Monday, May 23, 2016
Page 4
Commissioner Orders Lawyer to Stay Away From Council President
By a MetNews Staff Writer
A Los Angeles Superior Court commissioner has ordered an Encino lawyer to stay away from, and not harass, Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson.
Commissioner Alan Friedenthal issued the order Thursday at the request of the city attorney, barring Wayne Spindler to remain at least 10 yards from Wesson during council meetings, and to stay away from his City Hall and district offices. He must also stay 100 yards away from the councilman’s home and 10 yards away from his vehicle.
The order, however, does say that he is not barred “from peacefully and in an orderly manner presenting grievances or comments to the City Council or any City Agency.” Spindler will have to return to court for a hearing on whether the order should be made permanent.
Local television stations reported that Spindler, who attends meetings wearing a white KKK-type hood adorned with a swastika, had been arrested for threatening to lynch the African-American council president, and released on $75,000 bail.
Spindler, 46, was admitted to the State Bar in 1995 and has no record of discipline, according to the State Bar website. He did not return a MetNews phone call.
Wesson told the Los Angeles Sentinel that he “can usually blow [criticism] off as part of the job” but that “the often harassing and threatening comments made by Mr. Spindler have become increasingly worse over time.”
He said had reached the point at which “I have serious concerns about my safety, my family’s safety, my staff’s safety and the safety of my colleagues on the city council.”
San Fernando Valley Bar Association President Carol L. Newman released a statement on the matter Friday:
“The SFVBA strongly upholds the Constitution and supports this individual attorney’s right to free speech. We also firmly support inclusion and diversity and continually work hard to create a more inclusive legal community and to provide access to justice for everyone. We find this attorney’s speech offensive and unbecoming a member of our profession. The conduct of this individual attorney, who is not a member of the SFVBA, in no way should be seen as a reflection on the lawyers of the Valley.”
Copyright 2016, Metropolitan News Company