inglewood is known for a lot of things. It’s one of my all time favorite cities in Los Angeles County. As you likely know by now, I LOVE Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen, and my Keep It Run Hundred run club meets at Sip & Sonder down the block from Hilltop. I’ve also highlighted Salt Eaters, a Black-woman owned bookstore that’s around the corner. Inglewood is the place where I feel at home.

Then there is the grub. Gab Chabrán, our resident foodie at LAist, traveled there recently with Brian De Los Santos in the latest How To LA podcast episode. Together, my colleagues explored some delicious (and of course CHEAP!) bites around the city, like the lemon pepper ATL Special wings at Wings 2 Go on Crenshaw. Gab describes the first bite in a way that I can’t do justice:

“Upon the first transformative bite of a wing, suddenly you’re Jordan after clinching his first NBA finals win in 1991, celebrating in ecstasy. The sticky, crunch-fried wing is drenched in the perfect amount of sauce and then sprinkled with galactic bits of salty-citrusy lemon pepper seasoning that will leave your lips tingling.”

If you’re now starving for some wings — or some curried goat on rice, carnitas or barbeque — read and listen to Gab’s recommendations in the latest edition of Cheap Fast Eats.