Part 136: A Farewell to Kevin de León – Chaos and Order in Los Angeles

Published December 6, 2024.

Dec 07, 2024

Photo of disruptors at Los Angeles City Council being removed by the Los Angeles Police Department after a melee on December 6 by author (GoPro Hero 11 Black).

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By Zachary Ellison, Independent Journalist

Things just keep getting stranger in Los Angeles, a city so corrupted in its fabric by money and power you have to wonder if redemption is so readily possible by government in its current formulation. Perhaps it’s the seasons, but after much rumbling about just what exactly has been going on with billionaire Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, the issue came out. “Biotech Billionaire Soon-Shiong Sued Over ImmunityBio Stock Move” read the Bloomberg News headline describing how the “accused in a shareholder lawsuit of misleading ImmunityBio Inc. investors about the prospects of the company’s flagship cancer drug in order to enrich himself at their expense.” In a city that undoubtedly favors the powerful over the rich, the news from far-flung Delaware, where companies often go for tax purposes, wasn’t a good look for the South African-born mogul whom Bloomberg News suggests is in fact worth $11.8 billion.

According to the report by journalist Jef Feely, “Another [lawsuit] was filed in federal court in California in October claiming he and other company officials hid production problems with the immunotherapy treatment. So not only is the brash Patrick Soon-Shiong, who has made no secret of his admiration for Donald Trump, nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services Secretary, but news of neither lawsuit has graced the pages of the so-called paper of record in Los Angeles, despite being newsworthy. ImmunityBio, which Soon-Shiong directly administers and supervises as “executive chairman and global chief scientific and medical officer, didn’t respond to requests for comment on the suit,” according to the report. The strange part is that Soon-Shiong is hardly the only wealthy person in Los Angeles who has become increasingly suspect. Billionaire developer Izek Shomof, for example, is being sued over non-payment for elevator services in two of his buildings, and well then there’s Councilmember Kevin de Leòn, with whom he’s had a tango.

Kevin De León doesn’t like me, and with a crude gesture designed to intimidate me after several weeks of me going to the low blow, he waved his finger like I’m somehow crazy for asking questions about his own lawsuit. Even though KDL, as so many call him, has literally been voted out of office, he must still have some confidence in his filing against the two accused leakers of the infamously racist LA Fed Tapes, which has quite literally ruined his nearly two-decade-long political career. He could have chosen to be done, but now he isn’t, with a trial set for June 2025. What’s really crazy, though, is how City Council, without so much as a debate approved today, December 4, a move to reallocate money from redevelopment to cover his staff salaries without explanation or even debate in Council to the tune of $950,000 after a reduction in the proposal from a preposterous $2.4 million. The motion received seconds from both Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson and outgoing former Council President Paul Krekorian. The motion was first reported on by UnrigLA organizer Rob Quan, and according to a spokesman for De León in the Eastsider, it will be used to assist 28 staff members and cover outstanding bills. The measure requires mayoral approval and can be reversed within 10 days.

Councilmember Kevin de León, who has spent much of his last days on the 15-member City Council holding meetings on the side of the chambers, snacking, and reclining in his chair, chatting with Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, a close ally. When the so-called “sanctuary city” measure came up for a second vote, KDL, who has billed himself as a man of the people for the Latino community, could barely be bothered to pay attention to public comment. Instead, he engaged in an uncomfortable-looking side conversation with Councilmember Imelda Padilla, elected following the resignation of former Council President Nury Martinez. The day before, Padilla, who actually seems to be trying to serve her constituents instead of just herself, had tried to launch a short-lived revolt over hanger redevelopment near the Van Nuys airport and community benefits, declaring that “she was glad the public sees that was not the case” before being directed to go into closed session. Padilla had previously sought to stall the approval.

Workers from the Los Angeles International Airport were also there seeking a pay boost, just as hotel workers had the week before with no success, along with contractors seeking a union contract. All this advocacy was ironically followed in the Housing and Homelessness Committee meeting by Airbnb owners objecting to further regulation, the last meeting of the year, to which Kevin de León couldn’t be bothered to show up to attend on his way out of office. No one answered the phone, and the Los Angeles Police Department officer who guards the councilmember offices rolled his eyes when I described how KDL had gotten his staff more money going out the door. Nor was a request for comment sent readily returned despite there being no shortage of communication staffers in his office. The day before, Kevin de León, after entering the pews for his side meetings, had been asked by a gadfly if he was doing more food giveaways, a practice that, thanks to his brazenness in self-promotion and securing campaign donations, had resulted in an investigation by the California Fair Political Practices Commission.

“It didn’t have to end this way,” wrote Los Angeles Times columnist Gustavo Arellano, adding that if Kevin de León had resigned after the LA Fed Tapes or not run for reelection, “he could have left with egg on his face but nevertheless walking tall after an impressive career of service to Latinos.” Arellano had criticized his aggressive, to say the least, if not downright dirty, campaign as “Hispandering,” and yet he’s hardly the only one shooting his shot, as they say on the Los Angeles City Council. For example, Councilwoman Traci Park, who, in representing part of the Westside, has run about as far to the right from De León’s left, wouldn’t answer me when I caught her exiting the swearing-in of new District Attorney Nathan Hochman if she would miss having Kevin de León around, with a staffer ushering her away as she grinned. Hochman might just be the greatest political hope ever in Los Angeles County in succeeding the badly defeated George Gascón; immediately after taking the oath of office from former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hochman re-implemented gang enhancements in sentencing and even announced his intention to seek the death penalty in certain cases, despite the State no longer practicing it. Park had gotten a hug from Hochman on stage after saying her bit against Gascón.

Armed private security from a firm called Covered Six moved in tandem with LAPD to keep a small group of protestors from Black Lives Matter Los Angeles in check, which resulted during the ceremony in a small scuffle. The Moorpark firm, which bills itself as a "cadre,” in which many “have gained their experience in austere environments, real-life combat scenarios, and major crisis management, both stateside and abroad,” has a contract with the City of Beverly Hills and previously pulled out of a similar arrangement with the City of Santa Monica after controversy over an executive's right-wing political views. That individual appears to no longer be with the firm. Both LAPD and the LA County Sheriff’s Department denied contracting Covered Six to provide security services for the event, stating that it had occurred under the auspices of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. According to the District Attorney’s Office, though, “the office did not provide or pay for private security.” Covered Six is led by Principal - Founder Chris Dunn, a former LAPD officer and U.S. Army veteran, and also a donor to the District Attorney’s Office to the tune of $2,500. Telephone requests for comment to Covered Six brought no response on the deployment of private security on the streets of Los Angeles for clarity.

One protester was detained by LAPD during the ceremony and later released, Jason Reedy, after a visible struggle with LAPD officers captured on video. Reedy is well-known for his public commentary and for having engaged with Councilmember Kevin de León in a physical struggle after the leak of the LA Fed Tapes at a holiday celebration. According to LAPD Media Relations Division, “During the permitted event, a group entered the closed-off check-in area, disrupting attendees,” which resulted in Reedy being detained “for aggressive behavior, 148 PC,” but they released him with a warning. Another protestor known as Pastor Cue was issued a “citation under 41.57 LAMC.” LAPD added that “The group protested at the northeast corner of Temple and Spring without further incidents until the event concluded.” Both are associated with the People’s City Council organization; Reedy didn’t appear to make it very far at all into the event.

All of which took us to Friday! With the Los Angeles Times Guild issuing a statement defending the integrity of their reporting, “Recently, the newspaper’s owner has publicly suggested his staff harbors bias, without offering evidence or examples.” They added: “The statements of Dr. Soon-Shiong in the press and on social media reflect his own opinions and do not shape reporting by our member-journalists.” Soon-Shiong is reportedly considering the use of artificial intelligence to monitor bias in the news publication. Perhaps the technology would be better deployed at Los Angeles City Council, where it was Kevin de León’s last day. Entering the Chamber after seeing the USC Marching Band in the hallway, almost immediately I spotted USC Senior Vice President for University Relations Sam Garrison sitting in the front pews, with Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Yvonne Wheeler nearby with a bevy of staff. The USC Marching Band played, and Garrison bopped his head, but before long the meeting was loudly disrupted over the racism of the LA Fed Tapes. With one person being arrested for appearing to have assaulted an LAPD officer and several others being objected to as the council went into recess. The VIPs evacuated into the private area behind the so-called Horseshoe.

After a short period, Council resumed, and we were off to a solid two-plus hours of presentations, including a farewell to outgoing Councilmember and former President Paul Krekorian, including sports memorabilia items, before getting down to political business. Certification of the election results and an awkward farewell for Kevin de León, who showed up late to smirk at the public commenters and get his goodbyes from the few colleagues willing to give them. Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Councilmember Imelda Padilla, who replaced former Council President Nury Martinez, Councilmember Curren Price, Councilmember Traci Park, and Councilmember John Lee, along with Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, who presided over the long-awaited adieu. All gave credit to KDL for having at least attempted to rebound from the political wilderness of the post-LA Fed Tapes City Council and for his long service as a politician, including in Sacramento. Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky didn’t speak, looking downwards along with Councilmembers Hugo Soto-Martinez and Eunisses Hernandez, who have made no secret of their moral distaste for Kevin de León following the audiotape leak.

A public commenter reminded the Councilmembers to be wary of the “will of the people,” and Rob Quan of UnrigLA recalled to them that Ysabel Jurado’s stunning and decisive defeat of Kevin de León was in fact a shift from the past long-term stability of service in the body. Quan was ejected later for questioning the Council’s approval of additional payments to KDL’s staff. Incoming Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, who seemingly just might be the best thing to happen on City Council in some time. A quick trip up to the fourth-floor council offices confirmed with LAPD that KDL’s staff indeed was moving out. Jurado plans to host a holiday block party this evening, and apparently somehow a swearing-in date hasn’t yet been set. Adrin Nazarian, who will replace Paul Krekorian, was present, and in perhaps one of the more humorous moments of the day, Krekorian had passed around a bag of Cooler Ranch Doritos halfway through the more than 3-hour meeting. The LA Fed had been holding an event on the fourth floor of City Council during the meeting, with President Yvonne Wheeler returning for Kevin De León’s departure final; USC’s Sam Garrison was long gone by then, and things had kind of simmered down.

The specter of the LA Fed Tapes, of institutional racism, raw power exercised without limitation, will remain, though even after the sole remaining target of its ire, KDL, leaves City Hall, his political career in the proverbial ditch. The scandal resulted in the Los Angeles Times winning Pulitzer Prizes for their news coverage. Times City Hall journalist David Zahniser came in to take a last picture of Kevin de León in the Chamber, and after the goodbyes, he was gone. City Hall visitor stickers covered his picture in the hallway in an “X” pattern. The biggest mistake, though, just might be KDL’s lawsuit over the Tapes against the two accused leakers, former employees of the LA Fed. Ordered to trial in June 2025, they have both maintained their innocence, with an attorney for Santos Leon stating via email that “there was no motivation for our clients to have performed any of the acts which they are accused of doing and they vehemently deny having done anything inappropriate.” The attorney stated that they are “proceeding forward with their appeal of the denial of their SLAPP motions,” which stands for a strategic lawsuit against public participation, with both arguing they only discussed the scandal.

Who is responsible for the scandal remains more murky than ever. All while Attorney General Rob Bonta continues to investigate whether the discussion recorded on October 18, 2021, constituted illegal gerrymandering that would somehow force the district lines to be redrawn before the 2026 elections, as reported in the Los Angeles Times. Supposedly both Rob Bonta and Sam Garrison, a close associate of former mayoral candidate Rick Caruso, have visited the LA Fed since the scandal. Bonta for a farewell ceremony for a departing staff member and Garrison for a barbecue in the parking lot of the building. Most have simply presumed that Santos Leon is guilty on the basis of an internal investigation, for which the report remains secret, and the investigator remains unknown. The State Attorney General’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the friendship between Rob Bonta and Yvonne Wheeler. LAPD didn’t immediately have a statement available on the arrest made that morning at LA City Council, and they’ve stated that their investigation into the matter is closed as both District Attorney George Gascón and City Attorney Hydee Feldstein-Soto declined to press charges against the couple. And so it was, we all said goodbye to KDL at City Hall.

If Santos Leon isn't the LA Fed Tapes leaker, with current and former employees of the LA Fed stating categorically that they don’t believe his spouse would have had any motive, much less means for carrying out the leak, then who is? The recordings on Reddit involved a second recording made on September 30, 2022, even as the first was being leaked. The feat seemingly would have required both compromising an internal teleconferencing system as well as former President Ron Herrera’s laptop. Accompanied by a most curious note entitled “LA County Federation of Labor Scam” posted by “Honest-Finding-1581,” which openly endorses Rick Caruso’s candidacy for mayor over current Mayor Karen Bass, who made a brief visit to the Council Chamber on Friday for a presentation. “If Rick Caruso wins the Mayor's race, he will clean house at City Hall, including making sure Nury Martinez is out,” writes the leaker. The note saved particular ire for former LA Fed Chief of Staff Justin Wesson, the son of former Council President Herb Wesson, adding, “Rumor is, Justin Wesson left his post in July to focus on fundraising for Karen Bass, BUT apparently he's still on payroll at the LA Federation of labor.”

I’m sure many still want to clean house at City Hall. To date, no one has turned up any evidence that Santos Leon harbored any political inclinations, even as he was reportedly gruff and deluged with work. This includes managing two grant programs referenced in the note: a $100,000 grant made by Council President Herb Wesson to a partner non-profit named Labor Community Services located inside the LA Fed’s building and a $20,000,000 grant from the State of California for a program known as the “People’s Project.” Both were intended to provide and facilitate quality of life services for residents in poorer areas of Los Angeles. Websites for both programs are still online. The LA Fed in the past has declined through a spokesperson to comment on ongoing investigations and litigation, stating that they are “squarely focused on uplifting union members, unionizing Los Angeles, and abolishing the poverty and homelessness crisis.” Former LA Fed President Ron Herrera, who had previously defeated Wheeler to lead the organization, had stood alongside Kevin de León even as Wheeler had denounced De León’s racism. Whether the case gets a second look under new DA Nathan Hochman remains to be seen, or by LAPD under Chief Jim McDonnell.

LAPD issued the following statement on the arrest made at City Council:

At 10:45 a.m., an individual attending the City Council meeting became disruptive and was ejected from the meeting by Council President Harris-Dawson. Officers providing security at the meeting asked the individual to leave council chambers, at which time the individual became combative with one of the officers. One officer was injured.

Christopher Gregory (booking #6930882) was arrested and booked for 69(a)PC - Resisting Arrest.

Link: Biotech Billionaire Soon-Shiong Sued Over ImmunityBio Stock Move

Link: UnrigLA Twitter Post RE: KDL Salaries

Link: L.A. City Council approves shifting $950,000 for Kevin de León's staff

Link: Valley council member aims to stall Van Nuys Airport hangar project so community can weigh in

Link: Donations made to Kevin de León’s reelection campaign are under investigation, report says

Link: Column: The sad, desperate, Hispandering end of Kevin de León’s career

Link: Nathan Hochman sworn in by Arnold Schwarzenegger as Los Angeles County D.A.

Link: Santa Monica Board Initiates New Search for Security Firm to Patrol Promenade

Link: Covered Six Private Security

Link: Nathan Hochman for District Attorney 2024 Filing

Link: Jason Reedy Tweet RE: Hochman Protest