Tag: Los Angeles city council

Biden Calls for LA City Councilors to Resign Over Audio Leak

President Joe Biden join the group of officials calling for three Los Angeles City Councilors who took part in a racially charged conversation to resign, according to the White House press secretary Oct. 11. “I spoke to him about it yesterday [Oct. 10],” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a White House briefing. “The president…


LA Councilwoman Martinez Resists Resignation Calls, Takes ‘Leave of Absence’

LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nury Martinez, who is facing a torrent of criticism and calls for her resignation over racially charged remarks she made in a recorded conversation last year, announced Oct. 11 she is taking a “leave of absence” from the council. “This has been one of the most difficult times of my…


Los Angeles Homeless Agencies Fail to Spend $150 Million Federal Funding

The three main homeless service and housing agencies in Los Angeles failed to spend almost $150 million in federal housing grants between 2015 and 2020, according to a newspaper report. The unused funds were returned to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The Los Angeles Housing Services Authority (LAHSA)—the lead agency servicing both…


LA City Officials Seek Third-Party Homeless Count, Audit of Previous Counts

LOS ANGELES—Some City Council members are calling for options to have a third party conduct a count of Los Angeles’ unhoused population and a multi-year audit of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s (LAHSA) previous counts, according to two motions filed Sept. 20. LAHSA has conducted point-in-time homeless counts every year since 2015—with the exception…


Ex-USC Social Work Dean Pleads Guilty in Ridley-Thomas Bribery Case

LOS ANGELES—A former dean of the University of Southern California’s (USC) School of Social Work pleaded guilty Sept. 19 to a federal bribery charge in a political corruption case, admitting she funneled $100,000 through the university on behalf of then-County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas in hopes of earning his support for a lucrative county contract that…


Ridley-Thomas Co-defendant to Plead Guilty in Bribery Case

LOS ANGELES—A former dean of the University of Southern California (USC) School of Social Work has agreed to plead guilty to a federal bribery charge in a political corruption case involving suspended Los Angeles City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, prosecutors announced Sept. 15. Marilyn Louise Flynn, 83, of Los Feliz, is expected to plead guilty in…


Los Angeles Approves $129,000 to Remove Graffiti From Sixth Street Bridge

LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles City Council has approved $129,000 in funding to remove graffiti and provide other maintenance on the Sixth Street Bridge. The amount is a decrease from the originally proposed amount of $353,000, which the council’s Budget and Finance Committee slashed last month due to the bridge seeing fewer incidents of graffiti in…


After ‘Divisive’ Week, LA Council Appoints Heather Hutt to 10th District Seat

LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles City Council Sep. 2 appointed Heather Hutt to serve as an interim council member for the 10th District, filling in for the suspended Mark Ridley-Thomas—and giving the South Los Angeles district a voting representative on the body for the first time in over a month. The appointment came after a week…


LA Council Members Delay Heather Hutt’s Nomination for 10th District

LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles City Council’s 10th District will remain without a voting representative for a little longer, with the proposed appointment of Heather Hutt as an interim council member failing to receive the 10 votes required for a public hearing Aug. 30, forcing the matter to committee discussion. Council President Nury Martinez introduced a…


LA City Council Approves $2.9 Million to End Project Roomkey

After two years of Project Roomkey—a temporary emergency housing placement for the homeless in hotels during the COVID-19 pandemic—the Los Angeles City Council is calling for an end to the program. The council voted 11–0 Aug. 26 to approve $2.9 million to pay for closing the city’s remaining Project Roomkey sites along with emergency housing…