Judge in Phone Bill Case Disqualified

A citizen’s request to see the telephone logs of two Santa Ana city officials was delayed Wednesday when a Superior Court judge disqualified himself from the case.

Superior Court Judge Tully H. Seymour said he could not consider the request because he had been under contract to Santa Ana as a legal adviser to the city’s Uniform Code Appeals Board before being appointed to the bench.

“I did have a working relationship with the city, I was being paid by them, and I knew (Deputy City Atty. Luis Rodriguez) quite well, so I felt it appropriate to disqualify myself,” Seymour said.

The case, in which private investigator Preston Guillory is attempting to obtain the car telephone bills of City Manager Robert C. Bobb, will be taken over by Superior Court Judge Harmon G. Scoville.