INSIDE INGLEWOOD - Cal P. Saunders, the city attorney for Inglewood, is said by some City Hall insiders to have been recently deposed by Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey.
In April, DA Lacey and Public Integrity Division Head Deputy Anne Ingalls sent a letter to Compton's city clerk, Anita Godwin. The letter demanded "all documentation to car allowances (2005-present)" for every city employee from the mayor, to all council members, to the city clerk, to the city attorney. During the time period of records requested, Saunders was an attorney for the City of Compton.
One of the insiders said that Saunders was recently deposed regarding the great number of attorneys employed by Compton even as the city claimed a dearth of funding for city services.
The City of Inglewood employs no fewer than seven attorneys in the City Attorney's offices. Inglewood also outsources a great amount of its legal work to a number of legal firms.
The possibility of Saunders' resigning as city attorney for Inglewood was speculated a few months ago but has not happened: http://citywatchla.com/8box-left/5022-is-inglewood-ca-planning-a-retirement-party-soon
Reached for comment via e-mail, LA County DA Director of Communications Jean Guccione stated only that "[they] cannot comment."
Approached twice for comment at Tuesday night's Inglewood city council meeting, Saunders departed quickly.
(Randall Fleming is a veteran journalist and magazine publisher. He has worked at and for the New York Post, the Brooklyn Spectator and the Los Feliz Ledger. He is currently editor-in-chief at the Morningside Park Chronicle, a monthly newspaper based in Inglewood, CA and on-line at www.MorningsideParkChronicle.com. Views expressed and/or conclusions reached by Mr. Fleming are his and do not necessarily reflect those of CityWatch.)
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 11 Issue 74
Pub: Sept 13, 2013
