LA City Hall is no stranger to scandal — with many elected leaders and officials still facing the fallout from prior missteps, including three current or former council members who have been charged with federal crimes.
The USC kickback schemeMark Ridley-Thomasalong with a former USC dean on federal charges that he took bribes from the dean in exchange for directing millions in public funding to the university.
Prosecutors say the kickback scheme occurred when Ridley-Thomas sat on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors in 2017, before he joined the City Council — from which he was later suspended. He has pleaded not guilty in the case, which remains ongoing., admitting to bribery in case. She said she agreed to route money from Ridley-Thomas’ campaign through the university into his son’s nonprofit in order to hide the origins of the funds.
Months later, Garcetti‘s chief of staff, Ana Guerrero, stepped down from her post after The Times reported shein private Facebook group. Guerrero made comments in the social media platform, saying “I hate her” and used a Spanish term that translates to “jealous old lady.” Guerrero was placed on unpaid leave from Garcetti’s office after the incident came to light in June 2021, though she recently returned