City attorney

Dear Editor:Apparently, Mayor Anne Bayer and Councilman David Gafin don't understand the basics of the American legal system and the meaning of "innocent until proven guilty." If a person is caught in the act of robbing a store, he is innocent until proven guilty, yet he is held in jail until trial or bail is posted. He is not released and his gun returned to him because he is presumed innocent. City attorneys are mandated by law to act in the interest of the constituents of the city and not the bureaucrats who hire them. I'm sure Mr. Ed Lee is a personable fellow, well-liked by the bureaucracy and council, but until he can come up with an alibi (like he was kidnapped by Al-Qaida and replaced by an imposter), he should not represent any city. At the very least, he signed off on Bell's manipulations knowing full well they were counter to the interests of the citizens. -- Russell Rankin, Downey

********** Published: August 12, 2010 - Volume 9 - Issue 17