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Rules Committee Delays Vote On Suspending Curren Price After Supporters Speak Out
Councilmember Curren D. Price Jr. speaks at A Day at the Museum with Rhiannon Giddens at The GRAMMY Museum in downtown Los Angeles.
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Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
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Getty Images North America
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Topline:
The L.A. City Council’s Rules Committee delayed a vote Friday on whether to suspend Councilmember Curren Price, who has been charged with public corruption. The delay occurred after a meeting where dozens of Price’s supporters spoke out against suspension and marked a victory for the embattled representative of South L.A.’s Ninth District.
The context: The delay is a sharp departure from how the council handled two previous council members accused of crimes. The council moved almost immediately to suspend former Councilmembers Jose Huizar and Mark Ridley-Thomas after they were indicted.
Why delay: Council President Paul Krekorian, who chairs the rules committee and described Price as a close personal friend, said the council moved “too quickly” in previous cases. He also said the lengthy federal indictments of Huizar and Ridley-Thomas included details of their alleged crimes. “We have not heard one iota of evidence to support these charges” against Price from L.A. District Attorney George Gascón, who is prosecuting the case. It should be noted local prosecutors typically don’t publicly release much evidence early in a case.
The backstory: Gascón has accused Price of embezzlement of public funds because his now-wife received city health benefits when they were not legally married. Price is also accused of failing to disclose that his wife worked for developers whose projects he voted to support. Price has said he is innocent.
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