Picture showing a group of women who seem unconcerned about Mendoza.
Mendoza on the ground after the assault by Altamirano.
Councilman Ivan Altamirano
Leonard Mendoza
[current_date]
BY BRIAN HEWS
Attendees at the annual Contract Cities convention texted HMG-LCCN this morning saying a “huge” fight broke out at the Renaissance Indian Wells at around 12:30 a.m. last night instigated by Commerce Councilman Ivan Altamirano.
The Contract Cities gathering draws hundreds of city officials from over seventy cities in California, along with the companies that are contracted for services with those cities.
The website indicates, “the California Contract Cities Association has advocated on the benefits of the contracting model and cost savings it provides to member cities through various means, including in liability.”
Isaac Galvan
This is not the first time a fight has broke out at the annual party.
Last year it was reported that Compton Councilman Isaac Galvan allegedly got into a fistfight with another guest that had to be broken up by Compton City Manager Cecil W. Rhambo.
Witnesses told HMG-LCCN that Commerce Councilmen Ivan Altamirano assaulted Leonard Mendoza, allegedly over marijuana establishments in the City, which Mendoza is against.
The incident started in the outside cigar smoking area, when Altamirano ran through a door and sucker punched Mendoza.
The punch knocked Mendoza out, with witnesses saying Mendoza’s head could be heard hitting the ground.
A meleé started with witnesses saying Mario Beltran and his friend Louis Reyes, who owns Blue Icon Media, were sucker punching people who were trying to break up the fight.
Witnesses said Mendoza was still unconscious when paramedics finally made it to the scene and took him away.
The sheriff’s arrived and interviewed witnesses until 4 a.m., with most saying Altamirano sucker punched Mendoza.
Sources told HMG-LCCN that the sheriff’s are contemplating charging Altamirano with aggravated assault with great bodily harm as Mendoza likely fractured his skull when he fell.
The fight will likely expose the city to a massive lawsuit given that the city paid for the officials to attend.
The City Council could also remove Altamirano from the City Council under Quo Warranto, in other words, ‘”by what authority does this person hold this office?”
Quo warranto is a special form of legal action used to resolve a dispute over whether a specific person has the legal right to hold the public office that he or she occupies.Quo warranto is used to test a person’s legal right to hold an office, not to evaluate the person’s performance in the office
I miss the old conferences. We never had these issues. For god’s sake we are elected officials and we act like frat boys on campus on a binger. Something needs to be done! This is the second year in a row that we have had these types of disturbances. I will be talking with my colleagues on the city council and city manager about ending our relationship with this organization. We worry about what out new sheriff is doing, but look at how we act as elected officials.