Zekiah Wright previously ran for City Council in 2022. (photo courtesy of Zekiah Wright for West Hollywood)

West Hollywood City Council candidate Zekiah Wright, 38, was arrested at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 12 on felony identity theft and perjury charges. After their arrest, Wright was released on citation, which ensures a person will appear in court following release from custody.

In a three-page statement, Wright’s attorneys at Green & Associates said that the charges relate to Wright removing themselves as an “authorized agent for service of process” from Five Foot Monster LLC, which is owned by Wright’s former partner Patricia Bezner, more commonly known as Jackie Steele.

“Zekiah no longer wanted to be associated with Steele’s business in any manner as an agent for service of process, so they removed themself and added an individual who they believed Steele told them to add at least as a placeholder,” the statement read. “In hindsight, Zekiah realizes they should have checked with Steele’s friend who was added to confirm that he consented to being an agent for service of process, but this was done with the understanding that these were Steele’s instructions.”

The statement goes on to state that, “Steele further updated the statement of information forms on file twice” following Wright’s alteration. Other media sources have named Mayor John Erickson, who is seeking reelection to the City Council, as the “friend” whose name was added by Wright, a point that Erickson would not confirm, though he did provide a statement.

“My understanding is there is an investigation into this matter and if you have further questions, please get in touch with the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Department,” Erickson said. “I am confident they will handle the matter appropriately.”

The law firm’s letter also described damage and theft they allege was done by Steele to Wright’s property and social media accounts, and a restraining order filed against Steele, and suggested political motivations for the charges.

Steele said that she “did not have a comment at this time.”

Detective Brandon Zeff confirmed the arrest was been made and a court date was tentatively set for Nov. 13, though the case has not yet been sent to the District Attorney’s Office.

“[The District Attorney] would determine if they’re going to file charges or not,” Zeff said. “If they don’t file charges, then [Wright] wouldn’t have to go to court.”

The Nov. 13 court date is after the West Hollywood City Council election, though this is a coincidence.

“That’s just set based on 60 days from the time that it happened. It’s a 60-day calendar,” Zeff said.

He also said that the District Attorney’s Office likely would not review the charges until early November.

Wright was a member of the West Hollywood Lesbian and Gay Advisory Board prior to joining the Rent Stabilization Commission. In June, Councilwoman Sepi Shyne removed Wright from the commission for undisclosed reasons. Shyne has not responded to a request for comment.

Wright joined the City Council race just before the Aug. 14 filing deadline and was recently endorsed by the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee. The chamber said it would continue to monitor developments in the case, but as of Sept. 16 had upheld its endorsement.

Wright placed fourth in the 2022 City Council election.

Wright remains a candidate for City Council, and told the Beverly Press they intend to participate in a Sept. 22 forum hosted by Congregation Kol Ami, located at 1200 N. La Brea Ave. The event starts at 3 p.m.

Of the nine remaining West Hollywood candidates, eight are expected to appear, including Erickson.

Over the weekend, resident Rachel Schmeidler announced her exit from the race.

“I stepped down because of the playing field. It became crazy. Reputable candidates who are attorneys are getting arrested and marked as felons,” Schmeidler said.