“With the trust you have placed in me, I will continue to do everything in my power to bring our city together. This is an honor I do not take lightly.”

Curren Price, a member of the Los Angeles City Council, stands behind the screen in his usual spot

S

eshoe at City Hall, spoke those words last October with the utmost confidence.

His colleagues had just made him their second-in-command, their president pro tempore. Now they looked at him expectantly, with more than a little hope, even as protesters who had packed the rooms chanted again and beat their seats in a relentless cacophony of hopelessness.

As a black man representing a predominantly Latino district in South LA, Price was believed to be the perfect politician to lead the city out of the darkness caused by the leaked recording of three councilors and a union leader exchanging racist barbs about consolidating Latino political power through redistribution.

Darkness compounded by a series of corruption scandals that have trapped Councilors Mitch Englander, Jose Huizar and Mark Ridley-Thomas in relatively quick succession.

“It’s time we worked together to restore confidence,” Price said in October, a statesman after decades in office. “Restore confidence in our city.”

Apparently it won’t be that simple.

On Tuesday, Price was charged with five counts of grand larceny by embezzlement, three counts of perjury and two counts of conflict of interest. County of Los Angeles

distance attentive George Gascn said so

accused of having a financial interest in projects he voted for, and

by

make the city pay for medical supplies for him

current now

wife while still married to another woman.

It is unclear what will happen next.

Not long after the charges were announced Tuesday afternoon, Price spokesperson Angelina Valencia told The Times: “We have not seen the charges against Councilor Curren Price. It is highly unusual for such charges to be brought against a sitting councilor without any prior notice or discussion. Curren Price is a long-standing public servant who gave his life to the City of Los Angeles and looks forward to defending himself.

A few hours later, Price resigned as president per tempore and relinquished his committee duties. “As I navigate the legal system defending my name against baseless charges brought against me, the last thing I want to do is be a distraction to the affairs of the people,” he said in a statement.

Does not matter. It is likely that his colleagues will feel the need to suspend him, similar to what they have decided for other council members facing criminal charges. That would leave yet another group of Angelenos without a voting representative in this case, in the 9th District, which stretches south from downtown along Highway 110.

If Price is actually convicted of a crime, which is far from certain, he would permanently lose his seat on the city council after ten years.

So it is both predictable and understandable that the allegations will be seen by many as yet another disappointing and maddening blow to black people in Los Angeles. In fact, float

about

a city that has been defined by tribal politics for so many decades, the question will be: what does this mean for black political power?

There are no simple answers to that.

Not with rapid demographic shifts and a dwindling black population, thanks to rising numbers of displaced persons

Unpleasant

the high cost of living; namely for housing.

Not after Ridley-Thomas, a seasoned politician known for his unique ability to get things done for black people, was convicted in late March (although he is appealing).

Not even after the city recently overwhelmingly elected its second black mayor, Karen Bass.

Voters in Price’s district have elected a black representative to the City Council every term since the 1960s. This is true, even though the population there is 78% Latino and 13% Black at last count, and several Latino candidates challenged him in previous elections.

Price is in his third and final

third

term on the council, which is expected to leave in 2026. If he is convicted, his departure will come much sooner and the chances of him being replaced by another black politician are slim. Frankly, it also makes perfect sense in a city where Latinos are still underrepresented in elected offices.

In some quarters, I suspect the charges against Price will also be seen as a distorted reflection on black politicians, write big. It will be, “Oh, there goes another crooked black politician.”

This is the most unintended side effect of LA’s family-style tribal politics, which was exploited during last year’s mayoral campaign when police unions tried to tie Bass to the charges against her longtime friend Ridley-Thomas.

But this is also how the broad brush of anti-black racism works in this country, regardless of city or profession. Especially in a city or a profession when there are only a handful of powerful black people.

That’s why I choose to see things differently.

Price is 72 years old. He came of political age at a time when black people had to unite to be elected. That is still the case, but less and less. That is especially true in a city

like it

increasingly multicultural as Los Angeles.

More than tribal politics, maybe we should focus

instead of

about the forces that brought people like Hugo Soto-Martinez and Eunisses Hernandez to the city council.

So what does his indictment mean for black political power in LA?

Absolutely everything. And nothing at all. It’s up to all of us to decide.

Price probably understands this better than most.

“As a 71-year-old black man,” Price said last year when he accepted the job of president pro tempore, “I have gained quite a bit of experience battling adversity. From living in a time of segregation to social justice revolutions today. We have some difficult days ahead of us, but I have infinite hope that working together will work.”

He presided most on Tuesday

by

the meeting of the city council, blissfully ignorant

by

the pending indictment, cheerfully introducing himself as the president pro tempore and

proverb

that it was his “pleasure to welcome you today”.

It was the last bit of normality in city government that we will probably see for a while.