BREAKING: Murrieta Council Ousts Mayor Over Ethics Allegations

Updated at 3:10 p.m.

The Murrieta City Council voted Thursday to remove Mayor Harry Ramos for alleged violations of the city’s Code of Conduct, including character attacks, misuse of authority and sexual harassment.

Ramos did not preside over the council meeting. The sanctions do not prevent him from continuing to vote on city business.

Councilman Randon Lane will take over as interim mayor. The Council also voted 4-0 to remove Ramos from all committee assignments at the 1 p.m. special meeting where members discussed details from an 80-page report commissioned in late June in response to a slew of complaints from council members, city employees and other parties.

The report, authored by private investigator Betty Kelepecz, chronicles more than a dozen incidents in which the first-term mayor and former U.S. Marine allegedly committed ethics transgressions that undercut “fairness, accountability, honesty, responsibility and integrity” in government.

MORE COVERAGE:

• Woman Accuses Murrieta Mayor of Sexual Harassment
• Mayor: Woman’s Allegations ‘Blatant, Disgusting’ Lies

According to Kelepecz, numerous attempts were made to interview Ramos to get his position, but he continually deferred meeting opportunities, referring the investigator to his attorneys, who provided no assistance during the two-month inquiry, which ended Oct. 3.

City News Service tried to reach Ramos by telephone and email for comment, but he had not responded as of this morning.

Kelepecz’s narrative begins by documenting apparent conflicts between Ramos and current and former council members.

Retired Councilman Doug McAllister described his interactions with Ramos, stating in the report that he had tried to act as a go-between to resolve problems between Ramos and other council members, who took issue with the mayor’s leadership style.

In one case, according to the report, Ramos insinuated that his fellow council members were “corrupt” for voting to change a zoning regulation.

McAllister told the investigator that he endeavored to be a peacemaker but ran into “irrational” responses from Ramos, who perceived his own position on the issue as pristine.

In another instance, Ramos allegedly threatened a city employee’s job over her association with City Manager Rick Dudley, with whom Ramos had been at odds, according to the report.

Councilman Rick Gibbs told the investigator that when he and Ramos disagreed on changes to the city’s Code of Conduct in 2014, Ramos implied the revisions could be used for “political vendettas” and said he could muster support for his position by rallying the Hispanic community behind claims of racism at City Hall.

In another case, Ramos challenged a speeding ticket his wife, Krystin, received on Jan. 27, the reported stated. The mayor allegedly criticized the California Highway Patrol officer who issued the citation, telling Temecula Area CHP Capt. Brian Lee that the officer had committed acts of misconduct.

According to Kelepecz, after Ramos’ wife lost her court case and had to pay the fine, Ramos called a meeting with Lee in late July, during which the mayor showed up in his official capacity, persisting in his misconduct claims, backing off only after the CHP captain explained that pursuing the matter further would necessitate a deeper investigation.

The largest segment of the report was dedicated to Ramos’ alleged sexual harassment of Kathleen Smith, who helped coordinate a Jan. 22 “mega mixer” event hosted by the local chamber of commerce at the Murrieta Spectrum Mall, attended by more than 1,000 people.

Smith has since filed a lawsuit against Ramos and the city over what she says transpired. According to the Ramona woman, Ramos allegedly pursued her, making unwanted sexual advances on multiple occasions, including groping her from behind and kissing her.

Smith told the city’s private investigator that Ramos tried to impress her with talk about his political accomplishments and persuaded her to give him a ride across the mall parking lot to his vehicle.

One witness told Kelepecz that she saw Ramos pressing his body toward Smith as she tried to get into her vehicle, and Smith alleged that he put his hands up her shirt as the two drove.

“Smith stated as a youth she had been the victim of sexual assault for two years and had learned to block things out and not fight,” Kelepecz wrote. “Smith stated that was what she did with Ramos.”

There were no witnesses to the alleged groping or kissing, and one woman told the investigator that the interactions between Ramos and Smith appeared to be mutually friendly that day.

Ramos told City News Service in July that the allegations were completely false and intended as a “blatant and disgusting attack” on his reputation, perpetrated by political opponents.

In two news conferences held in response to the lawsuit, Ramos said “phony politics” had played a part in Smith’s decision to file her claims. The Murrieta City Attorney’s Office says the City Council will have the option of voting to remove Ramos from his mayoral role, publicly censuring him, stripping him of his committee assignments, imposing other sanctions “deemed appropriate,” or taking no action.

--City News Service, photo from Harry Ramos’ official Facebook