Dear ER:
While working on Redondo Beach City Charter updates, our committee faced an intriguing challenge: what constitutes reasons for an elected official to be removed from office during their term? For years, the Redondo City Charter required a person convicted of a crime of moral turpitude to be removed. The committee’s conundrum was what would happen if a person admitted the required acts but was not convicted of them.
This past week, Redondo Beach faced a version of this conundrum. District 4 Councilman Zein Obagi entered into a “Deferred Prosecution Agreement” (DPA) with the United States Attorney’s office for the Central District of California. This agreement differed from the one reached with the State Bar months ago, which caused him to be suspended from practicing law. This DPA includes accepting all the facts in the case. However, it does not require him to plead guilty.
This brings us back to a “crime of moral turpitude.” Had this gone to trial, a negative result for Obagi would have been sufficient to trigger his removal. However, this DPA may not meet that threshold despite his agreement with all the facts.
Actions by his colleagues on the Council, who can remove him if he does not resign, will indicate how they treat the apparent breach of societal norms this DPA represents. We hope that they will do the right thing.
Bob Pinzler
Redondo Beach
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