Palmdale Mayor Richard Loa has been stripped of his title and removed from all committee assignments pending the outcome of an undisclosed investigation.
The shock vote came during a City Council meeting on Tuesday, July 1. The members had just emerged from a one‑hour closed session that was placed on the agenda by City Attorney Alexandra Halfman. The City Attorney had asked Loa to recuse himself, citing a conflict of interest.
No actions were taken during the closed session. But when council members returned, Councilmember Andrea Alarcón introduced an urgent motion to investigate “allegations confidentially brought forth” during that meeting. She also moved to strip Loa of his mayoral duties and committee assignments in the interim.
“Information has arisen and been brought to light subsequent to the posting of our agenda, and that information requires urgent action this evening,” Alarcón said.
The motion received unanimous support from the City Council. The investigation was approved, and mayoral duties were reassigned to Mayor Pro Tem Laura Bettencourt.
Loa is furious about the situation. He says he felt “sandbagged” by the council’s actions.
“I have no idea what they are investigating,” he told NBC Los Angeles.