Bell Gardens Mayor Hurls Chair at Council Rival

The mayor of Bell Gardens physically attacked another council member Monday night during a heated closed session from which officials emerged dazed and shaken, voted to fire the city attorney and then called off the rest of the scheduled meeting.

Mayor Josefina (Josie) Macias, saying she was fed up with Councilman Frank B. Duran’s demeaning comments about women, pushed Duran several times in the back, tried to slap him and then threw a chair at him after the city manager tried to break up the battle, according to several officials at the meeting.

Macias said in an interview Tuesday that she had been seething for months over what she described as Duran’s sexist and macho attitude, and that his actions in closed session Monday night--shaking his finger at her and ordering her to sit down and listen to him--were the final straw.

Duran refused to comment on the incident, other than to remark: “You know how women are.” He added, however, that he has consulted with an attorney.

Neither was injured in the clash, which occurred behind closed doors as council members debated whether to fire City Atty. Alan Gross.

The council has scheduled a special meeting tonight, in part to consider a movement led by Duran and Councilwoman Rosa Hernandez to remove Macias as mayor. Macias has held the largely ceremonial position since last March and was scheduled to step down in April. Like many cities, Bell Gardens council members select a mayor from among their ranks and rotate the position annually. Duran, as mayor pro tem, is next in line.

Monday’s clash was the latest sign that a council coalition that ousted four Anglo council members last year is beginning to unravel. Four new council members, including Macias and Duran, took office last spring in a euphoric celebration that some viewed as signaling a new era in this heavily Latino city long controlled by an Anglo Establishment.

In recent months, however, the mood has turned sour amid allegations of illegal hiring practices, racism and conflicts of interest within City Hall. Even Macias said she is “embarrassed” about the council’s recent behavior “because we fought so hard to get where we are.” But she said she had no regrets about her emotionally charged run-in with Duran.

Macias said her problems with Duran began several months ago when the councilman invited her to his home and told her that women have no place in politics. “He said that women should be home, making babies,” Macias said. “He has always wanted me to step back and let him run the show.”

Duran strongly denied that he ever asked Macias to his home, adding that he has “no problem at all working with women in politics.”

Equally upsetting, said those present at the closed session, was an offhand remark by Councilman Rodolfo (Rudy) Garcia, who reportedly expressed relief that the council had decided to fire City Atty. Gross, who is Jewish, and replace him with a Latino, Henry Barbosa, who has served as special counsel for the city.

Several sources quoted Garcia as saying, “It it were my money, I would never have hired a Jew in the first place.”