A Patterson councilwoman was booted off the dais last week amid a year-long clash with colleagues that often turned ugly and included allegations of death threats lobbed against a fellow council member.
Sheree Lustgarten's seat was declared vacant by the council Friday on the grounds that she resided, for at least three consecutive weeks, at a residence in Gustine. The vote was 4-1 with Lustgarten as the lone dissenter.
Lustgarten has been at odds with her fellow council members since an incident in which she was accused of mistreating elderly patrons at the Hammon Senior Center. In 2015, she became the target of a recall effort, but that campaign was later suspended.
In September, Council Member Dennis McCord won a restraining order against Lustgarten, claiming she had threatened his life. That order was later extended for two years. The council also accused her of past incidences of criminal wrongdoing and recently asked California Attorney General Kamala Harris to determine whether it precluded her from holding public office.
In the end, it was the councilwoman's alleged residency outside city limits that did her in. The evidence against her included an affidavit, signed under penalty of perjury, by a "whistleblower" who subleased a room to her in Gustine. She and her family have denied the accusations, saying the residence actually belonged to her son.
Lustgarten slammed the council's decision Friday, calling herself the victim of a "public lynching." When asked if the city would be giving her a goodbye ceremony, Mayor Luis Molina said he'd get back to her.
Read more about Friday's vote here.
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