Newly elected District 1 Councilwoman Gloria Gray will hold a community swearing in April 29.
The event is scheduled to take place on the South Lawn of Inglewood City Hall from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. No RSVP is needed.
During the city council meeting held April 18, Gray confirmed she will be sworn in by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
Gray also shared with the public that her liaison will be Alicia Smith who previously served in the same capacity for former Councilman George Dotson.
“That was a HUGE battle to bring back Ms. Smith,” said an insider with knowledge of the situation.
Gray also intends to continue serving on the board of West Basin, who is the water provider for Inglewood.
“My intention is to serve my constituents in both capacities,” she said. “I’m focused on the issues in the city of Inglewood and I’m focused on the issues as it relates to West Basin.”
Gray ran for both seats on the November 8 ballot.
Despite the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office going after Latino elected officials for holding seats on the city council and its water providers board, DA George Gascon’s office confirmed its “not a priority” at this time.
“The California Attorney General must issue an opinion that the two offices are incompatible before any action may be taken by the District Attorney’s Office,” Risling said. “Currently, PID is focused on allocating resources to criminal actions.”
Donald Dear, who also sits on the West Basin board, said the district needs to get an attorney’s opinion because Inglewood’s purchase of water from West Basin could be a “potential conflict of interest.”
“If there’s no conflict of interest, it’s fine. If there is, then she’ll have to quit one of the jobs,” he said. “She’s doing a great job on the water board and I’d hate to lose her.”
Emilie St. John is a contributing writer for the South Bay Examiner and the Los Angeles Wave newspaper