Judge Orders Pasadena Councilman to Keep Distance From Colleague

Citing a previous incident of alleged violence by Pasadena City Councilman Isaac Richard, a Superior Court judge Monday ordered the city official to keep his distance from a colleague for the next three years.

Councilman Chris Holden had asked for a permanent restraining order last month after an altercation with Richard in the Rose Bowl press box during a UCLA game. Holden said Richard threatened him and tried to provoke a fight in a dispute over football tickets.

Richard, who has denied the charges, was not present in Pasadena Superior Court on Monday. But his lawyer, Chris Sutton, argued that the order was unnecessary because Richard did not have a history of violence.

Holden then presented a copy of a 1990 application for a restraining order by Richard’s younger sister, Misty Lynn Richard. In her petition, the sister said she feared for her life after a 1990 altercation with her brother in which he allegedly “threatened to pull my teeth out with pliers and pulled a gun on me.”

She also cited a previous attack in which her brother allegedly broke into her house and fractured her nose.

The petition was filed in Pasadena Family Court on Nov. 26, 1990, but the sister apparently did not pursue the case.

Richard said Monday that he had argued with his sister after she wrecked his car but denied assaulting her. His sister called The Times on Monday and confirmed Richard’s account.

“I wrecked Isaac’s car and I panicked,” Misty Lynn Richard said. “Why I did that, I don’t know. I went down to the courthouse and made up all these lies and exaggerated a lot of things. It was a bad time for me.” She denied that her brother had ever broken her nose or attacked her.

Judge Swart A. Coleman, citing the prior petition, ordered Richard to get no closer than 100 yards from Holden’s home, workplace, business or Holden himself, except during official council functions.

Relations between Richard and his colleagues and city staff have been rocky since shortly after he was elected to the council 2 1/2 years ago. Officers were assigned to attend council meetings after frequent angry outbursts by Richard.

Richard said Monday that the restraining order indicated that Holden was participating in a political vendetta.

The dispute stems from arguments last month over complimentary tickets to the UCLA-UC Berkeley football game. Richard was deprived of most council perquisites, including free Rose Bowl tickets, after he was censured twice by his colleagues for allegedly using abusive language.

Both men concede that the argument almost developed into a fistfight.