LOS ANGELES (KNX) - With the racist recording scandal front and center this fall, the controversy around another council seat fell to the back burner. Mark Ridley Thomas's corruption trial has been delayed until the spring, leaving his seat in limbo - but in an exclusive interview with KNX News, he vowed to keep representing the 10th District despite his official suspension from the Council.
"I am the elected member of the Los Angeles City Council as we speak," Ridley-Thomas told KNX's Craig Fiegener. "I am proud of the work that I have done. My term ends in 2024. It is my intent to honor my oath with the people of the 10th District."
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW:
Ridley-Thomas's federal trial was due to begin this week but was postponed to March 7, 2023. Prosecutors say Ridley-Thomas accepted a bribe from a dean at USC's School of Social Work in 2018 when he was a Los Angeles County supervisor. They allege disgraced dean Marilyn Flynn accepted $100,000 from a campaign account for Ridley-Thomas and funneled it through the University to a program run by Ridley-Thomas's son.
Flynn has admitted it was for Ridley-Thomas's support of a lucrative contract for USC to develop a telehealth program for LA County. She has pleaded guilty and is expected to be sentenced in March.
For Ridley-Thomas, the stakes couldn't be higher. The indictment came last October, and the Los Angeles City Council suspended him in an 11-3 vote pending the outcome of the case. Ridley-Thomas earned an annual salary of $223,800, and his suspension is without pay.
City rules allow for the suspension because Ridley-Thomas has been charged in a criminal investigation. In his absence, Heather Hutt has been appointed to serve as a fill-in council representative for District 10.
Fiegener caught up with Ridley-Thomas at the launch of new Metrolink service in South LA, where the embattled councilmember said he is focused on battling one of the city's biggest issues. "I think my role as a public official has been 30 years in the evolution, and my focus now is on homelessness," he said, touting his efforts to put homelessness outreach teams on Metro lines.
"In private life I will drive that issue forward." he said.
When asked again if he believed he would be able to return to service as a public official, Ridley-Thomas began to answer, then said "Listen, let's stick on the issue." He then raised his hands and ended the conversation because it was being recorded for broadcast.
If convicted, Ridley-Thomas faces up to 10 years in prison.
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