West Covina council adds censure complaint against member to Sept. 16 agenda

The West Covina City Council voted 4-1 on Sept. 10 to add to its Sept. 16 agenda a complaint and possible censure of Councilmember Gutierrez after Mayor Pro Tem Lopez Villaro said she had been harassed and threatened.

The item will allow council members to hear both sides and receive witness testimony, Lopez Villaro said during the special meeting. “His actions and conducts leave me feeling unsafe. And for speaking up today, I wanted on the record that if anything should happen to me, my home, or my family, then we all know it's not an accident,” she said.

The complaint centers on a series of cease-and-desist emails Lopez Villaro said she received and an incident in which she said a man — she described him as having come to her home to deliver a letter — was sent after her. Lopez Villaro asked the council to place a censure discussion on the Sept. 16 agenda so the matter could be considered openly and with witnesses present.

Councilmember Gutierrez denied the allegations and described both the emails and the person who went to a residence as part of a lawful judicial process. Gutierrez told the council that “there is a system called the judicial system... the judicial system ensures that fairness and democracy gets to continue in our community,” and said a registered process server acted within legal rights. He also disputed other claims, saying some information circulating about him — including assertions about operating a nonprofit — was not true.

Gutierrez also said an encounter at City Hall involved the mayor pro tem approaching the acting city manager's office and that there were witnesses to that interaction, including the acting city manager and a staff member identified as Eric Verengas. Lopez Villaro and Gutierrez each said witnesses exist who can corroborate their versions of events.

Members of the public spoke before the council took up the agenda item. Miriam Verduz, a District 1 resident, said she was surprised the special meeting had been called without wider notice and asked about the city’s rules for calling special meetings. A speaker identified as JD criticized city management for oversight of spending tied to a memorandum of understanding, saying the city had “put out $152,000 worth of hours,” and asked when staff would be held accountable.

During roll call on the motion to add the agenda item, Councilman Cantos and Councilwoman Diaz voted yes. Councilmember Gutierrez voted no. Mayor Pro Tem Lopez Villaro and Mayor Wu voted yes, producing a 4-1 vote to place the complaint and possible censure on the Sept. 16 agenda.

The council did not take any disciplinary action at the Sept. 10 meeting; the approved motion simply schedules consideration of the complaint for the next regular meeting. The Sept. 16 agenda item is intended to provide a forum for both sides to present their accounts and for witnesses to be heard, consistent with the council’s stated goal of transparency.