In a city full of political drama, feud between El Monte mayor and resident turns ugly
Gabriela Leos was at the Michelada Rumble in Santa Anita Park when she ran into El Monte Mayor Jessica Ancona.
The two women had been at odds for almost a year, with the dispute playing out in federal court after Leos sued Ancona and the city.
That September afternoon, Ancona and her supporters started filming Leos on their phones, according to Leos. Leos and her husband responded by filming Ancona.
Then, Ancona spoke with a man in a Reggie White Philadelphia Eagles jersey, according to a video from Leos’ phone.
The man walked up to Leos, asking why she was filming Ancona and also asking where she was from.
“I’m from El Monte ... I’m from Flores,†the man said in the video. “Why are we all from the same city and feuding over some bull—?â€
Leos alleges that the man was a gang member and that Ancona dispatched him to intimidate her.
“Why were all her friends filming me?†Leos said. “Why did they know who I was?â€
But Ancona’s supporters say that Leos “harassed and stalked†her for over an hour and that the man, whom they say Ancona did not know, merely offered to help Ancona leave the scene safely.
A video shared on Instagram appears to show Ancona sandwiched between Leos and Leos’ husband, who were both filming. Leos’ husband, who at one point says, “What is (Ancona) trying to hide?†puts his phone up against the phone of an Ancona supporter.
The feud between Ancona and Leos is the latest political drama to unfold in El Monte, a San Gabriel Valley city of 105,000 by the 10 Freeway that is best known for its Longo Toyota dealership. For years, the City Council has been divided into opposing factions, especially around whether to allow cannabis businesses.
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The man in the Eagles jersey was a “300-plus pound gangster standing over 6 feet 3 inches tall ... sent over by the Mayor to threaten and intimidate plaintiff at this public event,†Leos’ attorney, David Torres-Siegrist, wrote in an amendment to her original lawsuit.
The lawsuit described the man as “a known El Monte Flores Gang member†out on federal parole for a 2014 racketeering case.
Torres-Siegrist identified the man as Louis Ruiz or “Tall Luis.â€
In a plea agreement, Louis Armando Ruiz admitted that as a member of El Monte Flores, he extorted money from narcotics traffickers in the city. Ruiz pleaded guilty in 2016 to RICO conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to launder money and was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
El Monte Police Chief Jake Fisher told Fox 11 that the man in the park was a “known verified street gang member who was recently released after being in federal prison for some time.â€
Attempts to reach Ruiz and the attorney who represented him in his criminal case were unsuccessful.
Attorneys representing Ancona and the city wrote in a court filing that the alleged gang member did not physically threaten Leos or make a threatening statement.
The president of the city’s police union, Wyatt Reneer, has called for an independent investigation, saying the claims are concerning but that he doesn’t want to jump to conclusions.
At a City Council meeting last week, some residents called on Ancona to resign, saying she has lost her integrity. Ancona, 48, did not address the issue at the meeting and would not comment on the record.
Genesis Lopez, a 26-year-old behavioral therapist, told the council that she found Ancona’s actions “embarrassing.â€
“We trusted you to lead the community to do better,†Lopez said.
When Ancona, who was then an assistant high school principal, ran for mayor in 2020, Leos voted for her.
Once Ancona got into office, Leos became dissatisfied with her, feeling that she didn’t do enough to address a dispute between Leos and a neighbor.
The City Council wants to examine how to create an ethics commission after a Times report detailed how a councilwoman accepted financial help from a lobbyist.
By October 2022, Leos had switched her allegiance to Maria Morales, who was running for mayor against Ancona.
While Leos was at a local park promoting a program she had co-founded to address dangerous traffic conditions and urging people to vote in the upcoming election, Ancona drove by, yelling out of the car window for Leos to stop campaigning for Morales, according to Torres-Siegrist.
That night, Leos emailed Ancona and other council members, criticizing Ancona and calling her a “Chola of a Mayor.â€
Leos works for Southern California Edison, which provides utility services for the city.
In March, Leos filed a federal lawsuit against Ancona and the city of El Monte, alleging that Ancona retaliated against her by trying to jeopardize her employment at Edison. According to the lawsuit, Ancona abused her position as mayor and used city resources in her alleged attempt to get back at Leos.
A copy of Leos’ email, included in the lawsuit, shows that Ancona forwarded it to Salvador Ramirez, who was Edison’s liaison with the city.
Ancona also called Edison several times to convey what Leos had said about her, the lawsuit alleged, prompting the utility company to investigate Leos for nearly six months for an ethics violation before clearing her.
“Instead of just having a thick skin and going on with your business, the mayor decided to retaliate and continues to retaliate,†Torres-Siegrist said. “Everything that’s occurred to Gabby, by this mayor, all goes back to her daring to criticize the mayor.â€
In recent months, Ancona has not allowed Leos, 51, to volunteer with the city, Torres-Siegrist said.
An Edison spokesperson, who declined to give her name on the record, said the company does not discuss personnel matters to preserve the confidentiality of its employees.
A judge in October ruled against parts of Leos’ claim, saying she did not produce enough evidence that she faced retaliation for speaking out against Ancona.
In a statement, the city noted the judge’s ruling and said it is “confident†that the court will again find in its favor.
On Tuesday night, about 15 people gathered outside El Monte City Hall in support of Ancona, holding signs that said “Don’t fall for the lies†and “Ancona protects us.†They spoke of Ancona’s accomplishments, such as bringing a Target store to the city.
Roberto Rios, a 61-year-old activist and longtime El Monte resident, said he needs more evidence that the man at the park was a gang member.
Irma Zamorano praised Ancona for pushing back against Andre Quintero, who was the city’s mayor for more than a decade before Ancona unseated him. In El Monte, each mayoral term lasts two years.
Zamorano, 58, who ran for mayor against Ancona and Quintero in 2020, said she thinks that Leos’ claims may be part of a scheme to take down Ancona and bring more cannabis businesses to the area.
Ancona has often joined a City Council minority voting against pro-cannabis measures, while Quintero was a strong supporter of a 2019 ordinance that allowed up to six recreational cannabis dispensaries as well as other marijuana-related facilities in the city.
Ancona has also clashed with the city’s administration, with her supporters calling on the city manager and police chief to resign.
Morales, whom Leos supported for mayor in 2022, was on the council in 2019 and voted for the marijuana legislation, which passed.
“We ousted a mayor back in 2020 ... It seems that he still wants the power,†Zamorano said of Quintero.
The men and women collecting petition signatures outside Metro Super Market in Temple City warned of a marijuana takeover and greedy politicians eager to speed it along.
Quintero, who now lives in Pasadena, said he did not know Leos before she filed her lawsuit.
“At the end of the day, they still don’t address the fact that the mayor ... actually contacted the employer of Leos,†he said.
Torres-Siegrist said that Leos’ issues with Ancona have nothing to do with Quintero or cannabis businesses.
“It has to do with the ability to criticize the government ultimately and not having to worry about being retaliated against,†he said.
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