Three Valleys Municipal Water District director Brian Bowcock, who represents La Verne and Claremont on the district's board, let loose with both barrels at fellow director Xavier Alvarez during a district meeting Wednesday. Then Bowcock reloaded and fired away some more.
According to the Daily Bulletin's Will Bigham, Bowcock said that Alvarez was a disgrace and called for him to resign because of Alvarez's lies about receiving a Medal of Honor, for which Alvarez pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge in federal court, as well as Alvarez's misrepresentations on a number of other matters:
"You are a disgrace to the district, a disgrace to south Pomona and a disgrace to the Latino people of the community," said Bowcock, who represents La Verne and Claremont. "But most of all, you have disgraced and embarrassed the servicemen and women of our country."Alvarez, who never served in the military, declined to respond to Bowcock's resignation demand. Later in the meeting, Alvarez accused Bowcock of displaying "bias and bigotry" in his statement.
Bowcock also asked his colleagues to approve a symbolic, nonbinding resolution calling on Alvarez to resign. The district's attorney was directed to draft the resolution, which will be considered by the full board at its June 17 meeting.
Bowcock also urged the district to follow up on a letter sent to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office last year about Alvarez's potentially unlawful decision to register his ex-wife for district health benefits. No charges have been filed in connection with Alvarez's act.
Bowcock also said he wanted the district to pursue having Alvarez punished for falsely claiming on the November 2006 ballot that he worked as an engineer.
Don't sugarcoat it Mr. Bowcock. What do you really think?
Besides his proposed board resolution calling on Alvarez to resign, Bowcock called on voters of South Pomona, who elected Alvarez to the board, to start a recall campaign. Bowcock also wanted to the board to follow up on a couple other of Alvarez's lies, including a possible felonious one involving Alvarez getting his ex-wife health benefits through the water district.
For his part, Alvarez played the race card, accusing Bowcock of racial bigotry - a claim that seemed to ignore the inconvenient fact that Alvarez has admitted to the lies he was being confronted with. Alvarez also claimed that he was being attacked by his colleagues because in 2006 he won election to the board by defeating incumbent Luis Juarez, whom Alvarez called "corrupt."
As we've noted on numerous occasions, Alvarez won only because he received the endorsement of Pomona Mayor Norma Torres, who herself is now running for the State Assembly.
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The Daily Bulletin also ran an editorial titled "A Great Day to Resign," saying that it would be appropriate for Alvarez to step down before Memorial Day given the nature of his lies.
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