VOICE OF THE VILLAGE

COMPTON WINS LAWSUIT AGAINST CITY ATTORNEY ERIC PERRODIN

by CYNTHIA MACON

Complete victory across the board is what greeted Compton City Manager Willie Hopkins in Superior Court on Friday, July 15, in the lawsuit brought by Compton City Attorney Eric Perrodin and filed against his very own city council, the mayor, and the city clerk, accusing them of breaking the law. In a monumental victory and leap forward for the reform movement in the City of Compton, Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant has legally validated a critically needed and essential correction to this city’s interpretation and application of the Compton City Charter and Municipal Code.

THE CITY CHARTER DISPUTE

The City Charter is the Bible. It is the law of the land to describe in writing how our government is supposed to operate and outline the powers and authority of all significant city officials. 

A power struggle between City Manager Hopkins and City Attorney Perrodin led to a standoff, with Perrodin initiating and filing a lawsuit in court in the name of the City of Compton against every member of the City Council, the Mayor, and the City Clerk. This was done even though he was sworn by oath to defend them in court, not sue them, and although he lacked authority from the Council to sue in the name of the City. 

At a hearing on July 2, Judge Chalfant ruled Mr. Perrodin had no authority to sue on behalf of the City of Compton, so Mr. Perrodin filed a First Amended Petition and Complaint on July 10. Perrodin believed, now proven wrongly, that his capacity as City Attorney was the ultimate authority in control of the content of the city agenda, the weekly instrument the council votes upon and uses to list items to handle the city’s business.

COURT DECISION

Mr. Perrodin asked the Court on Friday, July 15, to in other words: (1) invalidate entirely the balanced budget that the City Council approved almost one month ago; (2) to prevent the City from taking any action or spending any money (including salaries for City employees) that was allocated under the budget; and (3) to prevent the City Council from doing ANYTHING that he had not approved first.

The court flatly rejected Mr. Perrodin’s request. It declared that the Compton City Council and City Manager have ultimate authority over the content and what and when items can be placed on the agenda for a council vote.

City Attorney Eric Perrodin came to court claiming that he had veto power over everything the Council could do, but instead received a judicial lecture that “You have a right to express your opinion, but no right to veto or dictate what goes on the Council agenda and what resolutions the Council adopts.”

Since June 25, four court hearings have been held on the lawsuit filed by Perrodin and his staff, which includes Deputy City Attorneys Merle Green and Joshua Gillins, joined by former City Attorney LeGrand Clegg. Perrodin has lost every time.

This city attorney group made four different legal requests at Friday’s court hearing that all disastrously failed, including a:

1. Temporary Restraining Order (Denied)

2. Order to Show Cause re Preliminary Injunction (Denied)

3. A Stay Order against the City Council and City Clerk (Denied)

4. Guidance as to how the City Council and City Manager should govern the City (Denied).

Judge Chalfant validated that the highest legal authorities in the City of Compton—the ones the council and residents depend upon for legal advice—have been overstepping their authority and, worse, wrong in their interpretation and understanding of the city charter they are meant to protect.

Judge Chalfant, who has a background in municipal government law, ruled that Compton City Manager Willie Hopkins and the city council—led by Mayor Emma Sharif and championed in court by 3rd District Councilman Jonathan Bowers—are the actual parties with ultimate total and complete control over the city agenda.

City Attorney Eric Perrodin was told his authority is limited to expressing his opinion on proposed Council resolutions. He is entitled to seven calendar days to review proposed Council resolutions. He can “approve” or “disapprove,” but his disapproval will not and cannot prevent the City Council from either considering or adopting a resolution. He has no veto power. 

What resulted in court was a complete shutdown and shutoff of the City Attorney’s access to these powers, confirmed by a legal court of law.

So by running to the court and filing against his city officials, City Attorney Perrodin opened up a whole can of “whoop whoop” on himself, courtesy of the outside experienced municipal law firm of Alvarez-Glasman & Colvin. 

IMPACT ON OUR CITY

This shocking revelation means this city has been operating wrongly for decades, with at least the last four City Attorneys—LeGrand Clegg, Craig Cornwell, Damon Brown, and Eric Perrodin—wielding power over an agenda that was never theirs to command in the first place over the last twenty-plus years! 

The ruling even validated that if City Attorney Eric Perrodin were to reject and not approve a particular agenda item, the city council and City Manager still have the right to move forward, even on agenda items such as the present 2024-2025 City Budget did not receive the approval of the City Attorney.

This decision also means your retired City Clerk, Alita Godwin, and presently appointed City Clerk Vernell McDaniels—the official keepers of the city charter—have not read the charter themselves and have been working and listening to the wrong official for decades!

This also means the highest legal authorities in the City of Compton don’t know or have never read the City Charter, even though resident after resident has come forward—led by activists Lynn Boone, Joyce Kelly, Robert Ray (RIP), this writer Cynthia Macon, and many others—to point out city attorneys were breaking the law and not acting in accordance with the city charter. 

And guess what? Residents were right! 

So, I apologize if you often wished city activists and concerned citizens would just shut up, repeating or writing the same thing repeatedly for years. A few, the brave and the proud have been fighting for all residents desirous of bringing progress and reform to this city, for progress cannot be expected from a city operating daily in the wrong. 

APPOINTMENTS are not the norm for properly operating cities. Our city charter calls for “elected residents” and that any appointee should face the earliest election date possible, even if the city has to call for a Special or extra election to replace just one seat. And yet, we have had five appointed officials sitting at once, courtesy of Perrodin, who ignored this charge in the city charter. In fact, in direct defiance and opposition to the intent of the charter, Perrodin has acted to keep every appointee now sitting on the council in place for a more extended period. This includes appointed City Councilwomen Deidre Duhart and Lillie Darden, City Clerk Vernell McDaniels, City Attorney Eric Perrodin, himself, and court-appointee Andre Spicer. Outrageous! 

These are just a few of the immediate decisions our dubious city attorneys made that may now require legal review, as mentioned by city activists. Not to forget the many agenda items that may now come under protest and scrutiny, which have been voted upon over the years by potential imposters, sitting even right now on the throne of the city.

IN CONCLUSION 

Do you ever wonder why this city has not moved forward and been left behind by other surrounding cities? How about people grabbing power, breaking the charter, interfering in executive work beyond their capacity to handle, serving their own self-interest, and all of the above and more, resulting in our city being in last place financially in the State of California out of 482 cities?

City Attorneys—past and present—have been overstepping their limits and taking power that belongs to the city manager. But finally, City Manager Willie Hopkins fought and took back his authority, and we are now beginning to see things start cranking in this city.

So now you also understand why all your City Attorneys, Treasurers, and Clerks have been appointed or city employees for up to the last 20, 30, and even 50 years, depending on the office. 

This situation has kept outside eyes from interfering with the internal incompetence and corruption that have been substituted for a legitimately operating government for the last two decades. Our city government’s collective failure has potentially cost taxpayers not millions but tens of millions.

So much for the theory that a panel of former employees, sitting and looking back at you from the dais, are the most equipped to represent the interest of residents in running this city.  

For sanctioned former city employees now appointed to office, they were comfortable and did not read the charter or question the authority of the City Attorney. They went along, comfortably and wrongly, when they, too, like any resident, could have just read the plainly written city charter.

Therefore, City Manager Willie Hopkins and 2nd District Councilman Jonathan Bowers’s appearance on the scene changed things. They listened to the people, understood, challenged, and dared to fight to make wrongs right, bringing about real change and much-needed reform long overdue in this city.

Thank you, gentleman.