Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Residents and advocates urge resignation as public comments center on assault allegations against council official
Loading...
Summary
Multiple public commenters at the Huntington Park City Council meeting accused a city official of sexual assault, urged that official to step down and called for protections against retaliation; city staff said the matter is an active investigation and will not be commented on publicly.
Public comment at a Huntington Park City Council meeting was dominated by accusations of sexual assault and repeated calls for the implicated official to resign.
Several speakers named Council member Arturo Flores in their remarks and urged immediate removal or voluntary resignation. Rosario Galatea Yucerna, founder of ArtSpace HP and an arts commissioner for the city, said she had read recent reports of an assault and called the conduct "an abuse of power," demanding that "Arturo Flores step down immediately and never hold public office again." A speaker who identified only as Jazz recounted a personal history of sexual assault and told the council, "Council member Arturo Flores, it broke my heart," and urged officials to stop "hiding" and to believe survivors. Another speaker who said she is a victim told the council, "If you're not guilty for the sake of this community... please step down," adding that her children are survivors.
Speakers cited a public post and, in one case, a restraining order reported by "Metro Watch." Linda Caravallo criticized the venue plans for the State of the City event and said that a restraining order filed with the Los Angeles Superior Court included allegations tied to "Mister Flores," calling the reported behavior "disgusting" and urging accountability.
City staff responded that the matter is the subject of an active investigation and that the city will not comment on the allegations while law enforcement proceeds. A staff representative told the council and audience that "this matter does not stem from city operations... and it is therefore outside the city's jurisdiction," and recommended directing questions to the investigative authorities. Staff also said the council will receive a closed-session briefing on the matter later in the evening.
The council did not take formal action on the allegations during the meeting; staff said they would add a closed-session briefing to a future agenda at the council’s request. Several public commenters urged the council to adopt stronger measures to protect people from retaliation and to ensure victims feel safe reporting misconduct.
The meeting record shows no formal removal, ethics finding, or policy vote on the matter during this session. The matter remained an active investigation, and staff emphasized that questions about criminal or investigative details should be directed to law-enforcement authorities.
