As Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto campaigns for re-election, her office is facing internal turmoil. Career prosecutors have raised serious concerns regarding administrative decisions, her demeanor, and allegations that she has allowed political considerations to influence criminal prosecutions.
Allegations of Favoritism
The controversy centers on several high-profile cases. In February, Feldstein Soto directed her staff to dismiss two price gouging cases, including one against the Paddock Riding Club. The club and its operators had been charged with price gouging animal boarding services following the Eaton Fire. Campaign finance records indicate that members of the family operating the club contributed a total of $7,200 to Feldstein Soto’s campaign in December 2024.
Dennis Kong, a supervising attorney who led the unit handling the price gouging cases, criticized the directive in an email to colleagues, calling it “improper and unethical” given the strength of the evidence and the defendants’ status as campaign donors. Kong further noted, “It is safe to say that a pattern has now emerged of the City Attorney’s personal interest in protecting her donors.”
Feldstein Soto has denied these claims, describing them as “nonsense.” She stated that her decisions were based on a policy requiring that company leaders only be prosecuted if they were actively involved in the wrongdoing or failed to address issues after receiving notice. She added, “That’s not how I roll,” and maintained that her actions are intended to follow the Constitution and achieve compliance and restitution rather than criminal charges.
Whistleblower Litigation and Data Concerns
The office is also navigating a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit filed by Michelle McGinnis, the former chief of the prosecutions branch. McGinnis alleges that Feldstein Soto pressured staff to dismiss a building safety case against a company whose defense attorney was a friend and a major campaign donor. A judge has allowed the lawsuit to proceed to trial, ruling that the city’s evidence fell short of justifying the disciplinary actions taken against McGinnis.
Separately, senior prosecutors have challenged a plan to delete criminal case data older than 10 years from the office’s database. Supervising prosecutor Stacey Anthony and two deputies warned in a December memo that the purge would hinder the office’s ability to handle rape and murder cases, evaluate criminal histories, and process employment or immigration requests. While the office initially confirmed the plan, it later stated that data would be moved to an encrypted physical backup with restricted access.
Significance and Outlook
Feldstein Soto, who entered office in 2022 with a background in bankruptcy and corporate law, has framed the internal pushback as resistance to her efforts to reform an office she described as being under a “cloud of corruption.” While she maintains the support of Mayor Karen Bass and several City Council members, she has lost the endorsement of the main LAPD officers’ union, which is backing a challenger in the upcoming election.
The ongoing whistleblower lawsuit is scheduled for trial in early 2027. As the June election approaches, the office may continue to face scrutiny regarding its handling of criminal data and the potential impact of these internal conflicts on the administration’s stated reform agenda.
