AG Bonta Declines to Prosecute Former LA Supe Sheila Kuehl, Giggans

Former Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl and her long-time friend Patti Giggans were given a pass on potential corruption charges by Attorney General Rob Bonta Wednesday.

Based on whistleblower allegations, former Los Angeles County sheriff Alex Villanueva launched an investigation into Kuehl’s involvement in the awarding of a “no bid” contract to a “non-profit” run by Giggans to run a hotline people could call if they were sexually harassed on the LA Metro system.

The Giggans nonprofit – called Peace Over Violence – got an incredibly small number of calls, with at least one review putting the cost at the per-call cost at about $8,450. The contract, plus its renewal, cost Metro about $800,000.

The allegation led to an early  morning search of Kuehl’s home in 2022 by sheriff’s investigators, a raid she was reportedly tipped off about by county Inspector General Max Huntsman.

Bonta’s announcement Wednesday did not reference the Huntsman’s aspect which, if true, would be at  least a gross ethical violation of the strictures of is supposedly politically independent position:

“…the California Department of Justice (DOJ) has concluded that there is insufficient evidence to support the filing of charges based on the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) awarding of a sole-source contract to POV, or on the campaign contributions received by Supervisor Kuehl from persons affiliated with POV. The investigation included looking into whether individuals had committed a crime in giving advance warning of the search warrants that were executed by Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office on September 14, 2022 to Sheila Kuehl and Patricia Giggans, but insufficient evidence was found to charge anyone with a crime. “

One additional  note – Huntsman has been noted as being potentially involved in the filing of the felony charges against Los Angeles County Assistant District Attorney Diana Teran.

For background, it has been reported  that former LA  County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl allegedly steered public funds to her close friend Patricia Giggans and her nonprofit group, securing her a series of no-bid contracts worth a total of more than $800,000 from Metro, the county’s transit arm, to operate a sex-harassment hotline for Metro riders and employees.

The hotline reportedly  received so few calls the cost averaged out to more than $8,000 per call.

The Metro investigation was sparked by an internal whistleblower who questioned a payment on the contract and was told by then-Metro CEO Phil Washington to pay the bill so he could continue to be in the “good graces” of Kuehl.

After the Sheriff’s Office raid, the case was almost immediately taken over by the Attorney General’s office.

It should be noted that while AG Bonta and La County District Attorney George Gascon were getting along – i.e. that Gascon was  politically toxic – he let one of Gascon’s minions slide.

While Gascon has become a liability, it seems Bonta – who is looking at the governor’s chair – thinks the former child actor Kuehl and her local political friends could be a plus in his 2026 run.

As Bonta is from northern California, he needs all the local help he can get.