Webb Says She Deplores Vigilantism : Simi Valley: Councilwoman wants to ‘set the record straight’ after she supported man who fatally shot a graffiti tagger.

Simi Valley Councilwoman Sandi Webb said she was not endorsing vigilante justice when she called a Sun Valley man a “hero” after he fatally shot a graffiti tagger.

The councilwoman said she wanted to end the attention focused on her after she came out in support of William Masters II, who shot and killed an 18-year-old graffiti tagger and wounded a second tagger in a confrontation two weeks ago.

Attention on Webb grew even more intense when soon after going public with her support for Masters, she said that, like Masters, she sometimes illegally carries a concealed pistol.

Together the statements attracted criticism and praise from a handful of residents who attended a City Council meeting Monday night.

Ray Glazner, a local businessman, and Steven Paine, an attorney, said Webb’s statements illustrate the need for easier access for permits to carry concealed weapons.

“I commend council member Webb for bringing to the forefront a very fundamental right--the right to protect our lives,” Paine said.

But Bob Marston, a Simi Valley computer engineer and former Green Party candidate for Congress, said Webb’s statements were mindless.

“This does nothing to change or improve the image of Simi Valley,” he said. “To the contrary, your actions reinforce the image of Simi Valley as a racist community.”

Marston also criticized Webb’s fellow council members for not making stronger statements condemning Webb for admitting she illegally carries a concealed weapon.

Carrying a concealed weapon without a permit is a misdemeanor under state law, according to the California Penal Code. A second violation is a felony and could result in up to a year imprisonment.

Marston asked the council to formally censure Webb.

But apart from Mayor Greg Stratton briefly interrupting Marston and asking him to focus his comments on issues that the council could address, none of Webb’s fellow council members commented on her recent statements.

Another Webb critic said the council was shirking its responsibility by not taking action against her.

“I don’t see any degree of outrage from anyone of you,” said Steve Kemp, an advertising writer who lives in the city. “This is not something that can be laughed off. It should be dealt with accordingly.”

Webb spoke briefly in an effort to “set the record straight” about her recent statements. She said her support for Masters should not be construed as an endorsement of vigilante justice. Masters did not shoot the tagger for spraying graffiti, she said, but shot the man after he was threatened.

“This is in response to those people who think I support going out and shooting graffiti taggers,” Webb said at the City Council meeting Monday night. “I don’t want vigilantes in our community. (Masters) did not attack them. They attacked him. He was defending himself.”

On Tuesday, Webb brushed off criticism that she illegally carries a concealed weapon when she travels to Los Angeles.

“I doubt very much that it will encourage or discourage anybody from carrying a concealed weapon, which is a misdemeanor,” she said. “Spitting on a sidewalk is also a misdemeanor.”