Wave Staff and Wire Reports
LOS ANGELES — City Councilman Curren Price will again serve on City Council committees after being appointed to four committees May 8 by City Council President Paul Krekorian.
Price, who represents the 9th District, which consists of portions of South Los Angeles, had asked to be excused from his committee duties last June after he was indicted on charges of embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest. Price has vehemently denied the charges and maintains he is innocent of any wrongdoing. No trial date has been set.
Krekorian appointed Price to the civil rights, personnel, public safety, and trade and travel committees.
As the council president, Krekorian has the power to assign and structure the council’s committees.
“It’s a 15-seat council and there are 16 committees, each with three to seven members,” a statement issued by Krekorian’s office said. “With only 13 members working full time, some members have been serving on five or six committees.
“Having two members of the council sitting idle while collecting full pay was imposing on excessive workload on the other 12 and interfering with the work of the council,” the statement added.
Krekorian also restored Councilman Kevin de León to committees, appointing him to the energy and environment, housing and homelessness, trade and transportation committees.
De León also will serve on the Board of Referred Powers, which last met in 2022.
De León, who represents the 14th District, which stretches from downtown to the Eastside, was stripped of his committee duties by acting Council President Mitch O’Farrell in October 2022 following the release of a leaked audio recording, featuring racist and derogatory remarks by de Leon, two former council members and a labor official.
The councilman has apologized for his participating in that conversation, and is running for a second term in November.
Both council members issued statements in response to Krekorian’s action.
Price said he was “deeply honored” to return to his committee duties.
“Amidst mounting concerns among Angelenos regarding significant issues such as family safety, the broad-reaching effects of the upcoming 2028 Olympics and the future of immigrant communities, I feel privileged to have the opportunity to address these pressing matters and numerous others impacting our residents,” Price said.
De León said, “These specific assignments are particularly critical for residents of my district.”
Rob Quan, an organizer with Unrig LA, told the Los Angeles Times that he was disappointed with Krekorian’s action. Unrig LA is an organization that works to address corruption at City Hall.
Quan told The Times it was “highly inappropriate” to put Price on a council committee that deals with the Los Angeles Police Department and called it “baffling” to place de León on several committees.
