Local News in Brief : Councilman Sues Rivals for Slander
A San Gabriel city councilman filed suit Monday in Pasadena Superior Court against 10 civic leaders, including a fellow councilman, a former mayor, a planning commissioner and the president of the Chamber of Commerce, charging them with libel, slander and civil conspiracy.
City Councilman Frank Blaszcak, who was elected in April, 1988, after a bitterly fought campaign and who has since become the target of a recall drive, displayed campaign flyers from his opponents that allege that he was “involved in drug sales.”
Blaszcak, who denied the charge, was joined at a press conference at his San Gabriel home by his attorneys, Melvin Belli and L. Scott Karlin.
The councilman, who must face a recall election on May 23, said that his opponents “conspired to slander me to keep control of the city in the hands of developers.”
Councilman Sabino Cici, one target of the suit, denied that he had slandered Blaszcak.
He scoffed at the presence of celebrity lawyer Belli in San Gabriel. “All of our resources put together probably wouldn’t pay his bill,” Cici said.
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