By Emilie St. John
Contributing Writer
INGLEWOOD — The state Fair Political Practices Commission has kicked back a complaint filed against City Councilwoman Gloria Gray for holding seats on the City Council and the West Basin Municipal Water District Board of Directors.
The complaint was lodged April 18 by resident Lauren Sutton which in essence alleges that Inglewood residents are not being properly served by Gray serving in both positions.
“According to the principles set forth in California Government Code Section 1099, and as supported by prior rulings by the FPPC, a person may not simultaneously hold two public offices if the duties of either office may conflict with the duties of the other,” Sutton wrote in the complaint.
“In past determinations, similar dual office-holding arrangements have been deemed incompatible and therefore prohibited under California law.”
In the November 2022 election, Gray ran for both seats.
In an interview with a South Bay newspaper, Gray was asked if she would keep both seats if she won.
She reportedly indicated she would step down from the water board seat if she won the seat on the Inglewood City Council, which is in line with the provisions of Government Code 1099.
Government Code 1099 states, “When two public offices are incompatible, a public officer shall be deemed to have forfeited the first office upon acceding to the second. This provision is enforceable pursuant to Section 803 of the Code of Civil Procedure.”
Gray outright won the West Basin seat due to not having a challenger and was forced into a runoff election with former District 1 Councilman George Dotson in March 2023.
After Gray won the runoff in Inglewood, she refused to step down from the water board seat despite the water agencies’ lawyers indicating she was holding incompatible seats.
During the April 24, 2023, West Basin board meeting, attorney Joe Byrne reported that “Based on the attorney general’s opinions and the precedent, it is substantially likely that it is” a violation.
According to Byrne, elected officials do not need an actual conflict of interest for the two roles to be deemed incompatible, only the “possibility of a clash of duties.”
According to Gray, she is refusing to step down from one of the seats because “the voters elected her to both.”
Based on publicly available records from West Basin board meetings, Inglewood residents are not being represented by Gray, who has to recuse herself from voting on certain matters, particularly water rates, due to her sitting in both seats.
West Basin is the wholesale water supplier to the city of Inglewood, which then sets rates for its water customers.
Case precedent showed that the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office successfully removed former Carson Mayor Albert Robles from the Water Replenishment District of Southern California board.
Maywood City Councilman Sergio Calderon stepped down from his seat on the Water Replenishment District board before he was scheduled to go on trial for the matter.
At that time, then-District Attorney George Gascón indicated he would not sue to remove Gray from the seat.
The FPPC released a copy of the complaint and its response under a California Public Records Act request.
The FPPC responded to Sutton on April 29, indicating she needed to seek relief from outside agencies.
“The FPPC does not regulate Government Code 1099 and therefore, the allegations in the complaint are outside of our jurisdiction,” the FPPC responded. “Please contact your local district attorney’s office or the attorney general’s office to see if they might be able to assist you,” wrote Shelby Pearce, political reform consultant.
It is not known if Sutton has submitted complaints to the agencies she was directed to.
Gray could not be reached for comment on the matter but reportedly held a fundraiser May 4 to seek reelection next year to her City Council seat.
Emilie St. John is a freelance journalist covering the areas of Carson, Compton, Inglewood and Willowbrook. Send tips to her at emiliesaintjohn@gmail.com.
