Updated April 24, 2025
Kevin de León was fined $18,750 for ethics violations during his tenure as L.A. City Council member.
The L.A. City Ethics Commission announced its decision to fine De León on Wednesday.
De León admitted that he “violated City law by making or participating in decisions in which he had a financial interest and failing to disclose income” while serving as Council District 14’s representative, according to a report by the L.A. City Ethics Commission.
In June 2019, De León signed a yearlong contractor agreement with the University of California (USC), receiving a total of $155,000, the ethics report says.
Less than a year after the university’s last payment, he voted to approve a city budget that included allocated funds of $1 million for the USC Keck School of Medicine.
The report also states that in May 2020, De León entered a consulting agreement with the Healthy Housing Foundation (HHF) division of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and was paid a total of $109,231. Less than a year after his last payment, De León participated in three separate city decisions affecting AHF.
On Nov. 25, 2020, De León voted on AHF’s application regarding a historical designation for the AHF-owned King Edward Hotel. On May 4, 2021, he voted on an item regarding a city lease of the AHF-owned Retan Hotel, voting again on the Retan Hotel’s city lease on May 4, 2021.
California state law dictates that elected officials must disclose income of $500 or more received 12 months before taking office, a rule De León violated in these instances involving AHF and USC, according to the report. In total, De León was paid $264,231 in consulting fees by AHS and USC.
A spokesperson for De León told the Los Angeles Times that the “matter centers on disclosure – not personal gain,” and that had “Councilmember De León been advised that he should recuse himself, he would have…”
De León served as CD 14 councilmember from 2020 through 2024. Before then, he served as a California Assemblymember from 2006 to 2010 and Senator from 2010 to 2018.
