Kevin de León sworn in as LA’s newest City Councilmember, replacing José Huízar

He is a former state senator and a 2018 candidate for the U.S Senate and was elected to the CD14 in March

Kevin de León to take over CD-14 seat on Thursday

The appointment to the seat vacated by suspended councilman José Huízar was made official on Tuesday

The suspended CD-14 councilman is accused of running a criminal operation at City Hall in order to enrich himself

City Council sets appointment date and asks for a “caretaker” to take over district duties

The councilman elect says a pledge to serve a full council term, which he did not sign, was political ‘gimmickry’

Suspended councilman’s case is set to begin Sept. 29 and as many as 45 witnesses are expected to testify

The suspended councilman appeared via teleconference and responded to dozens of charges in corruption case

The councilman-elect talks about winning the March primary and gaining the trust of CD-14 residents

George Esparza, from Boyle Heights, could face up to 20 years in prison for his role in City Hall corruption scheme

Opinions differ among people who live and work in the neighborhood where the suspended politician grew up