Global Courant
Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian said Tuesday night that he is deciding to suspend Councilman Curren Price, hours after Price was charged by the LA County District Attorney’s Office with 10 counts of embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest.
Price called the allegations against him “baseless.”
Krekorian said he planned to introduce a motion to suspend Price at Wednesday’s council meeting. If it is initially approved by the council, the motion will then be heard in the council’s rules committee before returning to the full council for another vote, meaning there will be no final decision at Wednesday’s meeting.
The rules committee — which Price previously served on — typically meets on the first Friday of each month, but Krekorian spokesman Hugh Esten said the committee would schedule a special meeting to discuss the matter as soon as possible.
The process will likely take “days, not weeks,” Esten said.
“This process will give the council ample opportunity to consider all issues, including the nature of the charges filed and the impact of suspension on the people of the Ninth District,” Krekorian said in his statement. “At the same time, we will begin a process of outreach to the people of the district to hear what action they believe is most appropriate to ensure that they are not harmed by a possible vacancy of this council seat and that they continue to provide services. from their municipal office.”
Earlier on Tuesday night, Price resigned his committee duties and leadership position on the board.
Price, a three-time member whose district extends from South Los Angeles to the southern edge of downtown LA, had served as pro tempore chairman of the board since late October. As Krekorian’s second-in-command, Price occasionally presided over council meetings while Krekorian was absent, as was the case for much of Tuesday’s regular meeting.
“As I navigate the judicial system defending my name against unwarranted charges brought against me, the last thing I want to do is distract people’s business,” Price said in a letter to Krekorian Tuesday night. He described it as a “painful decision” that he conveyed with “deepest regret”.
Price is accused of having a financial interest in development projects he voted for and receiving tens of thousands of dollars in city medical benefits for his current wife while still married to another woman, according to a statement from the district attorney’s office.
Until Tuesday evening, the seasoned politician had several plum commission assignments. He chaired the Committee on Economic and Community Development and served as Vice Chair of the powerful Budget, Finance and Innovation Committee. He also sat on the Committee on Civil Rights, Justice, Immigration, Aging and Disabilities; the personnel, audit and application committee; and the Committee on Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations.
Price also chaired the ad hoc committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which met shortly after the charges were filed Tuesday afternoon, with Price notably absent from the chamber.
Krekorian’s office did not immediately respond when asked how the chairman of the board planned to reassign Price’s committee assignments.
Price said in his letter to Krekorian, “I have had no greater privilege than serving the people of Los Angeles and especially the residents of District 9 and I look forward to having the opportunity to continue to be a strong voice for our culturally rich South. Central, a part of our city that has long been disenfranchised, overlooked and forgotten.”
Price’s term does not expire until 2026. City council members have voted twice in the past three years to suspend other members facing criminal charges. Price would permanently lose his seat if convicted of a felony under city rules.
