SANTA ANA : Travel Policy Urged After Ticket Ruckus

With Councilman Richards L. Norton under fire for accepting an upgrade on an airline ticket earlier this summer, one of his colleagues has asked the city attorney to develop a travel policy for council members.

Such a policy, according to Councilman John Acosta, would help the city avoid future controversies such as the one involving Norton.

Norton, who is up for reelection in November, has admitted flying first class for the price of ordinary fare during his honeymoon trip to the Virgin Islands. He received that upgrade after having identified himself as a city councilman.

Glenn Mondo, an attorney who is running against Norton in the November election, has asked the attorney general’s office to investigate whether or not Norton broke a state law that prohibits elected officials from accepting such discounts.

Acosta, who asked the city attorney to draft the travel policy, said the rules for council members need to be clarified in order to “ease the pain for everybody.”

“I’d like to keep all of us on the straight and narrow,” Acosta said.

The issues can be complicated, Acosta said, noting that council members typically take side trips at their own expense when traveling on city business. Although council members pay for those trips, they save money by extending city-financed trips, he said.