By Cara Anderson
IG: @carajojo
Lemon Grove City Councilman Matt Mendoza requested that the City Attorney James Lough and City Manager Lydia Romero formally investigate Councilman David Arambula, surrounding an assault claim filed against the city. Mendoza feels he was only told “five percent” of the true story during Lemon Grove City Council’s closed session to discuss the matter.
According to Mendoza, when he first read the Union-Tribune’s coverage of the assault claim, “Every paragraph I was like, You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“That’s what got my dander up, why did I have to read in the newspaper what happened seven months ago? Why did that have to come out then? I don’t understand. That tells me that group is hiding something.” Mendoza told Candid Chronicle, “It just looks like there’s collusion going on. There’s collusion, and if there’s any backdoor politics going on, I want to know about it.”
According to Mendoza, it wasn’t disclosed during the city’s closed session that the claimant Chris Williams, was the same individual who had applied to open multiple medical cannabis dispensaries in Lemon Grove.
Mendoza, who has expressed serious interest in running for Congress, says the San Diego Sheriff’s report of the incident was not shown to the council in the session. “I did not see a sheriff’s report, no. If I would have seen the police report, and Mr. Williams’ face, I would have said this is a little bit more than a scuffle.”
Chris Williams in the early hours of July 15th, 2017.
Likewise, Mendoza says when he saw the photos of Williams’ injuries, “I was shocked. I was shocked because it was a disagreement, a scuffle, and there was pushing and shoving, not to that effect of blood dripping down his face. There’s a lot of details that I was not aware of. They kind of told us ‘there’s a little problem there,’ and then to find out this like this.”
Mendoza says this has put him in a precarious situation; he wants the community to know he’s not “on Arambula’s side.” The councilman stated, “I’m forthright. I found out when you found out the gory details. It makes me feel ashamed because people think I’m holding back and I’m not telling them what I know.”
Councilman Mendoza feels David Arambula’s statements to the press are troublesome; “If you talk to Miriam at East County Magazine, she actually had a face-to-face sit down with him [Arambula]. From what she told me, the things that he was telling her just don’t make sense… it sounded like she was the press agent for him. She said she believes him and I’m thinking to myself, how do you say that without knowing both sides?”
“For lack of a better word, the whole thing stinks. The more I think about it, it’s just bad, bad business… As they talk it gets weirder; that’s why I asked for an investigation. I want to know because the city’s on the hook. If Mr. Williams does go through and file papers on Councilman Arambula and the city, then we’re going to have a problem.” – Councilman Mendoza
Considering the timing of Dorinna Hirsch’s restraining order request and the alleged assault against Williams, Mendoza thinks the investigation may look into whether there’s a pattern to Councilman Arambula’s behavior.
“Hollywood couldn’t make it any better,” says Mendoza.
Chris Williams is a founder of Candid Chronicle.
Another interesting story. My interest is peaked! #ResearchTime