Fuentes Accuses Alarcon of Improper Campaign Practices

City Councilman Richard Alarcon, who is running for state Assembly District 39, which includes part of North Hollywood, was accused today of allowing one of his council staff members to improperly campaign for him using a city vehicle on city time.

Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes, who is running to replace Alarcon on the City Council, sent a letter to Alarcon detailing the allegation and threatening to call for an official ethics investigation if he does not stop the alleged practice.

The allegation comes as Alaron and his wife are due to appear in court Friday for their first preliminary hearing on charges of perjury and voter fraud. The charges were filed by the district attorney's office after identical ones .

Fuentes—whose own chief of staff, Raul Bocanegra is running against Alarcon in November for Fuentes' 39th Assembly seat—sent the letter on state Assembly letterhead.

Alarcon denied the claim as false.

"I find it both troubling and ironic that Mr. Fuentes would use state letterhead and state staff time to attack my staff regarding the use of taxpayer resources," Alarcon said in a written statement.

Citing what he said were eyewitness reports about the alleged violation, Fuentes accused Alarcon field deputy Maggie Estrada of driving a city car to attend a Neighborhood Watch meeting on Aug. 1.

Fuentes said multiple people who were at the meeting saw Estrada pass out campaign literature and speak on behalf of Alarcon's campaign.

Estrada reportedly told the gathering that "her candidate, Council member Alarcon, did not have the funds to send out mail."

Fuentes called the instance a "clear violation" of city and state ethics laws concerning political campaigning during city time.

"I strongly urge you to stop this practice of using your City Council staff to campaign on your behalf for your own personal and political gains," Fuentes said. "If you do not take steps to discipline Mrs. Estrada and ensure that this practice is stopped immediately, I will be forced to ask the Fair Political Practices Commission to investigate."

Alarcon said Estrada did attend the Neighborhood Watch meeting in her capacity as his field deputy, but said she "categorically denies the quotes that Mr. Fuentes attributes to her."

Alarcon said the meeting also was attended by Marcos Sanchez, a Fuentes staffer who allegedly made comments about Bocanegra's campaign.

"The people of the Northeast San Fernando Valley deserve a representative who will focus on the issues, not waste time with thinly veiled political attacks," Alarcon said.