LOS ANGELES – A search warrant was served Wednesday morning at the Santa Monica home of Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl amid what the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is calling “an ongoing public corruption investigation.” The raid was carried out around 7 a.m. by LASD and federal law enforcement. LASD confirmed it was serving search warrants at other locations as well, including the home of LA County Commissioner Patricia Giggans, as well as the LA County Hall of Administration, Peace Over Violence Headquarters and LA Metro Headquarters. In an exclusive live interview with FOX 11, Kuehl said the search warrant at her home “has no information on it” and “was signed by the judge who is a friend of the sheriff.” He denied any wrongdoing. PROPOSED: LA Metro hotline costing taxpayers thousands per call. whistleblower claims favoritism “This is a bogus non-investigation,” Kuehl said. “There is no ongoing investigation to support this warrant.” The video shows Kuehl being led out the front door of her home and talking to law enforcement. Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl was served with a search warrant at her Santa Monica home Wednesday morning. (FOX 11) Kuehl said this could potentially be related to a disgruntled Metro contract employee, adding that “Metro is also being sought.” Kuehl said the investigation is based on “an old obsession of a Metro employee.” According to Kuehl, the Metro employee in question worked with the department “years ago” and when she was let go, she was invested in a contract through LA Metro’s hotline and claimed Kuehl was involved. “Between the years 2014-2020, a series of ‘sole source’ contracts were awarded by the MTA to the Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization Peace Over Violence totaling more than $890,000,” according to the affidavit. “A sole source contract is a non-competitive contract that allows a single supplier to fulfill contractual obligations and requirements from, in this case, a public agency/government contractor (MTA).” Although the sheriff’s department declined to comment on the investigation, it released a redacted copy of the affidavit that led to the warrants. That document says the case is an investigation into an “allegation of criminal conduct” by Kuehl and three “exclusive-source contracts awarded to a non-profit organization operating under the name Peace Over Violence” to operate a sexual harassment tip line for employees and riders on the Metro Transit System. The affidavit documents the long history of friendship between Kuehl and Giggans, noting that Kuehl was married to Giggans in 2004, when he was a senator. He also noted that Kuehl — who serves on Metro’s Board of Directors — is on Peace Over Violence’s advisory board and that Kuehl appointed Giggans to the Political Oversight Committee. A previous FOX 11 investigation revealed that running Peace Over Violence’s sexual harassment hotline cost taxpayers more than $8,000 per call. Although the line supposedly received 1,300 calls between 2017 and 2020, very few of these turned out to be legitimate, with the vast majority being terminations, tests, or not applicable to the line’s purpose. As of October 2019, only eight of the 29 calls reported by Metro turned out to be legitimate harassment reports. Of the 349 calls to the line in 2019, 260 were wrong numbers or terminations. As of August 2017, only 13 legitimate sexual-harassment-related calls were received on the line, which equates to a cost per call of $8,450. The investigation was based on allegations by Jennifer Loew, a former Metro project manager, who also alleged that Kuehl had directed the no-bid contracts with Giggans and Peace Over Violence. Lowe was not formally identified in the search warrant affidavit, which only mentions an unnamed “witness” who made the allegations. Lowe sued Metro for retaliation.
Supervisor Kathryn Barger talks about a search warrant at Kuehl’s home
Los Angeles County 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger shares her thoughts following the news that Supervisor Sheila Kuhl’s home was searched by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on Wednesday morning. Kuehl said she was told by a county attorney Tuesday night that the sheriff’s department planned to show up at her home Wednesday morning. FEATURED: Los Angeles County supervisor dines at restaurant hours after vote to ban outdoor dining “I have never committed a felony,” he said. Kuehl maintains she was unaware of the no-bid contract, which was worth $494,000, just below the $500,000 threshold that would require a Metro vote. The Board of Supervisors has had a tumultuous relationship with LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva.
Sheila Kuehl: Search warrant executed at Los Angeles County supervisor’s Santa Monica home
Kuehl believes the warrant was served in connection with corruption charges. “I think the sheriff’s department going along with this Metro employee shows that the sheriff’s department is complicit in this,” he said. “Alex [Villanueva] I’m told he’s been cleared of it… if he doesn’t know that, that means there’s a rogue element in the sheriff’s department and it’s completely out of control anyway.” Villanueva would not comment on the search warrants. The search warrant affidavit notes that Villanueva has effectively recused himself from any involvement in the investigation to avoid any appearance of conflict. The sheriff is in the midst of a contentious re-election campaign in November pitting him against former Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna. PROPOSED: Los Angeles County Supervisors Move to Take COVID Vaccine Enforcement Out of Villanueva’s Hands Mike Bonin, Councilman for Los Angeles’ 11th Ward, released a statement of support for Kuehl following the LASD raid. It said in part, “A corrupt sheriff with a history of abusing his power and trying to silence and intimidate his critics is conducting a bogus, vindictive, politically motivated witch hunt against @SheilaKuehl, a public official of the highest integrity.” City News Service contributed to this report.
