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Santa Barbara resident tells council his son remains imprisoned over case tied to Rampart officer
Summary
At a Los Angeles City Council meeting, Manuel Valle of Santa Barbara spoke during public comment, saying his son is imprisoned after a case involving Rampart officer Rafael Perez and describing unsuccessful appeal efforts; he handed documents to Councilman Mike Hernandez for follow-up.
Manuel Valle, who identified himself as a Santa Barbara resident and the father of an incarcerated man, used the councils public comment period to urge action on a criminal case he said was affected by the Rampart scandal.
Valle told the council his son is in prison and linked the case to former Los Angeles Police Department officer Rafael Perez. Valle said he received a letter from the District Attorneys office — naming Julian Walker — advising him that he might file an appeal and that he subsequently filed one but that a judge denied it. "I got a letter from the DA's office of Julian Walker who works for, Garcetti about a year ago saying what what was going on with Perez and that I could file an appeal, which I did," Valle said in his remarks.
Valle said the testimony of a witness, whom he named as Sonia Flores, and interactions with Perez were central to the conviction and to his appeal effort. "He wasn't the arresting officer, but he was the officer that took the witness from the handcuffs and put her in his in her car," Valle said, describing events he said occurred during the case.
Valle said he filed an appeal without resources and later retained counsel but encountered a procedural barrier when a judge declined the appeal under a statutory provision Valle cited as "section 115." "Finally, there was an appeal put together and it was submitted. About a month ago, it was turned down by, by, Judge, Fidicker or something," Valle said. "The reason why he turned it down was a code called section 1 15, which means that there wasn't any evidence that's saying that the witness lacked credibility." He told the council he had hoped the District Attorneys office would interview Perez and the witness but said that did not happen before his appeal was denied.
Valle said he provided a copy of his materials to Councilman Mike Hernandez. He also described logistical difficulties getting to the meeting and left the council with copies for the record. The transcript records no council response to his public comment and no staff commitment for follow-up in the provided excerpt.
Why it matters
Valles statement references the long-running Rampart investigations that involved serious misconduct allegations against certain LAPD officers; claims that convictions were tainted by officer misconduct have prompted reviews in a number of cases. In this session the council did not record any formal action or response to Valles public comment in the provided transcript excerpt.
What the transcript records
Valles comments are recorded verbatim in part; he identified the witness by name, named the LAPD officer he said was involved, described his appeal process and the judges denial, and said he supplied documentation to Councilman Hernandez. He asked the council for assistance in getting his sons case reconsidered, but the transcript does not show the council taking any immediate action on his request.
