LA City Council President Paul Krekorian To Propose A Suspension Of Councilman Curren Price

Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian announced on Wednesday that he will be proposing a suspension of Councilman Curren Price due to the 10 criminal charges he is facing, making it the third such proposal the Council has dealt with since 2020.

The first suspension, of former Councilman Jose Huizar in 2020, led to his resignation over a scandal in which he had taken over $1.5 million from mainland China developers for approving buildings. The FBI bribery and racketeering case also resulted in him being charged with violating the RICO act.

A year later, the Council suspended then Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas over a bribery scandal in which he gave $100,000 to the USC School of Social Work through his political campaign fund. In turn, the school’s dean, Marilyn Flynn, sent the money to a think tank run by his son, Sebastian Ridley-Thomas. His son, who was a state Assemblyman from 2013 until 2017 when he resigned after sexual harassment allegations came to light, was to get benefits from USC, such as a graduate school admission and a scholarship, in exchange for the elder Ridley-Thomas to support contracts between the County and USC. Ultimately, Ridley-Thomas was  indicted on one count of conspiracy, one count of bribery, two counts of honest services mail fraud, and fifteen counts of honest services wire fraud.

This time around, the proposed suspension of Price is over Price’s wife Del Richardson collecting around $150,000 in payments between 2019 and 2021 from developers before Price was able to vote on approval for their projects, with the money then not being recorded on government disclosure forms. In addition, city funds amounting to $34,000 also went to medical bills for his then soon-to-be wife Richardson while Price was still married to another woman. On Tuesday, Price was charged with five counts of embezzlement of government funds, three counts of perjury and two counts of conflict of interest by LA County DA George Gascon.

However, unlike the first two times in which a suspension vote came quickly after criminal charges came about, Krekorian said on Wednesday that, instead of an immediate vote, they would first wait to hear from Price instead. In addition, he also stressed on hearing from constituents on what the consequences of his suspension, as well as possible following resignation, would have on the district.

“I think it’s important that we say, right at the outset of all of this, that the presumption of innocence is not just a handy catchphrase,” noted Krekorian on Wednesday. “It is a bedrock principle of the United States of America and our Constitution and it will be a bedrock principle going forward as a council. This will not be a process that will be rushed through, as has happened in the past.”

A “slower approach” with Price

Despite Krekorian wanting to take a slower approach with Price, other Councilmembers noted on Wednesday that they would likely be voted for suspension due to his numerous crimes.

“My role is not to cast judgments here,” added Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez, “But when the time comes, I plan to join my colleagues in voting to suspend Mr. Price from his role as council member.”

So far, Price has only voluntarily left all leadership positions and left all committee assignments. However, unless he voluntarily resigns, there is no way he can be removed, as the Council does not have that power. The Council, according to the City Charter, can only suspend him once he has been charged with a felony. If he is convicted of a felony, then he would be automatically removed.

However, the reason why Krekorian is hesitating at an immediate suspension vote is that only resignations can trigger a special election to replace them, such as the special election earlier this year in Nury Martinez’s former district that occurred after she resigned last year in the wake of the racist recording scandal.  Instead, a suspension or conviction removal would lead to a caretaker members to be appointed. For the Council, this has been a nightmare in recent years due to Ridley-Thomas’ former seat having gone through several candidates but none sticking for long, resulting in the loss of a vote on the Council for the district for almost two years.

“Krekorian is pushing for a better look at due process, which actually isn’t that bad,” Los Angeles law researcher Jill Rodriguez told the Globe on Wednesday. “But the way that they’re doing it, by not having a suspension vote immediately, is also harmful. It’s looking like they are giving Price special treatment now, and that isn’t great.”

“The City Council really does not want yet another huge scandal, as they have gone through so many already, and are trying to take this one slow to combat that image. But it is likely only going to delay the inevitable, as most Councilmembers seem eager to suspend Price. And from the sound of things, there seems to be real no interim Councilmember plan in place, so expect a lot of arguments on that front should he be suspended.”

“It’s a mess for sure.”

More on the Price charges is expected to be released soon.