Los Angeles City Councilmembers Curren Price and Kevin de León have been embroiled in separate scandals, and in a decision announced Wednesday, City Council President Paul Crecoli Ann (Paul Krekorian) took them back to several committees.
Price, who represents parts of South Los Angeles, voluntarily resigned from the committee after being charged in June with corruption, perjury and conflicts of interest. He has repeatedly declared his innocence.
De León, whose district includes part of the East Side, appeared in a secretly recorded conversation that contained racist and sexist remarks that became public in October 2022. Chairman Mitch O’ removed from all committees.
De León, now running for a second term in the Nov. 5 election, has apologized to voters for what he said and did not say during the conversation.
In a letter to City Clerk Holly Wolcott, Krekorian said he has appointed de León to four committees: housing and homelessness, trade and tourism, energy and environment and transportation issues. De Leon also retained his seat on the Referral Powers Committee. De Leon spokesman Pete Brown said the group has not met since de Leon joined in 2022.
In a letter to each council member, Krekorian said he has appointed Price to serve on committees that oversee public safety, trade and tourism, civil rights and personnel issues.
These changes are effective immediately. Krekorian, who has sole authority to assign committee assignments, offered no explanation and his office had no immediate comment.
The announcement represents a sharp shift from the period following the audio leak. De Leon has faced widespread calls to resign over his involvement in conversations with two other city council members and a union leader that included racial comments about then-Councilman Mike Bonin, who is white, and Bonin’s son, who is white. ism and derogatory remarks.
Two weeks after the audio became public, Krekorian wrote de Leon a letter saying the city would not “begin the healing process” until he resigned from office. By this time, Council President Nury Martinez had resigned over her role in the recorded conversation.
“You cannot legislate effectively as a member of this body,” Krekorian wrote at the time.
De León issued a statement Wednesday saying he was pleased with the changes.
“These specific missions are especially important to the residents of my district, and I look forward to helping craft policies that will deliver tangible benefits to my constituents and Angelenos across Los Angeles,” he said.
Price said he was “extremely honored” to accept the new committee appointment.
“I am ready to re-engage and participate in key decisions that will have a significant impact on the current and future landscape of Los Angeles,” he said in a statement.
Los Angeles County prosecutors charged Price with perjury, saying he failed to disclose his wife’s business dealings with developers of projects he voted for. They accuse him of violating conflict of interest laws by voting in favor of affordable housing projects by two of the developers between 2019 and 2021. When their marriage is not legally binding.
Unrig LA organizer Rob Quan expressed disappointment with the council president’s move, saying he didn’t understand what had changed with Price and de Leon. Quan, whose organization focuses on anti-corruption efforts in City Hall, said it would be “highly inappropriate” to place Price, who faces 10 felony charges, on a City Council committee responsible for law enforcement.
Quan also said it was “baffling” that de León was given a seat on so many committees.
“The committee really doesn’t seem to have any standards or any type of consistency,” he said.
Price faced serious political risks last year. Two of his former colleagues — Jose Huizal and Mark Ridley-Thomas — were suspended after facing felony charges. Price has publicly argued that he should not have been suspended and said he is innocent.
A council committee that recommended such disciplinary measures ultimately took no action.
De León, who is seeking a second four-year term, placed second in the March 5 primary behind tenants’ rights attorney Ysabel Jurado.
On Wednesday, his re-election campaign announced that he had received the endorsement of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Locals 13 and 63, which represent more than 8,000 workers in the region.
