3 City Officials Appear Before Grand Jury

Two City Council members and the city manager appeared Monday before the Orange County grand jury, which is reportedly investigating whether Santa Ana lobbyist and attorney Rodolfo Montejano improperly pressured officials to permit construction of eight billboards that were larger than allowed by city codes.

Councilmen Miguel A. Pulido Jr. and Ron May, and City Manager David N. Ream declined to comment about their appearances before the panel.

But city officials who asked not to be identified said the investigation stems from complaints filed with the district attorney, alleging that Montejano, who represents Los Angeles-based Regency Outdoor Advertising, tried to persuade Pulido last February to vote for the billboard construction.

One city official said Montejano--who has denied any wrongdoing--allegedly told Pulido during a dinner meeting that he would not be allowed to leave until he agreed to permit the billboards. However, others who attended the dinner denied that such an incident occurred.

Montejano, a trustee at Rancho Santiago Community College who has been active in city politics for more than a decade, acknowledges meeting several times with Pulido and representatives of the advertisement company but has said he never tried to pressure the councilman.

In past interviews, Pulido said he was pressured by the billboard companies and Montejano to help get the billboards approved. The companies later dropped their applications because they did not have enough votes on the council to have the advertisements approved.

Expected to appear before the grand jury today are Rueben Martinez, a former treasurer for the county’s Democratic Club; Hector G. Godinez, manager of the Postal Service’s Santa Ana division; and John Palacio, an employee at the Santiago Club, a nonprofit organization founded by Montejano.