Rita Walters to Curren Price: Stop Inciting 'Racial Animosity' in Los Angeles Council District 9 Contest

By Patrick Range McDonald Thu., Mar. 21 2013 at 11:21 AM

Curren Price

Former Los Angeles City Councilwoman Rita Walters has accused Council District 9 candidate Curren Price of trying to "incite racial animosity among African-American voters."

In a strongly worded "open letter," Walters, who backs Council District 9 candidate Ana Cubas, says Price, an African American, made "blatantly scurrilous remarks" when he said on Monday that Cubas, a Latina, was "committed to dividing the Ninth along racial lines."

On March 4, the grassroots group South Los Angeles Power Coalition made a similar plea, asking all CD 9 candidates to "immediately cease any race-based attacks." Price and Cubas were the top two winners of the March 5 primary and will face each other in the May 21 runoff.

Political observers told L.A. Weekly that race would undoubtedly be a factor in the CD 9 contest, in which African American political leaders don't want to lose the seat that's long been held by a black politician.

Campaign consultant Dermot Damian Givens, who's not working in the CD 9 contest, said that there "are the usual cultural tensions in that the entrenched blacks feel the Latinos are taking over their neighborhoods. While the politicians try to downplay it, it is very real."

Those tensions are not being downplayed anymore.

South Los Angeles has become increasingly Latino over the years, and Cubas is looking to defeat labor-backed, cash-heavy Price, who placed first in the primary. While Cubas has raised nearly the same amount as Price in campaign contributions, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and other groups have spent over $500,000 in independent expenditure money on Price.

Independent expenditure money spent on Cubas pales in comparison: Just $22,000.

Walters, an African American woman who served in CD 9 during the 1990s, has demanded that Price "retract his false and inadvisable statements."

The former councilwoman also calls "for a pledge from both sides to conduct only the highest principles of political campaigning."

Kokayi Kwa Jitahidi of the South Los Angeles Power Coalition tells the Weekly that the group will be monitoring the campaigns through Election Day and try to keep Price and Cubas focused on what really matters: addressing "deep poverty" issues and fixing "terrible roads, a crumbling infrastructure, and poor schools."

Contact Patrick Range McDonald at pmcdonald@laweekly.com.

Tags:

Ana Cubas, Curren Price, Patrick Range McDonald, race baiting, Rita Walters

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Thetruth28

1 Like

THIS IS HORRIBLE!!! I can't believe LA Weekly is really adding fuel to the separation of two wonderful cultures that truly have a lot in common and have to live with each other. LA Weekly, you should be using your resources to unite the community and not posting damaging articles like this, specially knowing the violent history of the of the two. Shame on you for feeding more hate to our community. You sit behind your desk and hang out at over charged hipster coffee shops on the heart of our city because it makes you feel “urban”, but what would you know about what really goes on in the heart of LA your just a selfish YUPPIE.

LA… this is the white devil trying to divide our community. Segregating us to live in the ghetto is not enough to them. They love to see us divided because divided we are less strong than they are. Let’s not feed into all this and support one another and elect the person that can truly help our community regardless of his race.

lasoundboard

Doesn't Kokayi Kwa Jitahidi belong to a black power group? Isn't that a little skewed? This article also leaves out what Price actually said:

" Price, who received the most votes in the March 5 primary, said voters in the May 21 runoff election should reject his opponent, who is “committed to dividing the 9th District along racial lines,” and who is advancing a false narrative that seeks “to declare an end to the era when black elected officials could represent Southeast L.A. on the City Council.” "