Who is Hugo Soto-Martinez? 'Defund police' lawmaker ripped over staffer's call to LAPD for 'extra patrol'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A Los Angeles city councilman who has advocated for the defunding and eventual elimination of the police is facing criticism after his office requested that the LAPD check on a staff member's malfunctioning Lexus. According to reports, Hugo Soto-Martinez called the LAPD on Wednesday, February 1, night to request "extra patrols throughout the night" for his parked white Lexus after it broke down.
Sgt Jerretta Sandoz, vice president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, criticized the "hypocrisy" of the extreme-left official on Monday, February 6. She even refers to Soto-Martinez as "Mr. Defund the Police." "Better yet, Mr. Abolish the Police," Sandoz corrected herself in an interview with FOX 11.
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Who is Hugo Soto-Martinez?
Hugo Soto-Martinez is a staff member for Democrat Los Angeles City Council Member, who represents District 13 in Los Angeles, and had previously declared himself an "abolitionist" of the police on a questionnaire for candidates for the council.
The councilman's staff told FOX 11 Los Angeles that he is "upset" by the situation when contacted for comment regarding the call. "It's come to our attention that a deputy staffer had some contact with the LAPD regarding his personal vehicle. We are investigating this matter internally and will be taking appropriate action. Council Member Soto-Martinez is very upset as this does not reflect the values of transparency, responsible governance, and being accountable to the community that elected him," the statement read.
What did Jerretta Sandoz say?
Sandoz said, "Apparently the councilman and his staff want to abolish the police for everyone but themselves," She added, "It is the complete height of hypocrisy." "We have a serious crime problem in Los Angeles," she continued. "We have murder, we have homeless encampments, we have robberies, home invasion robberies. And then you have a councilman calling because his car broke down? That's unbelievable. We're down 700 police officers in Los Angeles. They're spread thin. And you have a councilman that's using his influence to have a police officer come to monitor his vehicle because it's broken down? How about calling AAA?"
The remark was deemed "unbelievable" by Sandoz, who asserted that Soto-Martinez is responsible for safeguarding the community's residents against crime. She said, "It's so irresponsible and dangerous to want to abolish the police and to stand behind that and to say that they're going to investigate their own staffer," she added. "It's hard to believe that the staffer didn't get direction from the councilman. I mean, this is his car, right?" Sandoz continued, "I think that they're backtracking on their campaign promise to abolish the police and to defund the police. So, I don't buy that one bit," as reported by Fox News Digital.
In addition, Sandoz contends that a common civilian would not have been able to request police assistance to watch a broken-down vehicle, and feels the staff member was making use of their position to receive preferential treatment. "I don't understand how this person got elected to office. But he definitely needs to step down if he's not willing to protect his constituents and also protect the city of Los Angeles," Sandoz concluded.
What did the public say?
People in LA's District 13 who spoke with FoxNews11 also observed the "irony and hypocrisy." "I think anyone who wants to abolish the police is like ridiculous because when s***t goes down and something happens, it's negative. They end up calling the police," said a man, as per FOX 11.
"Sounds like he was maybe abusing his connections in a position of power to use that privilege to protect his property," said another person in the area. "That's not something that any average person would be able to do."