LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles County judge on Wednesday ordered City Councilmember Curren Price to stand trial after finding sufficient evidence on all counts following a multi-day preliminary hearing examining his financial disclosures, use of public funds and conduct in office.
After reviewing testimony, exhibits and documentary evidence, the court concluded that prosecutors met the low evidentiary threshold required at the preliminary hearing stage, clearing the case for trial where the allegations must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
In delivering the ruling, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Shelly Torrealba said she evaluated both the substance of the evidence and the credibility of the witnesses who testified over several days.
“I evaluated the credibility of the witnesses as they testified,” Torrealba said, adding that several witnesses demonstrated bias in favor of the defendant based on their professional or personal relationships with Price. That bias, she said, “came through very clearly” and was taken into account in weighing the evidence.
At one point during the ruling, the judge briefly misspoke, initially using the word “guilty” when addressing certain counts, prompting audible murmurs and gasps from people in the courtroom before she immediately corrected herself. She clarified that the court had found sufficient evidence to hold Price to answer at trial, describing the misstatement as an unintentional verbal slip.
Price is charged with multiple felony counts, including allegations of perjury tied to his Statements of Economic Interests, commonly known as Form 700 filings, as well as felony counts alleging misappropriation of public funds. Prosecutors allege that Price knowingly failed to disclose required financial information and improperly benefited from city resources over a period of years.
Defense attorneys argued throughout the hearing that the evidence showed, at most, administrative errors or misunderstandings rather than criminal intent. They contended that Price relied on staff and outside professionals in preparing disclosures and lacked direct control over the city funds at issue.
The judge rejected those arguments at the preliminary stage, finding that prosecutors presented sufficient evidence to allow the case to proceed to trial.
During the hearing, multiple current and former City Hall staff members testified about internal procedures for reviewing City Council agendas, monitoring financial disclosures and flagging potential issues. Prosecutors argued that the testimony revealed a pattern in which staff members shielded Price from scrutiny, while the defense characterized the process as imperfect but conducted in good faith.
Price was ordered to return to court for arraignment in March and remains free on his own recognizance.
Outside the courthouse following the ruling, defense attorney Michael Schafler said the case revealed significant weaknesses in the prosecution’s theory.
“We’re disappointed by the result,” Schafler said. “What this hearing has shown over the last week is that the prosecution’s case has a lot of gaps and a lot of holes. It’s based largely on speculation. We’re going to continue to fight, and we believe that once we get to fully present our case, Mr. Price will be vindicated and exonerated.”
Deputy District Attorney Casey Higgins, who argued the case for the prosecution, said the ruling confirmed that the case should move forward.
“Our office files charges only when we believe a reasonable jury could convict beyond a reasonable doubt,” Higgins said. “At trial, the jury will hear the evidence, follow the law and reach its own conclusion.”
The case now proceeds to the trial court, where prosecutors will be required to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.