One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
LA City Councilmember Curren Price faces two more corruption charges. Here's what we know
Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren D. Price, Jr. at a council meeting in April, 2025.
(
Samanta Helou Hernandez
/
LAist
)
Topline:
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has filed two new public corruption charges against L.A. City Councilmember Curren Price.
The charges: The D.A. said in a statement Tuesday that prosecutors filed the charges after uncovering evidence that the city’s housing authority and LA Metro paid Price’s wife more than $800,000 at the same time Price voted to award the agencies multimillion-dollar contracts.
What the D.A. says: “Embezzling public funds and awarding contracts for your own financial gain is the antithesis of public service,” District Attorney Nathan Hochman said. “Self-dealing and pay-to-play politics will not be tolerated in Los Angeles County.”
What about Price? A Price spokesperson called the latest charges nothing more than an attempt to “pile on to a weak case.” The spokesperson told LAist there is no evidence that Price was aware of the alleged conflicts when he voted for the projects. Price represents the 9th Council District, which includes USC, Exposition Park and neighborhoods south of downtown L.A.
The Backstory: Price, 74, was already facing five felony counts of embezzlement of government funds, three felony counts of perjury and two felony counts of conflict of interest related to votes he took on projects that benefitted his wife. Price has pleaded not guilty to those charges.
What’s next: Price is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday.
Sponsored message
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
