Downey : Gadfly Conducts Arrest of 4 Councilmen, 6 Staffers
Gadfly John Gonzalez made a citizen’s arrest of four Downey City Council members and six municipal officials at Tuesday night’s council meeting on a variety of allegations, including misuse of taxpayer money.
Downey Police Chief Pete Stone said the allegations were not substantiated, so he did not detain council members Roy L. Paul, Diane P. Boggs, Randall R. Barb, Robert G. Cormack or the six staff members.
Barb, the current mayor, said he was unable to comment because he was not aware of the specific allegations. But Barb said Gonzales was only trying to disrupt city business.
Stone said he would forward the complaints against the officials to the district attorney’s office.
Gonzalez has been in a long-running feud with Downey officials since the early 1980s when he began making improvements to his residence. The city successfully prosecuted Gonzalez for failing to correct numerous Building and Safety Code violations. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail in 1986 and served his time.
Gonzalez has long accused city officials of acting against him to silence criticism.
Some city officials have obtained restraining orders against Gonzalez.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
