Ex-School Trustee Penalized

Former West Covina school board member Peter Sabatino Jr. was sentenced Wednesday to three years’ probation and 250 hours of community service for falsely claiming to live within the school district when he last ran for office.

Sabatino pleaded guilty last month to one felony count of falsifying his residency.

At Wednesday’s sentencing hearing in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Judge Mark Mooney reduced the charge to a misdemeanor.

A perjury charge was also dropped, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard Ceballos of the district attorney’s Public Integrity Division.

As a condition of the plea, Sabatino gave up his school board seat Friday.

Sabatino, a West Covina Unified School District trustee for almost 15 years, had claimed to live in Valinda, a community within the school district. Prosecutors said he actually lived in Downey.

Sabatino’s guilty plea was the source of some controversy. After his court appearance last month, Sabatino said he believed he had pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, while prosecutors said he had pleaded to a felony.

Sabatino also maintained, despite the plea, that he was innocent.

On Wednesday, before sentencing, Ceballos asked Sabatino whether he understood that the plea was an admission of guilt. Sabatino first said, “No,” but after briefly consulting with his attorney, replied, “Yes.”