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The Huntington Park City Council selected a local civil servant committee to replace former councillor Esmeralda Castillo.
Wednesday’s appointment comes days after the California Court of Appeals stayed on a Los Angeles Superior Court judge’s restraint order, preventing the city from filling its seats.
Castillo requested a restraining order as part of a civil lawsuit filed against the city in February.
Her attorney, Albert Robless, said he was not surprised at the appointment – and claimed that the city was in violation of his client’s due process rights.
“Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Barbara A. Meiers has explicitly warned the council not to appoint a replacement to the council. If so, it will “have their own risk,” he said in writing. “However, despite this judicial warning, they proceeded with known rebellion despite multiple members of the public trying to warn the city council during public comments.”
Officials at Huntington Park said they are committed to legitimate processes and transparency. They also say they respect Castillo’s right to seek a judicial review of the council’s decision.
“However, it is important to make it clear that the Council’s actions to declare vacant seats have been taken in accordance with years of state and city laws. “This decision follows public complaints and an independent investigation conducted by the Huntington Park Police Department. Based on documented, verified evidence and witness statements, the investigation demonstrated that the previous Council Members no longer existed. [city]. ”
Huntington Park Mayor Arturo Flores said the city supports its law and the interests of its citizens by appointing a new councillor.
“An attempt to trust this legal process is an attack on our democratic institutions and we should not support it,” he said.
Esmeral da Castillo, a former Huntington Park City Councilman, was photographed in Los Angeles on April 3rd.
(Allen J. Scheven/Los Angeles Times)
At least 29 candidates have tried to fill the vacant seats. The council’s final choice was Nancy Martiz, a member of the Huntington Park Civil Service Committee, which advises the city on fair employment practices.
Her biography, posted on the city’s website, states that she “brings a strong community foundation and over 15 years of public and private sector experience to the council.”
According to the city, Martiz graduated from Southgate High School in 2004 and earned a double bachelor’s degree in government and American studies from Smith College. She also holds a Masters degree in Government and Policy from Cal State Long Beach, and works in the Southgate City Law Office and the Los Angeles Mayor’s office, according to Bio.
Martiz could not be immediately contacted for comment.
Her appointment was the latest wrinkle in a continuing legal dispute over the removal of the controversial controversy on February 18, when the results of the city’s residential investigation were revealed to civic leaders at the Closed Door Body Conference. The council then declared her seat open on February 24th, asking the candidate to replace her.
Two days later, investigators with the LA County District Attorney’s Office executed a search warrant at the homes of then-Mayor Carina Macias, councillor Eduardo “Eddy” Martinez and mayor Ricardo Reyes. The search warrant was also carried out at the homes of two former councillors, a contractor and a consultant.
The warrant is a suspected misuse of a taxpayer fund that is part of Operation Dirty Pond, a non-built $24 million aquatic centre. No one has been charged.
Robles said the removal of Castillo was not only illegal, but politically motivated. Because she filed a formal complaint with the city against the three councillors and the mayor.
“Here, to further emphasize the unjust grasp of the defendant’s unjust political power in his self-directedness, as well as the defendant’s actions as a judge, ju judge and executioner. [they] Castillo argued in the lawsuit.
Andrew Salega, the attorney hired to oversee the city’s investigation, said he looked into Castillo’s residence several months before police investigators in Huntington Park filed complaints.
He said it was also filed with the LA County District Attorney’s Office in August, according to an email obtained by the Times.
Huntington Park authorities say they began investigating Castillo in November after a city manager received a complaint claiming she did not live in the city.
The investigation included monitoring at Castillo’s Huntington Park apartment and Southgate’s parents’ home, as well as court-approved GPS tracing and a search warrant. According to Salega, investigators also interviewed five witnesses, including Castillo.
He said investigators tracked Castillo’s car for a month in January and discovered that she had only stayed once in an apartment in Huntington Park. Someone else lived there, but Castillo also emailed them there, Salega said.
Robles said his client was caring for sick parents while maintaining a full-time residence in Huntington Park.
Superior Court judge Meiers issued a restraining order against the city on April 4th. Authorities urged them to file an appeal. California’s Second District Court of Appeals allowed the stay this week, days before the city’s 60-day deadline, filling its seats and avoiding what was an expensive special election.
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