In a headline we couldn't have written ourselves, the LA Times ran a piece Tuesday ¨Sex scandal at West Hollywood City Hall sparks calls for less Grindr, more respect.¨
Ahem.
At the center of the story is Councilmember John Duran, who the LA Times endorsed in his 2014 run for County Supervisor, a seat ultimately won by Shelia Keuhl. Form the Times:
in February, West Hollywood agreed to pay $500,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit against the city and Councilman John Duran. The suit was brought on behalf of Ian Owens, whom Duran hired as his deputy after meeting him on Grindr, the smartphone dating app for gay and bisexual men, and then having sex with him.
Did the Times beat TMZ to this headline? You can read the full piece here, which expounds on calls by other councilmembers for reform.
It should be noted another piece in WeHoVille takes another view, that ¨Investigation Finds ‘Insufficient Evidence’ of Sexual Harassment by John Duran¨, though concedes the investigator did find evidence of unprofessional and sexually charged behavior. An excerpt:
...the report concludes “that John Duran did engage in making sexually related comments in the workplace, which were unprofessional and generally violated West Hollywood Administrative Regulations pertaining to harassment. While there may have been no specific intent to do so, Duran’s behavior generally contributed to creating a less than professional working environment at the City of West Hollywood.