Former CD 14 Councilman José Huízar was issued a 13-year sentence in federal prison Friday morning after pleading guilty last year in the biggest Los Angeles City Council corruption case in decades.
The prosecutors were firm with their position, despite Huízar’s defense team insisting their client receive a nine-year sentence. Attorney Charles Synder argued the public official was remorseful of his actions and that the judge should also take into account the positive contributions he made to the city of Los Angeles.
“The good that Mr. Huízar brought to the table far outweighs the bad,” Snyder said.
But prosecutor Mack Eric Jenkins compared Huízar’s descent to King Kong falling off a skyscraper, decimating the surrounding area and hurting innocent bystanders. “The bigger they are, the harder they fall,” Jenkins said.
The sentencing judge, John F. Walter, refused to serve the Eastside fraudster any less than the maximum sentence sought by the prosecution and emphasized the systemic damage done to the public Huízar caused after accepting $1.5 million in bribe money from developers.
“I want to apologize to my family, the constituents of CD 14, and I take responsibility for my actions,” Huízar said in a hushed tone.
Huízar seemed to understand the gravity of his actions according to one El Sereno resident who has been following the trial.
“I think his statement was more thoughtful than the usual stuff we get from politicians,” said Andrea Ramirez. “This [apology] felt like it had feeling to it, but that doesn’t change anything. It’s important that punishment happens, we’ll work on forgiveness later.”
Political commentator Dr. Fernando Guerra, a professor at Loyola Marymount University, called the outcome of Huízar’s actions “tragic” but insisted the judge acted correctly in giving him the maximum sentence sought.
“This was a guy, who many of us felt was an authentic politician who truly represented the district that he was from, and the aspirations that we have for ourselves,” Guerra said. “And because he was seen in such high regard, the downfall is even greater.”
“[This is] someone who we could imagine being the best of who we are, and that’s really a tremendous letdown. It’s a scar on LA politics, but it’s a scar on the Eastside, that we had somebody like him, as our representative.”
Huízar, who is currently on bond, needs to surrender to the bureau of prisons by April 30.
Reporter Carmen González contributed to this post.
This story was updated on Jan. 26 at 5:20 pm.
