LA Councilman Huizar stripped of committee posts amid FBI investigation

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar, who is the subject of an FBI investigation, has been stripped of his City Council committee assignments, officials said.

City Council President Herb Wesson sent a letter to the City Clerk's Office removing Huizar from the posts.

"We're optimistic Angelenos will be best served by these changes as the Los Angeles City Council continues the people's work without interruption," said Vanessa Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for Wesson.

Huizar had previously been chairman of the Planning and Land Use Management Committee and held seats on the Economic Development Committee, the Homelessness and Poverty Committee, and the Rules Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

His attorney, Stephen Kaufman, issued a statement Thursday saying, "The council member scaled back his activities this past week to assess the situation, and will be back at work next week. He respects Council President Wesson's decision, and will use the time away from committee assignments to tend to personal matters."

The move comes after federal agents served a search warrant at Huizar's home in Boyle Heights last week. Agents were also seen removing documents from his City Hall office.

The exact nature of the federal investigation is unclear. But a special city committee is investigating accusations against Huizar involving harassment, discrimination and retaliation.

In 2013, Huizar's former deputy chief of staff, Francine Godoy, sued the councilman over similar complaints. At that time, the Special Committee on Investigative Oversight found no evidence of wrongdoing.

Huizar has served on the City Council since 2005 but is prevented from running again due to term limits when his current term expires in 2020.

City News Service contributed to this report.