Montebello Mayor David Torres on Friday, June 23, speaking to supporters after a potential recall effort was announced the day prior. (Photo by Christina Merino, Whittier Daily News/SCNG)
Supporters rallied in support of Montebello Mayor David Torres and two other City Council members on Friday, June 23, a day after a recall effort was announced against them.
Torres, along with Scarlet Peralta and Georgina Tamayo, have become the focus of allegations that in their official capacities they retaliated against their critics at City Hall and in one case moved to eliminate a city employee’s job during the budget approval process.
A group of more than 50 people, including city commissioners and City Treasurer David Matanga, cheered on Friday as the trio pushed back on claims filed against them in what has become a back-and-forth squabble dating back to last year.
“It means so much that we can get this kind of support on such a quick turnaround,” Torres said. “I think it speaks volumes about the work that my colleagues and I are doing but even more about the trust that you guys have put in us to get the job done and the job that we’re doing.”
On Thursday, a group of residents announced a recall effort against the three on the heels of claims filed with the city. Public Affairs Director Michale Chee accused the three council members of retaliation, wrongful termination and creating a hostile work environment after their vote on June 14 to eliminate his position.
Torres said he was not deterred.
“There’s still a lot of work to do; there are a lot of major projects that need to be tended to; there are a lot of rising issues that we need to discuss,” Torres said. “And things like this take us away from the work that really matters to our community.”
Although the rally was spurred by the recent claims filed against the council members – Torres did not address the issue or claims directly.
“First of all, this evening and coming together is not to talk about the claims that have been submitted by Michael Chee,” Torres said. “Those claims aren’t going to be won on social media, they’re not going to be won in the media. We have to take those prudent steps to make sure that we’re preserving and protecting our rights as the investigation goes into his allegations.”
Torres said the claims are hindering the council’s efforts to reform the image of the city as a place for businesses and a place for families to come.
Chee, who said he remains employed with the city, on Thursday called the three-member majority’s action at the June 14 council meeting the “ultimate demonstration of the retaliation that staff has been subjected to” under the leadership of Torres.
On Thursday, leaders of the recall effort said they were fed up with the council’s actions, joining Chee’s announcement with a recall effort propelled by what they said was the attempt to push out Chee and the city’s former city manager, Rene Bobadila.
Bobadilla resigned in May amid tension with Torres, dating back to last year when Bobadilla, Human Resources Director Nicholas Razo and Chee accused Torres of verbal attacks and creating a toxic work environment at City Hall.
Ultimately, after not attending a City Council meeting since January in Montebello, citing health issues, Bobadilla left. This week he was announced as the new city manager in Santa Fe Springs.
Recall leaders said Thursday that the paperwork was yet to be filed with the city. The process involves generating a petition, circulating the petition, gathering a threshold number of signatures of registered voters in the city. Ultimately, a recall vote is held.
Supporters of Torres, Peralta and Tamayo said that the council members have done nothing but work toward bettering the city and making the decisions necessary to do so.
“I believe that they are bringing the truth, honesty, transparency and integrity to the forefront,” said long-time resident Delia Delgado.
“I support our council, I support what they’re trying to do,” Delgado added. “I believe that they want to be inclusive with our residents and I think those that oppose them are being very mean, there are ways of helping. There are ways of showing your support or that you disagree but not in a mean spirit, and attacking and I’ve seen that.”
Other supporters also said that a recall isn’t necessary.
“We want to get back to business,” said Montebello resident Alexandra Briseno on Friday. “We elected them, we trust them, we like seeing what they’ve done, and a lot of people say the same.”
Peralta echoed Torres and others.
“I just want to say in regards to this recall, we’re not going to stand down. We are here for our community,” she said. “We’re here to continue to create the changes that we need to create a better Montebello.”
