Inglewood Mayor James Butts took to social media to defend his personal use of a city owned vehicle registered to the Inglewood Police Department. Butts and City Manager Artie Fields emphatically provide mirroring reasoning of why Butts was allowed to drive the vehicle.
According to both Butts and Fields, who is paid over close to $400, 000 per year, that the car in question is for the use of Administration staff, Office of Emergency Services (Brian Walker and/or Emory Ward) and the police department.
It is unclear why civilian city of Inglewood employees should ever have or need access to police registered vehicles, unless it was Mayor Butts intent to dupe outside police agencies from pulling him over and/or citing the vehicle due to the license plates being registered to the police department.
What we still don’t know is if the car was equipped with emergency lights and sirens.
Fields defended his allowing Butts to use the car, to the Southern California News Group (SCNG), who produces such newspapers as the Daily Breeze and Press Telegram, that the city charter doesn’t say Butts isn’t allowed to use the vehicle in lieu of taking his budgeted auto allowance.
The city of Compton elected officials tried a similar tactic when questions were raised about their history of inflating their salaries by being paid for attending commission meetings that the charter didn’t provide payment for.
The District Attorney’s office promptly sent the city of Compton elected officials a “cease and desist” which City Attorney Craig Cornwell tried to defend as saying they were allowed to do so because Compton is a charter city and the elected’s control the charter.
After being threatened with felony prosecution, the Compton City Council rolled back their salaries then held an election asking voters for a raise. The residents responded “HELL NO”.
Related: Inglewood mayor’s role in $100-million trash hauling pact is questioned
Butts also defended his brothers hiring, at Consolidated/Republic Services, in the same social media posts too. It’s unclear why he has “no comment” to journalists but has plenty to say on Facebook.
