Los Angeles City Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson addresses fellow City Council members as they debate a plan to waive building permit fees for property owners who are looking to rebuild from the Palisades fire at Los Angeles City Hall in Los An …
LOS ANGELES - A high-profile clash between Los Angeles city leadership and the police union intensified Thursday as the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) formally requested that prosecutors investigate City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson.
The union alleges the Council President attempted to obstruct a peace officer during a recent traffic stop, while Harris-Dawson maintains the incident is being weaponized to stall police reform.
What we know:
The LAPPL, representing rank-and-file Los Angeles Police Department officers, has asked District Attorney Nathan Hochman and City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto to look into a March 4 traffic stop involving Harris-Dawson.
A report by the California Post alleges that Harris-Dawson was pulled over by a Los Angeles Unified School District officer for a moving violation in a school zone and subsequently called a friend on the Board of Education to avoid a ticket.
Harris-Dawson publicly mentioned being pulled over during a March 6 committee meeting on unarmed crisis prevention, using the experience to argue that pretextual stops are "unconstitutional" and "racially biased."
What we don't know:
The specific details of the phone call allegedly made by Harris-Dawson have not been made public, nor has the identity of the school board member he purportedly contacted.
It is currently unclear if the District Attorney or City Attorney will move forward with a formal probe based on the union's request.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass stated she was unaware of the calls for an investigation, noting the situation "threw her for a loop."
FOX 11 has reached out to Harris-Dawson but has not heard back.
The District Attorney's Office could not be reached for comment.
What they're saying:
LAPPL President Ricky Mendoza called the alleged behavior "unethical and potentially illegal," stating, "The public deserves to know what was said during this phone call."
In response, Harris-Dawson’s spokesperson, Cerrina Tayag-Rivera, slammed the move as a diversion: "The Police Union is trying to distract from the immediate need for policy change."
Harris-Dawson himself previously described such stops as "the most traumatic experiences that you have living in this country."
What they're saying:
The LAPPL indicated it will take further steps next week to address what it calls Harris-Dawson's "lie of omission" regarding the nature of the stop.
Meanwhile, the City Council is set to vote on a proposal to alter or eliminate the LAPD’s policy on pretextual vehicle stops once Harris-Dawson officially places it on the agenda.
The Source: This report is based on formal statements from the Los Angeles Police Protective League, official email correspondence from the Office of City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, and public testimony delivered during a March 6 joint committee meeting. Additional context regarding the initial traffic stop was sourced from reporting by the California Post and subsequent coverage by City News Service.