D.A.'s Office Won't Press Charges Against Fired Campaign Consultant for José Huizar

The Los Angeles District Attorney’s office has declined to press criminal charges against Michael Trujillo, a campaign consultant that fired last week for sending an offensive e-mail in which he threatened to put a “political bullet” in the head of Eagle Rock businessman Rudy Martinez, who is challenging Huizar’s re-election to the City Council on March 8.

“While we still consider the treat to be serious, the police department determined that the e-mail had not been sent directly to Rudy and the district attorney’s office has therefore decided not to press charges,” George Gonzalez, a campaign aide to Martinez told Eagle Rock Patch. “We have to respect the decision of the D.A.’s office.” Public prosecutors who studied the e-mail believe it lacks sufficient evidence to show that its contents were threatening, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

Last Sunday, shortly after Huizar fired Trujillo, Martinez complained to the LAPD that he had received an e-mail evidently sent by Trujillo two days earlier to at least 28 supporters of Huizar and his City Council staff. “We are going to unleash the dogs of Satan on Rudy and he is going to wish he never heard the words ‘team Huizar,’” Trujillo wrote in the e-mail, adding: “We are about to put a political bullet in between Rudy Martinez’s forehead.” (See the pdf in the photos sections for details about the e-mail and the police report filed by Martinez in response to the e-mail's contents.)

The row over the e-mail was the latest in a string of campaign-related controversies that have dogged  Martinez and Huizar lately. On Tuesday, Feb. 8, the political rivals pledged to end their personal attacks against each other and focus on addressing community issues instead. They made the promise at a candidates forum hosted by the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council—and there seems to be no dearth of constituents who are hoping the détente between the two contenders will last at least until the last ballot is counted on March 8.