No D.A. Investigation into Ochoa Loan Meeting

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Public Integrity Division is not currently investigating the Monrovia City Council for a closed session meeting it held with former City Manager Scott Ochoa that an open records advocate believes violated the law.

Terry Francke of Californians Aware told the Pasadena Star-News that a December closed session meeting between the City Council and Ochoa about violated the state's Brown Act, which forbids public officials from meeting in secret to discuss certain public matters.

Dave Demerjian, the head deputy of the D.A.'s Public Integrity Division, said Tuesday that his office is not currently investigating the matter. To launch an investigation, his office must receive a formal complaint and no such complaint has been filed, Demerjian said.

Monrovia City Attorney Craig Steele defended the city council's action to the Star-News in an email and said that if any Brown Act violation had occurred, it was remedied by an agendized public hearing held last week.