AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a global nonprofit that has been a pugnacious player in local politics, sued the city of Los Angeles on Tuesday to stop some real estate developments vetted under Councilman Jose Huizar from moving forward.
Huizar has pleaded not guilty to federal charges that include bribery, money laundering and racketeering in an ongoing pay-to-play probe. Federal prosecutors have accused him of heading up a criminal enterprise fueled by cash bribes and lavish gifts from real estate developers seeking to build new skyscrapers in his downtown district.
In its lawsuit, AHF argues that the city should pause some of the building projects that were vetted under a council committee that was headed by Huizar and included Mitchell Englander, a former councilman who admitted to lying to federal investigators about cash and other gifts he had received from a businessman seeking to meet developers.
The nonprofit wants the court to stop the city from spending any money or taking further action to “facilitate, review, process, or see to completion” projects in which Huizar or Englander were allegedly engaged in violating California’s Political Reform Act, which includes a provision barring officials from making decisions in which they have a financial interest.
Read the full story on LATimes.com.
