LOS ANGELES CITY HALL CORRUPTION CASE
Another Neighborhood Council Puts John Lee On The Agenda
On August 11, the Northridge West NC will consider a resolution regarding a Los Angeles Councilmember’s role in the corruption scandal.
--
- Northridge West Neighborhood Council Proposed Resolution
Despite the best efforts of the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office, neighborhood councils within Council District 12 continue to discuss John Lee’s role in the events that led to the felony conviction of his predecessor and former boss, Mitchell Englander. The latest to do so was the Northridge West Neighborhood Council (NWNC), which took up the issue at the July 31, 2020, meeting of its Executive Committee with a resolution asking for clarification about Lee’s involvement in a trip to Vegas that included illegal gifts to city officials, bribery and illegal prostitution. The current councilman has admitted to being on the trip but has not confirmed if he is the “City Staffer B” who post-dated a reimbursement check and otherwise attempted to obstruct justice.
Learning from directives of city attorneys that have created obstacles for other neighborhood councils, NWNC President Rana Sharif took the time to note that the resolution being considered was “not about claims about culpability or an investigation.” Instead, “it is a motion for clarity on an issue that has an impact in our neighborhood council and, more generally, in CD12.”
Opposing the motion was Kathleen Edwards, who holds one of the two Community Interest Stakeholder seats. In this position, she is supposed to represent stakeholders who affirm “substantial and ongoing participation within the neighborhood council’s…
