Sparring Councilmen Call for Mental Tests

Councilman Brett Franklin said Wednesday he will seek criminal assault and battery charges against a fellow council member for allegedly shoving him during a break at the City Council meeting.

Franklin also said he will seek a temporary restraining order against Councilman Ted R. Moreno, who has denied that he intentionally shoved Franklin at Tuesday’s meeting.

“I’d be willing to drop the charges,” added Franklin, 36, after speaking with the city’s chief of police. “But only under the condition that Councilman Moreno undergo psychiatric testing and get into a counseling program.”

Tuesday night’s council meeting ended abruptly after Franklin accused Moreno of a “hockey check”--throwing his right arm and hip into Franklin’s side.

The alleged incident occurred after a heated argument over leasing business space in the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center.

Moreno said the shoving allegation against him was overblown and politically motivated.

He said he was walking toward Franklin, and the two only bumped shoulders.

“The hallway is narrow, he [Franklin] could have walked around me too,” Moreno, 30, said, adding, “We could have probably both moved.”

Moreno said Franklin would be filing a fraudulent report if it were alleged he was intentionally shoved.

“I think he’s the one that should be undergoing the [psychiatric] testing,” Moreno said. “People who are putting in false reports are the ones who are crazy.”

Also Wednesday, City Clerk Janice C. Guy said she has asked for a police escort at future council meetings to protect herself and her staff from Moreno in light of Tuesday’s alleged incident.

Guy, 59, noted that just two weeks earlier she had engaged in a contentious argument with Moreno over a public records request after a City Council meeting.

“I have some concerns about his behavior,” Guy said. “He seems to be so angry.”

Moreno said the city clerk is retaliating against him because he filed a complaint with the district attorney alleging she had improperly helped fill out the mayor’s campaign finance report. Deputy Dist. Atty. Guy Ormes confirmed Wednesday that his office had received the complaint but said he had not fully examined Moreno’s allegations. Guy said she has always assisted anyone with campaign reports who has asked her to do so.

Altercations at City Council meetings, while extremely rare, are not unheard of. In Fullerton two years ago, someone flung a campaign sign at Councilwoman Julie Sa, hitting her in the face.

But in Santa Ana, city officials and residents could not recall a similar incident at a public meeting.

At one point during Tuesday’s meeting, held at the community room at police headquarters, Moreno stood up and paced in front of the other council members, arguing.

After the council members asked Moreno to sit down, he said they had nothing to fear: “I don’t have any weapons,” he said.

Councilwoman Patricia A. McGuigan fled the meeting in tears.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Moreno had argued against canceling a lease with K. Lee Gifts, in the Regional Transportation Center.

Four other members of the council, however, voted to replace the gift shop with a jobs center.

Moreno said other city officials are retaliating against him because of the upcoming mayoral race, when he is expected to run against incumbent Miguel A. Pulido Jr.

“I’ll be the next mayor in November,” Moreno said. “That’s the whole issue. They’re trying to derail my momentum.”

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Jeff Kass can be reached at (714) 564-1036. His e-mail address is jeff.kass@latimes.com.