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Staff for L.A. City Councilman, Accused of Not Living in his District, Called to Grand Jury
Los Angeles City Counciman Richard Alarcon has been the subject of an investigation by the District Attorney's office since the beginning of the year and now six members of his city staff have been ordered to appear before the grand jury, according to the LA Times. Earlier this year, the councilmember was accused of not living within his Northwest Valley district, instead residing at his wife's home in the nearby Council District 2, which is represented by Paul Krekorian.
It is a felony for a politician who registers to vote at a place that is not his residence.
Neighbors have told the Times that Alarcon hasn't lived at his district home for three years. He denied that, but admitted to not living in his district temporarily because he feared for his safety after a burglary in October 2009. A second apparent burglary took place in March.
“I don’t think anybody wants their staff people to be called before a grand jury, but we believe we have a very solid position and when all the information comes out, we’ll be fine,” Alarcon said. “We do have two houses and maybe that’s caused some confusion, but my permanent residence is on Nordhoff Street."
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