The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has prevailed in a civil lawsuit against Carson Mayor Albert Robles that alleged he held two incompatible public offices at the same time which violated state law.
A judgment was entered yesterday by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Chalfant, who ordered Robles’ immediate removal as a director of the Water Replenishment District of Southern California. The court retained jurisdiction to enforce the terms of the judgment.
The lawsuit filed in January 2016 alleged that being Carson mayor and sitting on a regional water board simultaneously is a conflict of interest and violates state law.
According to the civil complaint, the positions are “incompatible under Government Code section 1099 because the WRD and the City of Carson have overlapping territory, duties and responsibilities, and a clash of duties is likely to arise in the exercise of both offices simultaneously.”
Robles has served continuously on the WRD’s board since 1992. In March 2013, Robles was elected for the first time to the Carson City Council. He is currently the city’s mayor after being re-elected in November 2016.
The state Attorney General’s Office previously issued an opinion allowing the district attorney’s office to sue in civil court to have Robles removed from his elected WRD office.
Deputy District Attorneys Marian Thompson and Bjorn Dodd of the Public Integrity Division handled case BC608075.
