Embattled San Leandro City Councilmember Bryan Azevedo has “retired” from his city role just one day before he’s scheduled to change his plea in a federal corruption case against him.
City officials announced Monday that Azevedo submitted a formal letter of retirement and that he would no longer be a member of the City Council as of Tuesday at 9 a.m.
The City Council plans to discuss options for replacing Azevedo at its Feb. 17 meeting.
A lawyer representing Azevedo declined to comment Tuesday morning.
The now-former councilmember is scheduled to attend a change of plea hearing Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in Oakland.
In November, Azevedo pleaded not guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and making false statements to a government agency.
Prosecutors allege Azevedo accepted a $2,000 cash bribe from an unnamed owner of an affordable housing company that had business interests with the city, according to documents filed by the U.S. Department of Justice.
During the fall of 2023 and spring of 2024, Azevedo allegedly took steps to benefit the company, including advocating for an emergency shelter ordinance with San Leandro government officials, taking city officials on a tour of the company’s model units, and advocating for the purchase of units by the city of San Leandro, according to court documents.
Then, in June 2024, prosecutors say Azevedo allegedly voted “in furtherance of an emergency ordinance that would have benefitted” the company, which was building and selling prefabricated modular homes made from shipping containers.
During an investigation into the alleged scheme, Azevedo is accused of lying about it to FBI and IRS agents, according to prosecutors.
The case is being prosecuted by Abraham Fine, the assistant U.S. attorney who is also prosecuting former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and her partner Andre Jones on several federal corruption and bribery charges.
Also facing charges in that case are David Duong and his son Andy, who own a recycling company, California Waste Solutions, that does business with Oakland.
The Duongs also ran a company that was trying to build and sell modular homes made from shipping containers to help with local homelessness issues.
Azevedo received thousands of dollars from Andy Duong and a business called Duong Family Investments when he ran unsuccessfully for mayor of San Leandro in 2022, according to campaign finance records.
Azevedo took a trip to Vietnam in 2023 that was also attended by members of the Port of Oakland, Thao, and Andy Duong.
The trip has drawn scrutiny because of the attendance of political contributors on a visit that was ostensibly about official city business, which involved lobbying the Vietnamese to use the Port of Oakland more.
The Duongs have contributed to multiple political candidates around the Bay Area, including Thao, whose home was also searched by the FBI in June 2024.
Their trial is expected to start in October.