D.A. to Investigate Mayor’s Charge of Secret Meetings by Colleagues

The Ventura County district attorney’s office said Tuesday that it will conduct an inquiry into charges raised by Oxnard Mayor Nao Takasugi, who alleges in campaign literature that fellow council members have violated state law by holding secret meetings.

The allegations were made in letters Takasugi distributed during the past seven weeks in his bid for a fifth two-year term.

Takasugi has declined to name the council members. However, his campaign consultant said the mayor was referring to Councilwomen Dorothy Maron, Ann Johs and Geraldine (Gerry) Furr.

Maron and Johs have adamantly denied the allegations. Maron, who is challenging Takasugi in the November election, has accused the mayor and his campaign consultant of political mudslinging.

Furr has been on vacation and could not be reached for comment.

Special Assistant Dist. Atty. Donald Coleman said his office will make inquiries into the charge that the three women violated the state open-meetings law--known as the Ralph M. Brown Act--by meeting in secret.

Violation of the act could result in a penalty of up to six months in jail and a fine of $1,000, Coleman said.

However, Coleman said he is entering into the matter cautiously because he wants to be certain the allegations are “not simply political puffery.”

Coleman said he is uncertain whether the allegations were raised by Takasugi or his campaign consultant, John Davies, who helped draft the letters.

The inquiry was requested last week by Scott Bollinger, who along with Maron and two others is vying for the mayor’s post.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Bollinger criticized Coleman for “suggesting hesitancy to pursue the investigation for fear of issues becoming politicized.”

Bollinger said such statements are “prejudicial to such an investigation before it even begins.”

The letters, which were paid for by the mayor’s campaign, say Takasugi is having difficulty doing his job because council members are always “fighting and grandstanding to get newspaper headlines. . . .”

The letter adds: “Also the illegal back-room deals clearly made by council members must end.”

In an interview Tuesday, Davies said he welcomes the inquiry.

Davies alleged that Maron, Johs and Furr met secretly last year to discuss the ouster of former City Manager David Mora. He said the same three council members met secretly another time to discuss a controversial management audit report.