I'M SORRY CITY ATTORNEY ROCKY DELGADILLO CONFESSES THAT HIS WIFE DROVE, DENTED OFFICIAL VEHICLE.Byline: KERRY CAVANAUGH Staff Writer After ducking questions for more than a week, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo Rockard John "Rocky" Delgadillo (born July 15 1960) is the current City Attorney of Los Angeles, California. Career
Delgadillo also admitted he allowed taxpayers to foot the bill for $1,222 in repairs to the SUV after the 2004 incident. His voice cracking Voice Crack was a Swiss electronic free improvisation group. Formed in the late 1972 by Andy Guhl and Norbert Möslang, Voice Crack were initially a free jazz duo. They began incorporating pre-recorded tape effects and live sound processing, and by 1983 they eliminated any with emotion, Delgadillo said he made a mistake and should have been more open about the collision and repairs. Under city policy, family members of employees are not allowed to drive city-assigned vehicles. He wrote a personal check to the city Monday to cover the cost of the repairs. "Like any husband, I love my family and have tried to keep them out of the public eye," he said. "But as an elected official I am accountable to the public and I realize I should have spoken up earlier. That was a mistake." "I am saddened that my wife's life has become a public issue. I mishandled the situation and I apologize a·pol·o·gize intr.v. a·pol·o·gized, a·pol·o·giz·ing, a·pol·o·giz·es 1. To make excuse for or regretful acknowledgment of a fault or offense. 2. To make a formal defense or justification in speech or writing. ." Delgadillo has been dogged for more than a week by questions over whether his wife, Michelle, occasionally drove his city-assigned GMC Yukon The GMC Yukon refers to the basic platform used in both long and short versions of the car. Its main articles are here:
When asked why he didn't divulge the accident and repairs earlier, Delgadillo said only that he made a mistake. Delays last week, he said, were caused in part by "earnestly trying to get information." On Monday, he elaborated on what happened and said the incident occurred while he was at the Democratic National Convention in Boston in July 2004. His wife, who was home with their sons, experienced medical problems and went to see her doctor in the Mid-City area. When her car wouldn't start, she took Delgadillo's city-assigned SUV. As she was leaving the doctor's office, she bumped into a pole and dented the vehicle, he said. Late Monday, Delgadillo issued a press release saying, "Unbeknownst to me, I was not covered not covered Health care adjective Referring to a procedure, test or other health service to which a policy holder or insurance beneficiary is not entitled under the terms of the policy or payment system–eg, Medicare. Cf Covered. by personal insurance at the time of the accident in her personal vehicle, although I have always had insurance for public business through the city. I apologize and take full responsibility for the lapse (language) LAPSE - A single assignment language for the Manchester dataflow machine. ["A Single Assignment Language for Data Flow Computing", J.R.W. Glauert, M.Sc Diss, Victoria U Manchester, 1978]. in my personal insurance coverage." Questions had begun to swirl around the incident after the Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times Morning daily newspaper. Established in 1881, it was purchased and incorporated in 1884 by Harrison Gray Otis (1837–1917) under The Times-Mirror Co. (the hyphen was later dropped from the name). reported that city sources said Delgadillo's wife sometimes drove his city car and damaged it during a doctor's visit. Delgadillo said that when he returned from his trip, he had the car taken to the city's fleet services Fleet is a motorway service station on the M3 near Basingstoke. It is owned by Welcome Break. It was originally built in a Scandinavian style and in 1992 won "Loo of the Year". to be repaired. His staff filled out the paperwork. When asked why his wife drove his SUV despite rules saying city vehicles are to be used strictly for city business and all personal use is prohibited, Delgadillo said there was an "ambiguity" in city policy. He said he thought it was OK for his wife to drive the city vehicle on rare occasions and so he didn't think he needed to pay for the repairs at the time. "My wife is not going to drive my city car anymore," Delgadillo said. "I'm going to work my hardest every day to earn the public's trust back. I realize that I didn't do it right and I'm going to do it right from here on out." Michelle Delgadillo's driver's license Noun 1. driver's license - a license authorizing the bearer to drive a motor vehicle driver's licence, driving licence, driving license license, permit, licence - a legal document giving official permission to do something was suspended at the time of the accident, but he said she didn't know it. Delgadillo said his wife's license had been suspended by the California Department of Motor Vehicles In the United States of America, Department of Motor Vehicles (or DMV) is a commonly used name of the government agency of a U.S. state which administers the registration of automobiles (e.g., by issuing license plates), and/or the licensing of drivers (e.g. a year earlier after she refused to provide proof of insurance to another driver involved in a minor accident. But Delgadillo said the couple never received the notice of suspension, so she continued to drive. She was driving on the suspended license when she got a ticket in September 2005 for disobeying a turn-only sign. She was in the family's car at the time. "I'm embarrassed by the situation. I support my wife. I love my wife," he said. "I should have done everything appropriate in this matter and not mishandled it in any way." Michelle Delgadillo's driving record became news as her husband pushed for more jail time for Paris Hilton  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. , who had been
released early from a 45-day sentence after she was caught driving after
her license had been suspended for DUI.
On Monday, Delgadillo said his wife's case is very different from that of the celebrity heiress heiress n. feminine heir, often used to denote a woman who has received a large amount upon the death of a rich relative, as in the "department store heiress." HEIRESS. A female heir to a person having an estate of inheritance. . "Paris Hilton was convicted of driving while drunk. She was violating probation," Delgadillo said. "As I pointed out, when my wife received the ticket, she didn't know that her license was suspended. They're two different things." Hilton's attorneys did not want to comment on the city attorney's confession Monday. Still, the revelations have put Delgadillo on the hot seat, and the criticism rose as he refused to answer questions during the past week. "When you're a public official, your life is an open book and you have to realize that. Frankly, you're held to a higher standard," said Robert Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies. "It should have been brought out much earlier. Without the Paris Hilton thing it probably wouldn't have been brought out at all." Observers said Delgadillo dug a deeper hole for himself by not addressing public questions earlier. Last week, fellow elected officials said it was time for him to fess up Verb 1. fess up - admit or acknowledge a wrongdoing or error; "the writer of the anonymous letter owned up after they identified his handwriting" make a clean breast of, own up or face an investigation by the Ethics Commission In the United States, an Ethics Commission is a commission established by State law to discourage dishonest practices by their public employees and elected officials. Almost all American states have such a commission. or the City Controller's Office. Controller Laura Chick said last week she has the authority to look into the SUV accident but had urged Delgadillo to publicly explain. "To me, what would be in the best interest to everyone would be the city attorney to bring out all the facts and discuss this in the open," Chick said. "If there are mistakes made, it would be best to know now so we don't have to investigate further." Officials with Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County District Attorney Steve Cooley Stephen Lawrence ("Steve") Cooley (born May 1, 1947 in Los Angeles, California) is a veteran prosecutor who was elected as Los Angeles County's 36th District Attorney on November 7, 2000. He was sworn in for his second term on December 6, 2004. -- who has butted heads with Delgadillo recently over who should file certain cases -- said the stories of improper conduct by Delgadillo raise concern. "However, because of Mr. Delgadillo's stated interest in running for the office of district attorney next year, any comment by District Attorney Steve Cooley is inappropriate and any action could be seen as a conflict. This office will therefore defer any comment on this issue," said Cooley's spokeswoman, Sandi Gibbons Famous people named Gibbons include:
"Ethical issues should be handled by the Los Angeles Ethics Commission and or by the city controller. Allegations that merit a criminal investigation will be referred to the California Attorney General's Office." Delgadillo said he didn't believe he broke any laws but would cooperate with any investigation. Staff Writer Troy Anderson contributed to this report. kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com (213) 978-0390 CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo faces the press Monday to answer questions about his wife, who got into an accident while driving a Los Angeles city vehicle with a suspended driver's license. Delgadillo said he reimbursed the city for the repairs to the city-assigned GMC Yukon. John McCoy/Staff Photographer (2) Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan Richard J. Riordan (born May 1, 1930) is a Republican politician from California, U.S. who served as the California Secretary of Education from 2003–2005 and as Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993–2001. Riordan ran for Governor of California unsuccessfully in 2002. swears in City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo while his wife and baby watch during a ceremony at City Hall in July 2001. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer |
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