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In the latest chapter of Joe Bray-Ali's embattled run to unseat City Council incumbent Gil Cedillo, the candidate has admitted to cheating on his wife, not paying sales tax on his bike shop, and continuing to make inappropriate comments via his Facebook page. These revelations come after his history of making bigoted comments online came to light, leading to a number of revoked endorsements. Both the L.A. Times and Councilman Mitch O'Farrell rescinded their endorsements, as did the community bike activist coalition Bike the Vote L.A. Joe Bray-Ali initially gained his political prominence as a grassroots bike activist.
In his statement online, Bray-Ali writes, among other things:
- Flying Pigeon-LA, LLC owes the State Board of Equalization for a failure to pay an audit and several quarters of sales taxes. The amount is ~$48,000 the last time I bothered to open the envelope
- I slept with several other women from 2011 to 2014. Not my wife. For a time I even had a Tinder profile.
After revealing these new transgressions from his past, Bray-Ali explains how he believes this information is a distraction from the need to replace Gil Cedillo on City Council. He claims they do not reflect who he is as a person and candidate, adding "They are a verification that I am a human being with flaws, like everyone."
Bray-Ali spoke to LA Daily News and explained how his "reputation is already mud" and that he's "just trying to give people a viable option [besides Gil Cedillo]." He describes his desire to continue fighting for his campaign, reminding voters of his desire to "fight for affordable housing, make the streets clean and safe."
The runoff election is scheduled for May 16. District 1 includes most of Northeast Los Angeles and extends through downtown, Westlake, and Pico Union.
