Loloee doesn’t even live in Sacramento County. It’s time for the city to step in | Opinion
What the Sacramento City Council desperately needs right now is a whole lot more professionalism and a lot less federal indictments. Ideally, none. Thank goodness Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg has chosen to lead with the former.
Steinberg joined the chorus of voices calling for federally-indicted Sacramento City Councilman Sean Loloee to resign on Thursday, marking a clear shift in the tide of public opinion. Now, it’s time for the rest of the council to speak up, too. But it’s especially important that City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood seriously consider the issue of whether Loloee’s court-ordered residency in Granite Bay now disqualifies him from office.
The especially stubborn councilman, who was indicted earlier this month by a federal grand jury on 25 charges, including falsifying immigration paperwork and wire fraud, has thus far refused to resign. The mayor’s statement said he has made several concerted efforts in private since Loloee appeared in federal court on Dec. 16. to encourage him to resign, but said he is speaking out publicly now because of Loloee’s continued resistance.
“Councilmember Loloee should put the city first,” Steinberg stated. “We have too much important work to do on behalf of the people of Sacramento for more distraction and controversy.”
The mayor’s call for Loloee’s resignation was clearly brought forward in the face of the alleged crimes, but the heart of the argument actually appears to focus on a question over his court-documented residency in Granite Bay, a problem that Sacramentans have long held — and an issue that Alcala Wood clearly bucked the last time she had a chance to address it.
Last year, The Bee raised serious questions about where Loloee resided: at his home in Del Paso Heights in his city council district, or at his wife’s home in Granite Bay (which would be a flagrant violation of city charter that states a council member “must continue to reside” in their council district as a qualification for holding office).
An investigation paid for by the city and conducted by outside counsel found that Loloee lived inside his district, at a home he allegedly shared with one of his employees and their family.
Had Alcala Wood and her office actually made a serious investigation of the accusation that included asking neighbors, the city might already be rid of a contentious and legally-embattled councilman who has brought nothing but drama to the dais.
Funny how, when a completely independent investigation was conducted via the U.S. Department of Justice, it was discovered that Loloee did not reside in Del Paso Heights but in his wife’s $1.4 million Granite Bay mansion, which doesn’t even sit inside Sacramento County, much less the city borders.
But whatever living situation Loloee presented to the city last year has clearly changed, given that his roommate and employee is also involved in the federal indictments, and a federal judge has ordered them to live apart — if they were ever even living together.
“Given the court directive that he remain in Granite Bay, I have asked the city attorney to immediately provide the city council with an opinion on whether Mr. Loloee remains legally qualified to hold office in the city of Sacramento,” Steinberg stated.
Loloee does not now live in his district. What more proof than a federal judge’s order does Alcala Wood need to do the right thing?
Loloee, meanwhile, blames his critics for harassment, forgetting that investigating publicly-available information, questioning his alleged crimes and calling for his removal from office is entirely within the voting public’s right.
His term is not officially up for another year, but can anyone in Sacramento really imagine another year of this? If he won’t leave the city council of his own accord, then he clearly must be shown the door.
