City Council Reprimands One of Its Own : Government: Councilman Isaac Richard apologizes for having cursed at a housing administrator, who later filed a sexual harassment complaint against him.

The City Council emerged from a 90-minute closed session on Tuesday and, in a statement read by Mayor Rick Cole, somberly chastised one of its members--Councilman Isaac Richard--for abuse of city employees.

Then the flamboyant councilman, who moved to approve the statement of repudiation, sheepishly apologized for acting “inappropriately” at times toward city staff, one of whom filed a sexual harassment complaint against him last week.

Richard acknowledged that he had “sworn at and raised my voice to” some employees, specifically city Housing Administrator Phyllis Mueller, who charged in a complaint to the city’s Affirmative Action Department that Richard had threatened and cursed her during a City Council meeting two weeks ago.

“Sometimes I get frustrated, which is no excuse,” he said.

Council members said afterward they were hopeful that the apology put a cap on a series of recent incidents that have served to batter Richard’s reputation and undermine his relationships with colleagues.

The council’s statement, which was approved by all seven members, said in part, “The council publicly repudiates Councilmember Richard’s abusive language and rude behavior toward city staff.” It also reaffirmed the council’s commitment to “effective, courteous and cooperative working relations” among everyone who participates in city government.

It has been a rocky summer for Richard, who was elected to the council in April, 1991.

On Saturday, Richard was detained on a concealed weapon charge after he engaged in a shouting match with a group of youths in Northwest Pasadena. Last month, Richard reportedly berated an employee of a women’s program who refused to divulge the address of a shelter for battered women and interrupted a diving class at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center, demanding that he be allowed to swim in the pool.

Several of Richard’s colleagues said that they felt his apology signaled a shift in attitude. “I think it represents a serious effort on his part to turn the corner and go in a different direction,” said Councilman William Paparian.

Others were doubtful. “He’s apologizing because he knows he’s got to do something,” said Councilman Jess Hughston. “I’m really distressed to see a talented young man self-destructing.”

Richard’s angry remarks to Mueller occurred on June 30 after the council voted to give federal Block Grant funds to a housing program Richard disapproves of. Mueller had recommended the funding measure.

According to the housing administrator, who was seated near Richard in the council chambers when the vote was taken, he turned to her and said: “I’ll get you for this. F--- you.”

“I was very shaken,” Mueller said on Tuesday before Richard had issued his apology. “Eventually, I thought over my options and decided to file a complaint with the affirmative action office.”

The complaint touched off a flurry of behind-the-scenes activity at City Hall late last week.

First, affirmative action officials agreed that the complaint could represent an instance of sexual harassment. “In today’s environment, anything intimidating or hostile, which comes from a member of the opposite sex can be presumed to be sexual harassment,” said city Affirmative Action Director Ramon Curiel.

But Curiel, whose office investigates harassment complaints against city employees, referred Mueller’s complaint to the mayor. “We have no authority over members of the council,” he said.

Then Councilman Hughston, who says he overheard Richard’s remark to Mueller, sought to have Richard publicly censured or to have his behavior probed by an independent investigator.

“It’s too late to apologize,” Hughston said before the council action on Tuesday.

But Cole, citing the confidentiality of sexual harassment cases, called for a meeting on the matter in closed session.

Richard conceded in an interview that he had “cussed (Mueller) out,” for which he was contrite. But he denied that his action was in any way “sexual.”

“I have to cop to the fact that I can’t cuss out city employees,” he said. “I’ve compromised my agenda by letting my frustrations get the better of me.”

Mueller could not be reached for comment Wednesday, but she had said earlier that she was inclined to accept an apology from Richard and in that case would drop the claim.

In other recent incidents involving the councilman:

* Richard allegedly brandished a gun Saturday at some youths who, according to police, were taunting him about the sexual harassment case. The councilman says the youths, whom he alleges were drug dealers, were about to attack him physically. “They were about to roll on me,” he said.

Richard said he opened his car trunk, which held a revolver he had been using earlier in the day at a firing range, and the youths fled, shouting, “He’s got a gun.”

“Just then the police got there,” he said. The police handcuffed and temporarily detained him, charging him with brandishing a weapon and carrying a concealed firearm in a car, both misdemeanors.

Richard denied that he had brandished the gun, which was found to be unloaded. “I’m wholly innocent,” Richard said. “I’m utterly unworried about (the charges).” Richard was ordered to appear in Pasadena Municipal Court on Aug. 11.

* The councilman called Haven House, a shelter for battered women, on behalf of a constituent on June 15 and argued with the counselor who answered the telephone. “He was demanding to get the address of the shelter, so he could bring her (the constituent) here,” said Haven House Director Sheila Halfon.

The shelter is a “safe house,” whose address is not generally given out, Halfon said. “We often have irate batterers calling here,” she said. “The whole idea is to protect these women. He (Richard) could have said he was the President, and she wouldn’t have given him the address.”

After Richard persisted, the counselor hung up. “He apparently was not hearing her,” said Halfon, who wrote a letter to the council complaining of the incident.

Richard insists that the conversation centered on whether there was room in the shelter for his constituent. He said the counselor had claimed that the shelter could not accommodate the woman and her 8-year-old son, but they were admitted later, when another woman accompanied her there. “They have a policy where they don’t talk to men,” Richard contended, “as if all men were the enemy.”

* A few days later, Richard arrived early for a luncheon meeting at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center and decided to take a swim. But a diving class was in progress in the recreational pool, and a female lifeguard asked Richard to leave. When he persisted in interrupting the class, she threatened to call the police.

Richard said that he was seeking to ensure that the Aquatics Center facilities are open to city residents as well as to competitive teams. The center had been criticized, particularly by representatives of predominantly black Northwest Pasadena, for limiting the times that recreational swimmers are allowed in the pool.

“I told them, ‘This is my pool; this is the community’s pool,’ ” Richard said.

Newly appointed Aquatics Center Director G. Bernard Brown said the incident, which was smoothed over after he talked to Richard, was based on a misunderstanding. “I explained to him that recreational programs in all city pools begin at 1 o’clock,” Brown said.

In Richard’s 15 months on the council, he has developed a reputation as a forceful advocate for his mostly black constituents in Northwest Pasadena, with a sharp wit and a tendency to storm out of meetings when he is angry.

He has been characterized by colleagues as both “disruptive” and “energizing.”

It remains to be seen whether Richard will be able to effectively pursue his avowed intention of “empowering black people,” several colleagues suggested. “I can only say that time will tell,” said Councilwoman Kathryn Nack.

At least two of Richard’s colleagues were dissatisfied with the council’s action on the sexual harassment issue. “I wanted to use the word ‘censure,’ ” said Hughston. “ ‘Repudiate’ means that we reject the validity of something, whereas we really disapprove (of Richard’s conduct).”

But only two council members voted in the closed session to censure Richard, Hughston said. He would not reveal who the other dissident was.

Asked about the terseness of the council statement and the Richard apology in the open council meeting, Cole denied that it had been choreographed beforehand.

“It’s clear he said what he said,” Cole said, “and it’s clear that he thinks it was wrong and that everybody else thinks it’s wrong. Everybody wanted to make it public.”