Councilwoman Censured by Colleagues

The La Puente City Council has voted to censure Councilwoman Sally Holguin-Fallon for allegedly leaking closed-session information to a city employee.

Fallon’s four fellow council members voted unanimously for censure, saying she disclosed confidential information to finance director Ted Abo more than a year before the council voted to audit his department.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, the councilwoman blamed the action on politics.

Councilman Lou Perez said the move was a reaction to irresponsibility.

“The city attorney at that time told us not to discuss [the closed session conversation] with anyone because it was a personnel matter,” Perez said. “She approached Abo the next day.”

In the September 1994 closed-session discussion, City Manager Robert Guttierez discussed reorganizing the finance department to compensate for a drain on city revenues.

Shortly after the meeting, Holguin-Fallon allegedly told Abo his job was in jeopardy. Abo relayed that information to Guttierez, who attached a memo to Abo’s disciplinary file, noting that Holguin-Fallon had spoken out of closed session to the employee, Guttierez said.

Abo, who is embroiled in legal battles against the city, has been on leave for more than a month but allowed his disciplinary records to be made public. When the rest of the council saw the memo concerning Holguin-Fallon’s conversation with Abo, Councilman Joe Alderete made the motion to censure Holguin-Fallon.

Holguin-Fallon, who could not be reached for comment, has said many times in the past that she feels the rest of the council “gangs up” against her.