The El Monte City Council removed Councilwoman Vicky Martinez Muela from her position as mayor pro tem and revoked her membership in outside commissions this week in response to allegations that she accepted thousands of dollars in gifts from a lobbyist, including a partial payment for a breast augmentation surgery.
The three council members who supported the action late Wednesday, Aug. 11, said they wanted to protect El Monte’s image and would consider returning the title and assignments if investigations into the matter clear Martinez Muela.
“From my vantage point, I put this in the realm of when an officer is accused of some kind of wrongdoing, that officer is placed on administrative leave and temporarily removed of duty,” Councilwoman Alma Puente said before the vote. “It just doesn’t make sense for this body to have a mayor pro tem where aspersions are being cast upon her character.”
Borrows from LeVar Burton
At the conclusion of the meeting, Martinez Muela — apparently quoting a completely unrelated tweet from actor LeVar Burton about the “Jeopardy” hosting gig — stated she’d received an “outpouring of love and support from family, friends and fans alike.”
“I have said many times over these past weeks that no matter the outcome, I’ve won,” Martinez Muela said. “If love is the ultimate blessing, and I believe that it is, then I’m truly blessed beyond measure.”
Though she did not cite Burton at the time, she later tweeted thanks to him for “giving me the right words to share love for my community.”
Martinez Muela did not address the allegations at all Wednesday and did not respond to a subsequent request for comment.
Due process
Mayor Jessica Ancona and Martinez Muela voted against the removal of the councilwoman’s titles after unsuccessfully attempting to have the issue tabled because of the late hour. The city is currently conducting an investigation at the request of two council members as part of the council’s censure process. Ancona urged her colleagues to wait until those findings are presented.
“What happened to ‘innocent until proven guilty’?” Ancona said during the meeting. “You’re already saying she’s guilty and not allowing due process to take place.”
All five council members eventually supported a motion to name Puente the new mayor pro tem. The panel, however, did not choose anyone to fill Martinez Muela’s other roles. She served as a representative to the League of California Cities, Independent Cities Association, Disaster Council and Sanitation District No. 15 before she was stripped of those positions Wednesday.
Gifts from friend/lobbyist
Martinez Muela, first elected in 2011, received $1,100 for a breast augmentation surgery from her friend, Sigrid Lopez, who in December 2016 was a lobbyist for the El Monte-based Southland Transit. A month later, the City Council approved a $700,000 extension of Southland’s contract for public busing and dial-a-ride services. Martinez Muela, however, was absent during that vote.
Lopez further alleges she paid $5,000 for the councilwoman on a trip to Cuba, but Martinez Muela told the Los Angeles Times she covered her own expenses.
Under state law, local government officials are prohibited from receiving gifts over $520 as of January 2021. The limit was reportedly $460 in 2016, according to complaints filed by former El Monte Mayor Andre Quintero. Martinez Muela did not report any of the gifts from Lopez on her annual economic disclosures, though she had previously reported meals as low as $15 from Southland in the past.
Complaints filed with agencies
Quintero submitted the complaints, along with a declaration from Lopez and a copy of a bank statement showing the $1,100 payment, to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and the Fair Political Practices Commission in May and July, respectively. Neither has taken any action as of yet, but the D.A.’s Office did confirm it is reviewing the complaint.
Both Lopez and Martinez Muela have acknowledged the surgery payment, but they say it was done out friendship and not intended to influence any votes. In an interview, Lopez characterized the $1,100 as a gift that was never paid back. The two women have since had a falling out over Martinez Muela’s strong stance against a cannabis regulation that Lopez supported.
No punishment for lobbyist?
During Wednesday’s meeting, Ancona accused her colleagues of ignoring Lopez’s role in the allegations and suggested they should take an equitable action against the former lobbyist. Lopez, who stopped lobbying for Southland in 2018, has two cannabis licenses in El Monte.
“Will she be stripped of her cannabis licenses? Will you all denounce her and stop taking contributions from her? What is being done to her?” Ancona asked her colleagues.
City Attorney Rick Olivarez shut down the topic quickly, saying it was not part of the special meeting’s agenda and potentially would need to be discussed in closed session.
Lopez did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
El Monte does not currently have any rules around lobbyists. The council is expected to begin mulling potential regulations — including lobbyist registration, gift limits and a revolving door policy — at its first meeting in September.
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