Downey council votes to censure Councilmember Mario Trujillo over Instagram post about Charlie Kirk’s killing

The Downey City Council voted Sept. 17 to impose a formal censure on Councilmember Mario Trujillo for a personal Instagram story he posted after the Sept. 10 assassination of public figure Charlie Kirk.

Mayor Hector Sosa moved the censure measure and the motion passed by a simple majority; the clerk recorded Councilmember Trujillo as abstaining and Councilmember Ortiz voting no. The council directed that a written resolution detailing the basis for censure be prepared by outside counsel for adoption at a future meeting.

The meeting opened with City Attorney John Funk outlining that censure is a formal reprimand the council may adopt in open session and that staff would not be issuing a substantive recommendation. Funk told the chamber that any punitive removal of an elected member is not permitted through censure and that the decision is solely within the council’s discretion.

The action followed more than three hours of public comment during which more than 50 residents spoke. Many speakers urged censure or resignation, saying Trujillo’s Instagram story — which included the phrase “No 1 mourns the wicked” posted after Kirk’s killing — was dehumanizing and dangerous. Others defended Trujillo’s First Amendment rights, argued the post was on a personal account, and called the special meeting unnecessary given other public-safety priorities in Downey.

Trujillo addressed the council at length before the vote. "First and foremost, I want to apologize to my husband and my family. If I could take this back, I absolutely would," he said, acknowledging that his post was insensitive and that he had taken it down after pushback. He also told the council he would not mourn anyone who "said awful things," said he did not share any homicide footage, and argued that recent court decisions protect personal social-media posts by public officials when they are not using government power.

Several council members cited the city’s code of ethics and conduct, adopted in 2021, and pointed to resident emails and social-media exchanges they said demonstrated repeated disrespect and harassment from Trujillo to constituents and, in some instances, to colleagues. Councilmember Claudia Fermeira said the conduct had forced her family to hire security at a prior conference and described prolonged harassment; she urged the council to act.

Councilmember Ortiz said he did not agree with the post but warned against the council setting a precedent of policing private speech. "This moment should not divide us further," Ortiz said, calling for the council to focus on core city business after the vote.

City Attorney Funk told the council the censure option gives the body the ability to publicly register strong disapproval and to direct preparation of a resolution describing the basis for that reprimand. The council’s motion included such direction.

The council also voted earlier in the meeting to receive and file written public comments submitted after the agenda was posted; that procedural motion passed with Trujillo recorded as abstaining.

The council adjourned at 7:20 p.m. pending preparation of the written resolution that will document the censure and any recommended sanctions the council elects to consider at a subsequent meeting.