In what appears to be the latest in a ping-pong game of political retribution, City Attorney Mike Aguirre said he is being forced to lay off neighborhood prosecutors in two council districts.
The two neighborhood prosecutors work directly with community groups, local police officers and council offices to prosecute a variety of criminal acts from graffiti to city code violations. The prosecutors work in District 4 and District 8.
Councilman Ben Hueso called a heated press conference this morning and accused the city attorney of political revenge against the City Council and Mayor Jerry Sanders. Earlier this month, the council turned down Aguirre’s request to save 17 staff positions, and allowed him to keep just three.
Two of the 14 positions turned out to be neighborhood prosecutors. That’s something Aguirre said he made abundantly clear to the City Council before they voted on his budget, but Hueso said this morning that didn’t realize he would be losing the local prosecutors.
Hueso also said the prosecutors are a vital part of his community’s fight against crime.
We’ll be looking at how the loss of these prosecutors will affect the communities they have been working in. Check back later for more.