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LA City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson. | Photo courtesy of New America/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
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The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday elected Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson as the new president pro tempore to replace Curren Price, who stepped down from the position and faces possible suspension from the council after being charged with embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest.
In a 12-0 vote, the council moved to appoint Harris-Dawson as president pro tempore with Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez and Price absent from the vote. Price was not in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting, and he will not attend any of the remaining meetings this week, according to his office.
“With that vote, I’m pleased to congratulate our new Council President Pro Tem Marqueece Harris-Dawson,” Council President Paul Krekorian said. “I’d like to ask you to come up on and take the desk.”
Krekorian introduced a motion last week calling for the council to have an election at the next available council meeting for the position, and further moved to tap Harris-Dawson for the post.
After being charged last week, Price announced his decision to step down as council president pro tempore and surrendered all of his committee assignments.
“While I navigate through the judicial system to defend my name against unwarranted charges filed against me, the last thing I want to do is be a distraction to the people’s business,” Price wrote in a letter to Krekorian.
In a statement, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said the charges against Price are the “result of a thorough investigation into allegation of public corruption.”
“This alleged conduct undermines the integrity of our government and erodes the public’s trust in our elected officials,” he added.
The charges allege that Price cast votes on projects involving developers with ties to his wife’s consulting firm. He’s also accused of embezzling money by having the city cover medical insurance premiums for his now-wife, even though Price was still married to his first wife at the time.
Price’s spokeswoman Angelina Valencia-Dumarot told City News Service last week that “Curren Price is a longstanding public servant who has given his life to the city of Los Angeles. He looks forward to defending himself once he’s had an opportunity to address these charges.”
Price, 72, has represented the 9th District, which includes most of South Los Angeles and the western part of downtown Los Angeles, since 2013. He previously served in the state Assembly and state Senate.
A motion to suspend Price altogether will also be heard at some point. The motion’s first step will be in the council’s Rules Committee, before returning to the full council for a vote.
Price is the latest Los Angeles city official to fall into legal or political turmoil. Former council members Jose Huizar and Mitch Englander have both pleaded guilty to federal charges in recent years, while Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas was convicted earlier this year of federal charges for trading votes during his time on the county Board of Supervisors in exchange for benefits provided by USC to his son.
Former City Council President Nury Martinez resigned last year after being caught on tape in a racially charged conversation with two other council members and a county labor official discussing the council’s redistricting process.
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