Ontario Mayor Apologizes for Alleged Affair

A mayor apologizes for an extra-marital affair. Los Angeles knows that story. KPCC's Steven Cuevas says its parallel is playing out in Ontario.

Steven Cuevas: At Tuesday's City Council meeting, Mayor Paul Leon apologized for what he called "errors" in his personal life. The apology came two weeks after a Studio City lawyer turned up at another city council meeting to allege Leon was having secret trysts with a woman who works at the Ontario Convention Center.

Attorney Loredana Nesci says the mayor and a mistress met at a pricey hotel suite, and at Hope Chapel in Ontario, where Leon is the pastor. She also claims Leon spent several thousand dollars in campaign money on a personal trainer. Attorney Nesci won't say who she represents, but she claims Leon may have coerced other women into sexual affairs.

Loredana Nesci: My clients stepped in because they feel that Paul might be a predator. And that's why they're seriously demanding an investigation to see if his relationship is completely consensual, because she is a city-contracted employee. And we suspect that perhaps Paul used his influence to have this affair with this woman.

Cuevas: "This woman," Diana Huizar, said earlier this month that there was no "impropriety" between her and the mayor. In a 400-word letter sent to the "Inland Daily Bulletin," Leon says he has "fallen short," but he denies misusing campaign money. Leon has hired a campaign finance expert to audit his records. The mayor said he would have no further comment. The Ontario city attorney's office has not said if it would conduct an independent investigation.