LANCASTER – Outspoken City Council critic, David Grajeda, made a court appearance Wednesday morning at the Antelope Valley courthouse on charges of interfering with a public meeting. His case was continued to Jan. 12, 2012 for pretrial, according to his attorney Amy Konstantelos.
Additionally, a restraining order, which bars Grajeda from attending City Council meetings was renewed with new restrictions.
Under the new order, Grajeda must not only stay away from City Hall, he must also refrain for making any written or telephonic communications with City Hall.
“His first amendment rights are completely blocked out as it refers to City Hall,” said Konstantelos.
There will be a hearing on Tuesday, Nov. 22, where Grajeda hopes to challenge the restraining order and have it modified.
“We want to see if we can have the order quashed or at least modified to where he can call in and have his voice heard,” said Konstantelos. “Or maybe he can have a third party come in and speak for him.”
Despite, his new restrictions Grajeda remained optimistic after his court appearance.
“I’m gonna take it to the box,” said Grajeda. “That means I’m fighting all the way. I’m going to contest any little thing that they try to come at me with.”
Grajeda said he believes the restraining order barring him from City Council meetings is unconstitutional.
“I believe it’s a violation of the constitution and I believe it’s also a violation of the California Ralph M. Brown Act,” said Grajeda.
Grajeda was arrested on Oct. 25 and charged with a misdemeanor for interfering with a public meeting based on his actions at an Oct. 12 Criminal Justice Commission meeting. View video of those actions here.
Grajeda was ejected from the Criminal Justice Commission meeting, and then arrested for the incident 13 days later as he attempted to enter a City Council meeting. Grajeda’s bail was initially set at $5,000 for the misdemeanor charge, but was later raised to $25,000.
Following his arrest, Grajeda was jailed at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility for 16 days before making bail and being released on Nov. 9.
Wednesday, Maria Grajeda said she believed her son’s charges were retaliation for criticizing the City Council and Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris.
“I understand what is in play here,” said Maria Grajeda. “In reality this is going to affect not just David but everybody, because if they are able to make this stick, they are going to be applying this to anyone that has anything bad to say about what they (Lancaster City Council) are doing.”
Grajeda says he is eager to have his day in court.
“I’m not gonna make this easy for them,” he said. “I’m eager to see what’s next in court.”
Marianne McCourt says
Geeze, people!!! You’d think I was tossing pearls before swine or something. Really, it must just be a generation gap or something? I am a 55 year old woman and I was taught that if you wanted to get respect you had to dress the part. I came of age when women were having to battle sexism and had to prove their worth in a chauvinistic society. Doing so meant earning their respect and dressing the part helped immensely! And no I did not grow up privileged or spoiled or a “primadona”. I was raised by my mother who was a single parent and we lived on a single parent’s income. Mom taught me to keep my head held high and to be clean, nothing more. I personally think David looks handsome in his suit and tie and I can tell that he takes pride in that look. My thing is, if he had dressed that same way at the City Council meetings, he probably would have commanded so much more respect. We can go back and forth on the semantics of psychology and how dressing certain ways makes no difference, but the God’s honest truth is that it does!
Scott Pelka says
All I know is that no matter how you look, or how you dress or what you say at a palmdale council or other meeting you will always be listened to and it is done with respect and dignity. That is not so in Lancaster. Nobody deserves to go to jail for attending a public meeting period. As for me I don’t own a suit and tie… does that mean I don’t have a voice.
Eric Moore says
With all due respect, it seems that you think of yourself as a wise benevolent older person magnanimously giving us some of your pearls of wisdom and we are the swine, are you related to Parris?, wow lady you are that old and still don’t get it? all man are created equal under the law, suit or no suit, Freedom of Speech is a citizen’s right, suit or no suit, the right to desend is a right, suit or no suit, the right to criticize the gov. is a right, suit or no suit. Maybe the guy did not have a suit then, but the ball to take on City Hall, if you were show up on thier next meeting and speak of how they are spending The Lancaster’s City Money, will you get heard because you are better dressed? or will they say that if you had been younger and more beautiful you would have had a better impact?, I hope not, us ugly people have rights too.
Matt S says
“I was taught that if you wanted to get respect you had to dress the part”
Well I guess that it explains it all.
While the rest of us earn respect, you just dress for it.
Tasha says
So we give this guy David, who apparently already has a major ego, some type of “rock star” status because he was combative and didnt know how to conduct himself in a government meeting! Yea, right on! Go David! Go David! “V” for victory! Youre so cool! Will Diana and Ace let me be a fellow groupie too?
Stinger says
In reality, Tasha, this is not about David. This is about OUR rights under the Constitution and Parris, et al, trying to keep us from using them while he continues to corrupt our local government functions.
David is an annoying pain in the butt who I personally do not like one little bit. However, he has a right to free speech and a right to redress of his grievances against the Lancaster City elected/appointed officials. He was arrested for exercising those constitutional rights in an appropriate setting and format. If this (admittedly annoying) person may be arrested and tried for the exercising of his rights, what does that portend for everybody else?
Anteleope Valley Town Crier says
The Third Reich is alive and well in Lancaster.
I’m sure we’ll find David’s body in a shallow grave in the middle of the desert.
The US Constitution and the Brown Act come to Lancaster to die.
Good luck David. Keep up the good fight. It’s people and situations like you find yourself that the US Constitution is there for.
JFK says
Politics are corrupt. Politicians don’t want change, they want things to stay the same. They dont like crtiticism, they don’t like anyone poking holes in their processes. They are only worth their reputation. It’s blue collar mafia, and our justice system is their gang. Choose your battles wisely… Good Luck!
Eric Moore says
We need to be very aware that if this guy is convicted, this will set a precedence state wide, city officials will be able to use this against YOU AND ME, bad business for FREEDOM OF SPEECH.
Marianne McCourt says
Had Mr. Grajeda been dressed like he is in this picture when going to City meetings, I am certain he would have garnered more respect when addressing city officials. Your personal appearance reflects what you think about yourself and how others perceive you!
Eric Moore says
No suit = no voice???
Marianne McCourt says
That’s hardly the case I was trying to make, Mr. Moore. But it is true that the better dressed a person is, the more they tend to respect themselves and project that respect to the people they are talking to. It’s all hindsight at this point anyway but perhaps young David will learn this and hang on to it.
Scott Pelka says
The only voice Rex listens to is one that comes from the lips of the person that is kissing his butt.
Matt S says
This is the most insulting remark I’ve seen on this page!
“the better dressed a person is, the more they tend to respect themselves”!
When the hell did these prima donna babes move up here?
You want self respect, get off your ass, earn your living, hold yourself accountable, along with your elected officials, stay true to yourself. And be willing to stand up for whats right! You’ll have all the respect you need. And if someone is swayed by something so hollow as a suit, they sure the hell don’t deserve my respect!
Since this WELL DRESSED princess Rex has so little respect for US, HE set the meeting times to coincide with the time the majority of us AV workers are sitting on the 5 freeway, we’re damn lucky to HAVE the privilege to get to the meeting in time to drop off a speaker card, much less whore ourselves up for these clowns.
to our meetings! ours!!!
And just because you moved here from whatever snob ruled world you came from doesn’t mean we need your money and time wasting dress habits pushed on us. Used to be a man was judged up here by the sweat stains on his hat ring, and wear and tear on his work boots. Callouses on his hands. WE WORK. And when we’re done working, we’re busy living! Probably while your busy getting your hair and nails done.
You want my respect? Earn it! But don’t waste my time on what your girly TV shows tell you we should look like! This ain’t high school!
Matt S says
And Rex NEVER had to imprison this kid. He just had to let him speak, without the insults and interruptions, for the kids three minutes, and that would of been the end of it.
But rex and the other children sitting up there would of needed WISDOM to understand such a simple but effective way to shut this David up.
Instead they got NICE SUITS and SELF RESPECT!
And Lancaster gets a joke for our city council meetings. Idiots!
Scott Pelka says
Rex doesn’t have any respect for anyone that has a differing opinion than himself. He has called me choice words both in the council and outside the council where he has used every 4 letter word he knows in his pea brained head. Look at how he described Ledford in today’s paper. Rex is the most immature egoist on the planet and he tries to drag all of us into his world. Lets face it anybody that pays off Paul Chappel at Lan. baptist church just so he can go and solicit votes and has their minions out handing out his political literature is the lowest form of scum. And I can mention several events where Henry Hearns went and did the same thing to try and get the black vote for him (using the term to be blunt).
Eric Moore says
OMG, LOL, IDK, LMOA, OK, we get U.
Eric Moore says
that was directed to Ms. McCourt, I understand where you are comming from, but the City Council Meetings are open to citizens that can not afford or choose not to wear a suit as well as someone with enough money to do, 3 minutes belong to each citizen that would like to address the Council, these rights were hard earned by citizens that have given up freedom and life over and over to reafirm those rights as well. so your observation seem trivial to some of us, OMG, LOL, but you Ms. McCourt are more than welcome to express them.
Palmdale_Steve says
Voice sure…Rant at people…Don’t let the door hit you on the way out the door.
Eric Moore says
Maybe now you have solved thier problems, Mr. Parris the King of rant will get a foot and a door on his way out.
ALAYNA PINA says
I BELIEVE YOU LIKE MANY OTHERS HAVE THE CONCEPT WRONG .YOUR PERSONALITY IS A REFLECTION OF YOURSELF,AND FROM THAT ;PEOPLE THEN DISTINGUISH A SENSE OF WHO YOU ARE. BUT OF COURSE YOU WERE ABSENT FOR THAT LECTURE..