"Hugo Soto-Martinez Deserves An Apology" by Daniel Guss
LAPPL veep advanced a debunked story on Fox News because of HSM's anti-cop views
Soto-Martinez, a socialist, won the District 13 Council seat on a platform that included defunding and even abolishing the LAPD. Therein lies the motive for the LAPPL to promote an untruthful allegation.
The story started last Friday when @StreetPeopleLA on Twitter published a screenshot from an LAPD patrol car computer screen which shows that a call was made to the LAPD on February 1 requesting additional security patrols at Soto-Martinez’s Sunset Boulevard field office because a white Lexus belonging to the Councilmember had broken down, and was presumably vulnerable to theft or vandalism.
That’s fair because Street People LA based its tweet on what the screenshot showed.
The problem is that later on Friday, Fox 11’s Gina Silva debunked the allegation that the Lexus belongs to Soto-Martinez, and captured on video his staffer David Mai (who made that call and to whom the Lexus is registered, according to Jason McGahan at Los Angeles Magazine) driving away in the Lexus, but refusing to answer her questions.
It is certainly infuriating and an embarrassment to Soto-Martinez, as demonstrated by his media flack Nick Barnes Batista emailing The Guss Report, stating, “It’s come to our attention that a deputy staffer had some contact with the LAPD regarding his personal vehicle. We are investigating this matter internally and will be taking appropriate action. Councilmember Soto-Martinez is very upset as this does not reflect the values of transparency, responsible governance, and being accountable to the community that elected him.”
So why, three days later, is Jerretta Sandoz — a former LAPD detective — doing a 2am cable news interview perpetuating the untruthful claims that Soto-Martinez owns the Lexus and that he requested the extra LAPD patrols to protect it?
Sandoz did not respond to a request for comment.
I’m no proponent of defunding or abolishing the LAPD, but that’s the type of law enforcement-related dishonesty that may be at the root of Soto-Martinez’s issues with law enforcement. If it lies about little things to discredit critics, wouldn’t it tell bigger lies about far more serious matters?
Then there’s the issue of what will Soto-Martinez do with Mai for punishment. Will he force him to make a public apology? Will he suspend or even terminate his employment? Given the disingenuous national spotlight Sandoz has drawn to the subject, expect something swift, significant and soon.
A few years back, another misuse of LAPD assets was first uncovered by The Guss Report, when I discovered that then-City Council president Herb Wesson connived the LAPD into providing free security at the wedding of his son, Justin Wesson, to Alexis Marin, then a staffer to Councilmember Nury Martinez. Wesson’s media flack Vanessa Rodriguez secretively fed my end-of-day inquiry to LA Times scribe David Zahniser for a softer telling of the story. Zahniser failed to advise Times’ readers that she fed the story to him; a practice that is not uncommon, but still should have been disclosed. Wesson’s office promised to provide proof that the LAPD was reimbursed, but failed to do so. A few days later, Rodriguez approached me at a Council meeting to invite me to grab a cup of coffee and to “press the reset button.” When I asked what is it that needed to be reset, she couldn’t articulate it, so I declined the invite.
The LAPPL didn’t say a thing about squandering LAPD resources at that time.
I don’t play that game with politicians, government agencies or news outlets and neither should Soto-Martinez. Unless there’s another shoe to drop, he is due an apology, socialist or not, because Sandoz’s dishonesty plays right into the growing ACAB (All Cops Are Bad) anti-police sentiment at a time when the LAPD is hemorrhaging officers.
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(Daniel Guss, MBA, was nominated for three 2022 LA Press Club awards and was a runner-up in 2021 and 2020. He is City Editor for Mayor Sam and has contributed to CityWatchLA, KFI AM-640, iHeartMedia, 790-KABC, Cumulus Media, KCRW 89.9 FM, KRLA 870 AM, Huffington Post, Los Angeles Daily News, Los Angeles Magazine, Movieline Magazine, Emmy Magazine, Los Angeles Business Journal, Pasadena Star-News, Los Angeles Downtown News and the Los Angeles Times in its sports, opinion, entertainment and Sunday Magazine sections among other publishers.)