The Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition passed a motion Saturday calling on Los Angeles City Councilman José Huízar to resign, NBC Los Angeles reported.
The day before, new reporting from the Los Angeles Times found that Huízar asked his staffers to raise funds for his high school alma mater while his wife Richelle Huízar was getting paid to do the same job.
“Councilman Huizar is focused on serving all the residents in Council District 14, as well as advancing citywide efforts,” José Huízar’s attorney Stephen Kaufman said in a statement on Monday.
According to the Times, José Huízar directed his staffers to work on an annual fundraising event for Bishop Mora Salesian High School in Boyle Heights, and solicited donations from lobbyists and city contractors that did business with the City Council, including in his district.
In 2015, at least four real estate developers with projects in José Huízar’s district gave donations of $10,000 to the school, the Times found. Richelle Huízar, meanwhile, was getting paid to fundraise for Salesian High School, where she worked from 2012 to 2016.
The LANCC, an advisory board that has no official power, represents the 99 neighborhood councils in the city. It will notify José Huízar and City Council President Herb Wesson of the vote, NBC reported.
José Huízar, who is facing several lawsuits from former staffers who have accused him of potential legal and ethical violations, is also under investigation by the FBI, which raided his home and offices last month. Two weeks later, Richelle Huízar dropped her campaign to replace her husband on the City Council once he reaches his term limit in 2020.
The Times‘ report also found that José Huízar failed to report that he assisted in raising donations of $5,000 or more for the school, a potential violation of state law.
No arrests have been made and the FBI has not publicly released a reason for the searches on Nov. 7, while José Huízar’s lawyer, Stephen Kaufman, said at the time that they were “assessing the situation” and had no further comment. In November, José Huízar was removed from his position on four City Council committees, while Richelle Huízar resigned her role as a city commissioner.
NBC reported that LANCC President Terrence Gomes had previously called for José Huízar to step down.
“With his behavior and also now with the allegations with the FBI going in, the IRS going in, we can’t have that kind of leadership anymore,” Gomes said, according to the news outlet.
This post has been updated to include a statement from Huízar’s attorney.
