Apartment owners are suing the City of Los Angeles for keeping in place its emergency ban on rent increases first implemented at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a lawsuit filed July 24 in Los Angeles Superior Court, the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles is asking the court to put a stop to the city’s…

LOS ANGELES—A real estate developer was sentenced on July 21 to six years in federal prison and fined $750,000 for paying a $500,000 bribe to then-Los Angeles City Councilman José Huizar in order to “grease the wheels” for the approval of a downtown condominium project. Dae Yong “David” Lee, 58, of Bel Air, was the…

LOS ANGELES—Disgraced former Los Angeles City Councilman José Huizar will be sentenced in December instead of September, federal court documents show as of last week. Huizar pleaded guilty in January to felony charges for using his powerful position at City Hall to enrich himself and his associates, and for cheating on his taxes. He faces…

LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles City Council approved an additional $660,000 in funds on July 5 for victims of a botched detonation of illegal fireworks in a South Los Angeles neighborhood two years ago. The council voted 12–0 to further allocate funding to assist recovery efforts for families and residents affected by the explosion, many of…

LOS ANGELES—The city council proclaimed July 1 as Tom Bradley Day in the city of Los Angeles on June 28 to mark the 50th anniversary of the late former mayor’s inauguration. The council previously adopted a formal resolution honoring Bradley’s legacy, which Council President Paul Krekorian described as a “transformative time of our government.” “For…

LOS ANGELES—A judge heard arguments on June 26 in former City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas’s bid to have his convictions on federal bribery and conspiracy charges vacated, but no ruling was forthcoming. Attorneys for Ridley-Thomas argued that prosecutorial misconduct, misstatements of the law, and other issues during the longtime Los Angeles politician’s trial ultimately deprived him…

LOS ANGELES—A Los Angeles City Council committee voted on June 23 to defer a recommendation regarding the possible suspension of Councilman Curren Price, who faces various criminal charges, until their Aug. 25 meeting. In the meantime, the committee voted 3–0 to approve a second motion calling for the city to engage constituents of the Ninth…

LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles City Council adopted a resolution on June 23 to implement a 15 mph speed limit on various streets near 45 schools in the city. The move is part of an effort to enhance public safety after a string of accidents, including one that resulted in the death of a mother and…

The controversy over leaked tapes and racially disparaging remarks from city councilors that fueled outrage in Los Angeles last year has spurred a group of the city’s top academic scholars and researchers to reimagine their local government. Eight months later, the Los Angeles Governance Reform Project, a group of university scholars, researchers, and leaders, is asking…

LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles City Councilman Curren Price was charged on June 13 with embezzlement, perjury, and conflict of interest, according to an online report, but details about what prompted the charges were not immediately released. Price, 72, has represented the Ninth District, which includes most of South Los Angeles and Exposition Park, since 2013. He…