Grand Jury to Probe City Council Election : Government: The city manager is ordered to surrender materials, including absentee-ballot applications, by July 28.

A federal grand jury has ordered the city to turn over all ballot materials from April’s City Council election, but federal officials refused to comment on the direction of their inquiry.

City Manager Robert G. Gutierrez, who also acts as La Puente’s city clerk, said the grand jury gave him until July 28 to deliver the election materials, which include voter registers, ballots, absentee-ballot applications and envelopes.

He said federal officials offered no information when asked about the purpose of the request.

Following a closed session at Tuesday’s council meeting, City Attorney Carol Lynch advised the council to comply with the grand jury’s request.

In an apparently related development, at least two of the candidates in the April 14 council election said they were questioned by FBI officials last month.

Bernard Acton and Robert Manderino confirmed Tuesday that they received phone calls from the FBI concerning their election bids. Both said the questions involved their experiences in running for the council seats and did not lead in any specific direction.

“I really don’t know what they were looking for,” Acton said. But he added that an unusually high absentee-ballot count, markedly in favor of Charles H. Storing, one of two incumbents, did spark rumors of impropriety after the election.

Out of 450 absentee ballots cast in the at-large election, Storing received 302 votes, and the other incumbent, Joe V. Alderete, received 150, Gutierrez said. Storing finished first with 757 votes and Alderete second with 651, defeating challengers Acton, Manderino and Sally Ann Holguin-Fallon.

“I don’t think the people in the city of La Puente are very comfortable with that election,” Acton said. “I applaud any type of investigation that would put any rumors to rest.”

FBI officials refused to comment on the matter.