LA City Council committee tables motion to suspend Curren Price
On Friday, a Los Angeles City Council committee decided to table the suspension process for Councilman Curren Price after he was charged with a litany of white-collar crimes by the District Attorney earlier this month.
"I am pleased that the City Council's Rules Committee has delayed its vote, as I have not yet had the opportunity to answer the unwarranted charges against me in Court," said Price. "I hope that the Committee, and the full Council, will extend to me the same presumption of innocence that the law extends to me, and I look forward to proving my innocence."
The council's Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations committee gathered to consider the suspension motion at around 1:30 p.m. The suspension motion was first brought forward by Council President Paul Krekorian last week.
The committee will reconvene to discuss the matter at another time.
Price, who stepped down from his committee seats and as Council President Pro Tempore, issued a statement on Wednesday as he pushes back against the suspension efforts.
"Until I have had an opportunity to address the charges in court, it is inappropriate for the Rules, Elections, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee to recommend my suspension from the City Council," said Price. "While I respect that Council President Krekorian has to take any allegations against a member of the council seriously, I am presumed innocent, as indeed I am, and the best way to protect the voices and concerns of those in my District is to allow me and my dedicated staff to continue to serve the needs of District 9."
Price was charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office on June 13 with five counts of embezzlement, three counts of perjury and two counts of conflict of interest. Prosecutors claimed that the councilman had "financial interest in projects that he voted on" and that he had "the city pay for his now wife while he was still married to another woman."
The criminal complaint alleges that Price's wife received more than $150,000 from developers before the councilman voted to approve projects between 2019 and 2021. Prosecutors said he failed to list the money his wife received on government disclosure forms.
In addition to the alleged pay-to-play scheme, Price is accused of having the city pay $33,800 in medical coverage for his wife while he was still married to another woman.
Price was born and raised in the Los Angeles City Council District that he represents, District 9. He was elected to the council in 2013 and re-elected in 2017 and 2022.
"I have lived my entire life in public service honorably and with no other focus than the best interests of my constituents," the statement said. "As such, I am eager to respond both to the misguided charges that have been filed against me, and the unfair aspersions that have been cast upon my wife. I am confident that the court, and any fair observers, will recognize that these charges are unwarranted."
On Tuesday, the city council voted to appoint Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson to Price's empty seat as President Pro Tempore, a meeting which Price was not in attendance for.
He is the latest LA City Councilmember to fall into the public eye for legal or political turmoil. In recent years, former councilmembers Jose Huizar and Mitch Englander have both pleaded guilty to federal charges, and Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas was convicted earlier in 2023 on federal charges of trading votes during his time on the county's Board of Supervisors for benefits provided by the University of Southern California to his son.
In late-2022, Former City Council President Nury Martinez was forced to resign after she was involved in a racially-charged conversation that was leaked to the public, along with Councilmen Kevin de Leon and Gil Cedillo.