In a development sure to ripple through Los Angeles's political landscape, Councilmember Curren Price must now steel himself for a trial over a dozen felony public corruption charges, as confirmed by a County judge. The ruling, handed down following a six-day preliminary hearing, presented a decisive moment in a legal saga that has vocalized much about accountability at City Hall.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Shelly Torrealba saw fit to let all charges advance, impressive given the depth and complexity of allegations that paint Price as a councilmember entangled in ethics violations and financial improprieties that gave no quarter to the trust vested in his office. In a statement obtained by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman was clear, saying, "Our Public Integrity Division has been prepared to go to trial since the charges were originally filed."
Price, who has represented the 9th District since 2013 faces charges including embezzlement, conflict of interest, and perjury, revolving predominantly around votes on City Council projects where his now-wife, Delbra Pettice Richardson, reaped substantial financial benefits. Richardson’s own financial haul, evidence alleges, neared $1 million from developers and public agencies, even as her husband voted on contracts awash with their interests; Price's wife supposedly received more than $800,000 from the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles and LA Metro at the critical junctures of his approving multimillion-dollar deals for these entities.
The DA's office also cites Price's web of deceit involving falsified claims about marital status to secure city funds for medical benefits, along with leveraging his civic position to direct pandemic relief funds and city lease agreements unduly benefiting his business interests; as prosecutor Deputy District Attorney Casey Higgins of the Public Integrity Division leads the charge, the case BA515782, still under the vigilant eye of the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation, promises to thread its way through the perplexities of governance and graft. Price's arraignment is set for March 13, with the outcome potent enough to send him away for over 11 years if convicted of the charges.
In the broader narrative of public service, it is the constituents who stand to lose when those they elect falter under the weight of personal gain, as the allegations against Price suggest—a narrative all too familiar yet repeatedly surfacing in the annals of municipal history. As the process unfolds and Price faces his day in court, the people of Los Angeles watch on, vested in the outcome and integrity of their civic leaders with an eye for justice that perhaps, this time, heralds a shift toward greater transparency and accountability in government quarters.
