This episode out of Baldwin Park goes back a little bit.
Over a year ago, Baldwin Park Mayor Manuel Lozano filed to get a restraining order against Paul Cook, an attorney, activist, and vocal critic of Lozano’s. Lozano did not get that restraining order because free speech and lack of a credible threat.
Now, Mayor Lozano and two of Baldwin Park’s Councilmembers are back in court, trying to get a restraining order against a different gadfly.
But guess who is representing the most recent critic, Paul Cook, the critic that already beat Mayor Lozano in court. Cook decided to represent Greg Tuttle, a local business owner, when Baldwin Park Councilman Ricardo Pacheco got a restraining order against Tuttle late last month. After Cook filed to reopen the Pacheco’s restraining order, Mayor Lozano and Mayor Pro Tem Monica Garcia filed for restraining orders against Tuttle.
The Baldwin Park trio alleges harassing and stalking. Tuttle admitted to having less-than-cordial words for Garcia, such as “political prostitute” because she has received money from developers she supported.
Mayor Lozano accused Tuttle of repeatedly driving by his home last fall while the trio ran for reelection. Stalking allegations also extended to all three saying Tuttle followed them to Santa Barbara while they attended the Independent Cities Assn. conference in January. Tuttle refuted this, saying he was in Santa Barbara on business.
Last week, the L.A. Superior Court judge ruled in favor of Tuttle and Cook, saying that all of Tuttle’s activities were protected under free speech and there was no evidence of a credible threat. The judge dissolved Pacheco’s restraining order and denied Lozano and Garcia’s requests.
More on the Baldwin Park restraining order drama can be found here.
Image Credit: Flickr User netzanette, https://flic.kr/p/a3dNZX via (CC BY-NC 2.0)