In April, Los Angeles City Councilman Karen Price rallied with workers on the steps of City Hall to demand higher wages for hotel workers and cleaners who clean Los Angeles International Airport.

“The living wage movement is a social justice movement,” he declared, joining union members in purple shirts and introducing proposals for significantly higher wages for workers serving tourists.

The moment epitomized the causes for which Price had built a reputation during his ten years as a councilman: advocating for low-wage workers and his close ties to organized workers.

Price’s South LA congressional district includes some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods, and he has led efforts to increase income and employment opportunities for sidewalk vendors, hotel workers, former inmates, and others.

Price was first elected to represent the 9th Ward in 2013 and is now a veteran of the 15-member city council. He has outlived several of his colleagues who have likewise shared the seats allocated to city council members, some of whom have resigned in recent years not only due to election losses, but also to resignations and indictments due to scandals. Some are lawmakers.

Now, Mr. Price’s reputation is at risk following criminal charges of perjury, conflict of interest and embezzlement filed Tuesday by the county district attorney’s office. The city councilor was accused of unfairly receiving medical benefits from the city for his now-wife, who had a financial interest in a development project he voted for and was still married to another woman. .

“Karen Price is a longtime civil servant who gave her life to the city of Los Angeles,” said Price spokeswoman Angelina Valencia, adding that the office had not confirmed the allegations as of Tuesday afternoon. “He looks forward to defending himself when given the opportunity to address these charges.”

The criminal charges immediately undermined his position at City Hall. Mr Price chaired two powerful council committees, the Economic Regional Development Commission and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Task Force. He announced on Tuesday that he would step down from all committee duties and step down as interim president.

His district represents several neighborhoods in South Los Angeles and the area around the downtown convention center.

USC and Exposition Park are also in his neighborhood, an area with investments like BMO Stadium and the upcoming Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

District 9’s population is 78% Latino and 13% black, but voters in the district have elected black representatives to the city council since the early 1960s. Mr. Price won re-election twice with the support of a broad coalition of city council colleagues and community leaders.

“He is perhaps more aware than ever of the need for a coalition to maintain his political seat,” said Jamie Regalado, professor emeritus of political science at California State University, Los Angeles. rice field.

Regalado said that Latinos make up a “substantial majority” of electoral districts, and that Price “has a full awareness of what is at stake,” including hiring a diverse staff. , it was foolish not to deal with it.”

He also forges a relationship with a young progressive city councilor who is also close to organized workers.

The city council moved to appoint Councilman Paul Krekorian as Speaker of the Council after the leaked audio tape of Council Speaker Nuri Martinez making racist remarks in October. . At one point, it seemed that Mr. Price might be eyeing the position. Instead, he was elected interim president.

In a moving address to the city council in late October after his colleagues voted, Mr. Price hailed his constituency as a “microcosm” of the city’s diverse population. He also spoke about using his own life experience to unite the city following widespread outrage over his coworkers’ ugly remarks.

“As a 71-year-old black man, I have had some experience dealing with adversity,” Price said. “From the Age of Segregation to the Social Justice Revolution.”

Price grew up in South Los Angeles and attended high school in Inglewood before attending Stanford University and Santa Clara University Law School.

He spent several years on the Inglewood City Council and represented much of the 9th District while serving as a state senator. He also served as a state legislator.

He easily defeated challenger Dulce Vázquez in last year’s primary to earn his third (and final) term. He called the campaign a referendum on his “progressive, forward-thinking and inclusive leadership.”

The city council has endorsed a $15 minimum wage citywide, helped legalize street vending, and promoted a pilot program that gave unconditional money to families in need.

He also proposed a “Hero Pay” program for grocery store employees who worked during the pandemic, but the move sparked controversy and prompted one grocery chain to close its stores.

He has led a campaign to change employment rules so that formerly incarcerated people can find work more easily.

Mr. Price was “certainly an advocate for the working-class Angelenos,” said Alberto Retana, president and chief executive of the Southern LA-based nonprofit Community Coalition. He was certainly on the side of the organization on the ground. ”

In April, he joined Unite Here Local 11, a member of the United Service Workers West United Nations, and Yvonne Wheeler, president of the Los Angeles County Workers’ Confederation, to build a large hotel and some He announced plans to raise the minimum wage for hotel employees. LAX employees will be paid $30 an hour by 2028.

Price argues that the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympics should help inject money into the economy and benefit low-wage workers. Business groups oppose the proposal.

Labor groups support Price, who regularly defends his cause. In the June 2022 city council elections, labor unions spent more than $500,000 in support of Price’s campaign.

Price has also come under scrutiny for his personal and professional decisions. His marriage to Dell Richardson became an issue during his 2017 re-election after City Watch reported that Price’s divorce from his first wife was still pending. A spokesperson told The Times that year that Price believed he and Richardson were legally married at the time.

In 2019, The Times reported that Mr. Price had repeatedly voted to influence home developers and other companies listed as clients of his wife’s consulting firm. Many of the votes The Times identified related to housing developments.

The Times reported that at least 10 companies voted for a decision involving at least 10 companies in the same year Price went public as providing at least $10,000 in revenue to Dell Richardson and Associates.

Mr. Price also faced criticism for his support of a giant digital billboard on Washington Boulevard. Subsequently, companies associated with the developer funded a political committee seeking reelection for Price.

Jorge Nuño, a community leader who lives in the Historic South Central district and failed to run for Mr. Price six years ago, made headlines for Mr. Price’s work on minimum wage and other issues. said the district needed better leadership despite the

“Some sounds good, but are we increasing homeownership? Are we decreasing homelessness?” Nuño said. “Let’s look at the data. Our community continues to struggle.”

He said the accusations against Price were “just disappointing.”

“I just hope we get better representation to fight for our people,” he said.