A member of the Los Angeles City Council voted to cut $150 million out of the Los Angeles Police Department’s $1.8 billion operating budget. But, according to a new report, the LAPD has been called to his home eight times by the councilman or a member of his staff since April 4.
On July 1, the L.A. City Council voted 12-2 to reduce the budget, and council member Mike Bonin, who lives in Venice Beach, CA, voted for the measure. On Friday, Fox News reporter Bill Melugin tweeted a link to a public records request, asserting that Bonin had contacted the police eight times since April.
Melugin started his report by tweeting, “A public records request reveals that LA city councilman Mike Bonin, who voted to defund LAPD by $150 million, has called LAPD to his home 8 times since 4/4/20, including to provide extra patrols and protection from peaceful protesters at his house.”
A public records request reveals that LA city councilman Mike Bonin, who voted to defund LAPD by $150 million, has called LAPD to his home 8 times since 4/4/20, including to provide extra patrols and protection from peaceful protesters at his house. https://t.co/Z6yhJ8XKM4
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) August 8, 2020
He continued, “***I do not deserve any credit for this*** someone else filed this records request and once it is fulfilled, LAPD posts it publicly and it becomes publicly available info. The request does not say who filed it, but props to whoever did it!”
***I do not deserve any credit for this*** someone else filed this records request and once it is fulfilled, LAPD posts it publicly and it becomes publicly available info. The request does not say who filed it, but props to whoever did it!
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) August 8, 2020
Bonin then issued a Twitter thread denying Melugin’s claim, writing:
No, Bill, this is as false as the tampon story you broke. I have NEVER asked LAPD for patrols at my house. When there have been protesters at my house opposing homeless housing, rent control, Stay at Home orders, and the BLM movement, I specifically asked LAPD NOT to send anyone. When protests occurred at the homes of other elected officials and LAPD offered to send patrols to my home as a precaution, I specifically asked for no patrols at my home.
Seven of the eight calls you cite were apparently generated by LAPD themselves, sending patrols without my request and often without my knowledge. The only time LAPD has come at my request was to pick up as evidence the syringes that one of the right-wing protesters left on our doorsteps. This is a cute tactic to try to silence or intimidate a public official who is standing up to the police union. It ain’t working.
Melugin fired back, “Councilman Bonin denies ever calling LAPD to his home in this thread. Twitter.com/mikebonin/stat … Multiple LAPD sources say they would not generate their own calls for a simple patrol. High level LAPD source texted me the following in response to Bonin’s claims.”
The text read: “This was definitely a call for service by Bonin or a member of his staff. From time to time we are called from high up to respond to city council member’s (sic) residences, but don’t usually generate a call ourselves. The call would have been placed by the resident or someone reporting something happening at that address.”
Councilman Bonin denies calling ever LAPD to his home in this thread. https://t.co/BwJKH35ZOd
Multiple LAPD sources say they would not generate their own calls for a simple patrol. High level LAPD source texted me the following in response to Bonin’s claims. https://t.co/Q8I9mwezyl pic.twitter.com/HxozplLoc0— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) August 8, 2020
Just after the City Council voted to slam the police budget, Bonin told KCRW, “What we are seeing on the streets, this fury and anger and impatience about structural and institutional racism, demands that we do things differently … We need to drastically reprioritize to meet the demands, the dual demands of this moment, of both the pandemic we’re in and the civil unrest.”
KCRW added, “The union representing LA rank-and-file LAPD officers says shifting money away from police will lead to more crime throughout the city. Bonin calls that ‘hyperbole.’”
This article has been revised for clarity.