Footage taken by an officer’s body-worn camera of a November traffic stop involving Laguna Beach City Manager Shohreh Dupuis should be released to the public in the next few days.
A City Council majority decided in a recent 3-2 vote to make it public – minus things such as driver’s license information and other personal details.
“As elected City Council members, we are stewards of public trust and accountable to citizens of this community,” said Councilmember Alex Rounaghi, who, with Mark Orgill and George Weiss, voted to release the footage. “We live in times where distrust of government is at record levels. To me, it’s our responsibility to take steps where we can promote transparency.”
Dupuis, who has been at the helm of the city since June 2021, was pulled over for driving while using her hand-held cellphone on Coast Highway on Nov. 16. After details of the traffic stop became public, a resident requested a copy of the video and police dispatch logs via the California Public Records Act. Dupuis was given a $200 ticket.
When the process of turning records over dragged on, the resident, Michele Monda, publicly called for transparency, leading to discussions at several council meetings – including a response from Dupuis during the Jan. 10 meeting where she relayed her version of what happened, including that she was talking to Chief Jeff Calvert at the time. Dupuis took responsibility for the violation and apologized to the public.
“I was given a citation for being on the phone, and I’m planning to pay the citation,” Dupuis said during the meeting. “The call logs, both on my phone and Chief Calvert’s phone, show that I was speaking to him when I was pulled over. I told the officer that I was sorry that I was on the phone and that I was talking to Chief Calvert. I did not ask to not be given a ticket. He asked for my driver’s license and registration, and he wrote me a ticket.”
Monda and other residents continued to pushed for…
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