Civil Penalties Sought in Irwindale Inquiry

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office is pursuing civil penalties against Irwindale city officials who figure in a wide-ranging, monthlong investigation into questionable dealings in the small eastern San Gabriel Valley city, an Irwindale spokesman revealed Tuesday night.

In a special council meeting called to dissuade the officials from accepting a negotiated civil settlement offered by the district attorney’s office, city spokesman Xavier Hermosillo said investigators were pursuing remedies that “would amount to forcing people in the city to give up money, positions and projects.” He called the tactics “a form of extortion.”

Hermosillo said the officials--believed to be City Manager Charles Martin, who also serves as city attorney, and City Engineer Carlos Alvarado--have so far rejected the civil penalties offered in exchange for the district attorney’s promise not to file criminal charges. Martin and Alvarado could not be reached for comment.

Citing advice from the city’s private attorneys, Hermosillo refused to give details of the offer.

“Just because the D.A. is suggesting something doesn’t mean we’re accepting it,” Hermosillo said. “No one is willing to cut a deal.”

But the special meeting--in which Martin was conspicuously absent and the only audience members were the mother of a councilman and four invited reporters--seemed intended to convince wavering officials that a negotiated settlement would sully the city’s reputation and have a negative effect on attempts to build a stadium for the Los Angeles Raiders. The Raiders project has been sidetracked for more than a month by an injunction that can only be lifted upon completion of an environmental impact report.

District attorney investigators have interviewed numerous city officials, including Mayor Arthur Tapia and Martin, about conflict-of-interest questions raised in a Times article on Sept. 24. The article revealed that city officials had steered millions of dollars in city contracts to private businesses that they either owned or had a substantial interest in.

The investigation also is believed to focus on fees charged by Martin for work he performed in securing bond financing for city projects prior to the Raiders deal. Investigators say a decision on whether to file criminal charges will be made within a week.