Will Voters Strike A Blow Against Institutionalized Corruption?
“We must not allow the status quo of corruption to continue to spread like cancer.” – Marisa Alcaraz campaign flyer
Just as the early voting period was set to begin in the race to replace disgraced former Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez, the city's government was rocked by yet another scandal. No, Councilman Curren Price was not caught on tape casually engaging in a racist conversation with his fellow council members. Instead, he "was charged with embezzlement, perjury, and conflict of interest” becoming “the fourth councilman to face corruption charges since 2020."
As Price's Deputy Chief of Staff, the timing of this disclosure is unfortunate for Marisa Alcaraz. Locked in a close race with Imelda Padilla for the Council District 6 Special Election, Alcaraz now has to convince voters that she was oblivious to the alleged crimes of her boss. While she has not been accused of playing a role in Price's malfeasance, she is close enough to him to pick up the stench.
With the electorate numbed by the continued parade of negative headlines, being scandal adjacent is not always enough to derail a political career. "City Staffer B" not only worked for convicted felon Mitch Englander, but he was also a participant in the Las Vegas debauchery that resulted in his former boss doing jail time. Despite suspicions that Englander's Chief of Staff and successor John Lee is “City Staffer B" he remains in office. With the help of the City Attorney’s office, Neighborhood Councils have been dissuaded from asking their representative questions about his involvement in the scandal. Lee is so sure that he will continue to ride out the storm that he has already registered with the city ethics department to run for re-election next year.
From unbridled bigotry to shameless corruption, the common thread through the city council scandals has been the ability of elected officials to entrench themselves within the system. Prior to their time in City Hall, both José Huizar and Nury Martinez served on the LAUSD School Board, a body that is also not a stranger to corruption (see Ref Rodriguez and Nick Melvoin). Mark Ridley Thomas spent an entire career bouncing between offices at different levels of government before being convicted on charges related to his time on the County Board of Supervisors. Price resigned a seat in the California State Senate to replace Thomas after he was forced from office and previously served on the Inglewood City Council.
This entrenchment also applies to the support staff of the city’s politicians. Alcaraz has worked for Curren Price for over a decade, making her a member of the entrenched political class. Scrubbing his name from her list of endorsers does not change this. Even if she is given the benefit of the doubt and it is accepted that despite the previous public suspicions, she knew nothing about his wrongdoing, she is still part of a system that is obviously broken.
The constant cycle of scandals screams the need for new blood on the Los Angeles City Council. Voters in CD6 have a chance to stop the cycle of corruption. With ballots now in their hands, what message will be sent? Will it be more of the same or a chance at renewal?
Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for public education, particularly for students with special education needs, who serves as the Education Chair for the Northridge East Neighborhood Council. As a Green Party candidate in LAUSD’s District 2 School Board race, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action. Dr. Diane Ravitch has called him “a valiant fighter for public schools in Los Angeles.” For links to his blogs, please visit www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com. Opinions are his own.