Mark Ridley-Thomas suspended by LA City Council colleagues

The Los Angeles City Council voted 11-3, connected Wednesday, Oct. 20, successful favour of suspending Mark Ridley-Thomas arsenic Los Angeles City Councilman, up of a scheduled arraignment successful national tribunal connected charges related to allegations of bribery and conspiracy.

Earlier Wednesday, Ridley-Thomas’ lawyer challenged the legality of the determination successful a missive to City Attorney Mike Feuer.

The contented was taken up aft a failed effort by Councilman Mike Bonin — backed by remarks from Councilman Curren Price and others — to array the question calling for the suspension.

Bonin argued that considering the suspension contiguous would beryllium acting “too early, without information for a afloat scope of options and excessively overmuch uncertainty earlier us.

“The allegations that person been made successful the indictment are caller and caller — lone a week old,” Bonin said.

He besides argued that the ramifications of the ballot would permission much than 250,000 constituents successful the 10th territory could beryllium without governmental practice “for a play of time.” It could besides pb to a concern successful which a peculiar predetermination could hap to capable the vacancy, and idiosyncratic is elected, but the Ridley-Thomas is exonerated.

“We past present person 2 duly elected representatives of the 10th district, and past we request to upwind up litigating this successful court,” helium said.

Councilman Bob Blumenfield, meanwhile, said that portion helium did not privation to suspend his colleague, helium was nevertheless supporting the determination due to the fact that “someone who is nether that benignant of an indictment can’t relation successful this (City Council) body.”

Ridley-Thomas issued a connection soon aft the vote, reacting to immoderate of the words of support, and to the ballot by 11 of his colleagues to suspend him:

“I americium humbled by the enactment of my colleagues who did not unreserved to judgement and disappointed successful those who did,” helium said. “They person removed from enactment a subordinate — and his squad — who unneurotic are among the astir productive and effectual advocates connected the situation of homelessness.”

He added: “I volition proceed warring to wide my name, and I stay assured that specified volition beryllium the case. But successful the interim, the assembly has disenfranchised the residents of the 10th District.”

The question to suspend had been introduced a time earlier by Council President Nury Martinez. It called for the suspension of Ridley-Thomas “from the bureau of Councilmember of the 10th District of the Los Angeles City Council.” and was seconded by Councilman Mitch O’Farrell.

Ridley-Thomas’ supporters opposed that move, arguing that the allegations absorption connected transactions that purportedly took spot portion Ridley-Thomas was a region supervisor and person nary transportation to his relation connected the City Council.

Ridley-Thomas was indicted by a national expansive assemblage past Wednesday connected bribery and conspiracy charges. He said successful a missive released Monday that  he planned to retreat from actively participating successful City Council and committee meetings, according to a Monday, Oct. 18 missive sent to colleagues and different metropolis officials.

Ridley-Thomas, 66, and Marilyn Louise Flynn, 83, of Los Angeles, were informed of the indictments past week and agreed to look for their arraignments successful Los Angeles national tribunal successful the days ahead, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The allegations absorption connected a clip earlier Ridley-Thomas returned to the City Council, portion helium was inactive a subordinate of the region Board of Supervisors.

“I afloat admit the value of the Council being capable to behaviour its concern with minimal distractions,” Ridley-Thomas wrote, appearing to notation to the national allegations. “With that successful mind, and with heavy respect for each of you, I constitute to fto you cognize of my volition to instantly measurement backmost from participating successful some afloat Council and Committee meetings.”

He besides noted that helium was looking to resume his duties “at the earliest due time.”

Ridley-Thomas is expected to plead not blameworthy today, successful a national judge’s courtroom successful downtown L.A.

The councilman is scheduled to look via Zoom earlier Judge Rozella A. Oliver astatine the U.S. Courthouse downtown. As Ridley-Thomas is not yet successful national custody, helium is expected to be  “appearing” via a summons directing him to look successful court, officials said. There apt volition beryllium immoderate treatment contiguous connected imaginable enslaved and custody.

Flynn, the erstwhile dean of USC’s schoolhouse of Social Work, is expected to beryllium arraigned connected Monday, connected the aforesaid charges. Flynn too, done her attorney, has denied the charges.

Ridley-Thomas said that helium has “every intent of warring outrageous allegations and expect to beryllium afloat exonerated.”

If the councilman is suspended, Los Angeles Controller Ron Galperin said helium volition chopped disconnected Ridley-Thomas’ wage payments and benefits.

“No 1 indicted for nationalist corruption and suspended by the City Council should person a taxpayer-funded salary,” Galperin said Tuesday.

In June 2020, the Los Angeles City Council voted to suspend Councilman Jose Huizar from bureau aft helium was charged with felony racketeering. Less than a week later, Controller Ron Galperin terminated Huizar’s metropolis wage payments. In a connection pursuing that decision, Galperin said it was “unacceptable and impermissible” for an authoritative “to proceed drafting a paycheck and cod hard-earned payer dollars” portion being charged with nationalist corruption and suspended from duties.

The City Council doesn’t person the powerfulness to region a assembly subordinate from office, and Huizar refused to resign, contempt calls from Mayor Eric Garcetti and his colleagues to bash so. Councilman Kevin de Leon won a peculiar predetermination successful March 2020 to regenerate Huizar, but helium didn’t presume the presumption until Oct. 15, erstwhile the assembly appointed him to capable the spot that was near vacant by Huizar’s suspension.

Garcetti past week called the charges faced by Ridley-Thomas a superior substance and said anyone who violates the instrumentality should beryllium prepared to wage the consequences. But helium has truthful acold reserved judgement connected Ridley-Thomas.

At slightest 1 chap assembly subordinate has called for Ridley-Thomas’ resignation.

“These charges tarnish the estimation of the full LA City Council, and due to the fact that of that, Ridley-Thomas should instantly measurement down from his position,” Councilman Joe Buscaino, besides a campaigner for mayor, posted connected Twitter past week.

Ridley-Thomas has served arsenic the seat of the Homelessness and Poverty Committee.

Councilwoman Nithya Raman, who sits connected that committee, called connected Ridley-Thomas past week to astatine slightest measurement down arsenic president and beryllium stripped of different committee assignments “in the abbreviated term.”

Ridley-Thomas is an hugely influential fig successful Southern California politics, antecedently serving connected the Los Angeles City Council from 1991-2002, past serving successful the authorities Assembly and authorities Senate earlier helium was elected to the almighty region Board of Supervisors successful 2008, serving until 2020 erstwhile helium returned to the City Council.

Ridley-Thomas is the 3rd L.A. City Councilman to beryllium indicted successful the past mates of years. Huizar pleaded not blameworthy successful December to bribery and different national charges successful a racketeering indictment, and Mitchell Englander was sentenced successful January to 14 months down bars for lying to national authorities astir his dealings with a businessman who provided him $15,000 successful concealed currency payments and a nighttime successful Las Vegas.

The region Board of Supervisors connected Tuesday unanimously approved an probe — and sweeping reappraisal of what could beryllium thousands of region work contracts approved by the committee implicit respective years — successful transportation with an alleged bribery strategy that led to the indictment against the erstwhile supervisor.

The probe by an extracurricular instrumentality steadfast yet to beryllium chosen volition archetypal look astatine the region contracts astatine contented successful the indictment, and past —  due to the fact that of an amendment added by Supervisor Holly Mitchell — broaden the probe to each region work contracts, “irrespective of the district,” approved by the Board betwixt 2008 and 2020, and which were for implicit “a definite amount,” inactive to beryllium determined.

The county’s auditor-controller, Arlene Barrera, said the widened scope could perchance encompass respective thousands of contracts, but noted that the steadfast hired for the probe could constrictive that fig down.

SCNG’s Ryan Carter and City News Service contributed to this report