Salt Lake City Council Member and former congressional candidate Eva Lopez Chavez — recently accused of sexual misconduct and moving outside of her district — will be diminished in her role on the council pending an investigation.
In a vote late Tuesday night, members of the Salt Lake City Council voted to temporarily suspend Lopez Chavez from several of her duties while a working group of council members — along with an independent investigator that the council will retain — conducts an investigation into any potential violation of the city’s code of conduct.
Lopez Chavez is facing allegations of aggressive conduct against multiple women, including Council Member Victoria Petro, that were featured in reports by The Salt Lake Tribune as well as her potential residence outside of District 4, which she represents.
The Salt Lake City Council
The working group will be composed of Council Members Erika Carlsen, Dan Dugan and Chris Wharton.
“It is our intention that the investigation will take place over the coming months and conclude before the end of July,” said Council Member Sarah Young during the Tuesday meeting. “This timeline may be adjusted as needed based on the investigation or direction of the working group.”
The council voted unanimously to create the working group and investigate potential misconduct, though Petro abstained from the vote.
Immediately after, the council voted to suspend Lopez Chavez from a number of activities while the investigation is underway. These activities include conducting formal meetings, her role as vice chair of the city’s Community Reinvestment Agency, any travel relating to her position at the city, speaking on behalf of the council and using the council’s communications budget to talk about the investigation.
The council voted unanimously to suspend Lopez Chavez from those activities, with her and Petro both abstaining from the vote.
The suspension and investigation come at a time when the council is poised to hold a number of key debates around development, including a potentially significant rewrite of the city’s single-family zoning code. District 4 council members have historically been a key supporter of pro-development and infill zoning changes, given the district largely consists of Downtown and the dense adjacent neighborhoods. Her suspension also comes during the city’s budget season, which kicked off earlier in the Tuesday meeting with Mayor Erin Mendenhall presenting her proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2027.
Lopez Chavez has seen a number of allegations levied against her in recent weeks.
The Tribune reported that four people accused her of misconduct. The four — which include three elected officials — accused Lopez Chavez of unwanted sexual advances, with alleged incidents taking place over a number of years.
Last week, the Tribune published an additional report which found Lopez Chavez purchased a home on the edge of the East Liberty Park neighborhood last September, which is located outside of her district. She represents District 4, which includes Downtown and Central City. The East Liberty Park neighborhood is located in District 5.
A Facebook post from September 30 shows Lopez Chavez celebrating the purchase of a home. A deed of trust document obtained by Building Salt Lake shows she closed a home in East Liberty Park on the same day as the Facebook post. She also publicly posted a unit within the house as available for rent. County property records show her name is still connected to the property.
Up until last month, Lopez Chavez was a candidate for U.S. Congress, as she ran for the highly competitive 1st Congressional District in the Democratic primary. At the state’s Democratic convention, Lopez Chavez was eliminated from contention during the first round of voting, only garnering 13 votes.
According to her LinkedIn, Lopez Chavez has held a number of jobs over the years. For part of last year, she appeared publicly as chief of staff for Lotus Company, a development company and a Building Salt Lake advertiser. She’s also worked for Salt Lake City as a community liaison, according to her LinkedIn page.
According to her latest conflict of interest statement, Lopez Chavez works for Polaris Modular, a company that was registered with the state in March that is affiliated with the development company Sentry Financial.
“Before her time as councilwoman, Eva worked as a Mayor’s Office Liaison, Paralegal, and now as a project manager solving the housing crisis for a modular housing firm,” her congressional campaign website says.
Lopez Chavez was first elected to the council in 2023, and before then, she was the chair and executive director of the Salt Lake County Democratic Party.
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