In a divided vote, Downey City Council voted on December 12th, 2023, to elect the controversial Mayor Pro Tem Mario Trujillo to become Mayor of the City. The move to nominate Trujillo was made by newly elected Council Member Horacio Ortiz, who had received Trujillo’s endorsement.

Casting the deciding vote, newly-appointed Mayor Pro Tem Hector Sosa said looking toward Trujillo, “I will tell you straight up, I am not happy with what happened to Gil Livas and the mass exodus that spilled out. I’m not a big fan of your affiliation with George Gascón. However, in the sense of unity, I’m telling you in front of all these fine people that I will support you being Mayor next year.”

Trujillo is widely perceived as the organizer of the ousting of former Downey City Manager Gilbert Livas, with former Council Members Sean Ashton and Catherine Alvarez playing supporting roles. He has also been criticized for his close relationship with embattled District Attorney George Gascón.

In speaking against Trujillo’s ascendance to the Mayorship, Downey Mayor Claudia Frometa brought up the controversies surrounding the recall of Alvarez, and seemed to compare Trujillo to Alvarez, saying “When the recalled Council Member Alvarez was ascended to Mayor Pro Tem, there were consequences and repercussions to that ascension. That individual should have never been ascended to that position.” 

Speaking on the qualifications for the Mayorship, Frometa added, “It needs to be the most qualified, but also someone who really has a heart for service. Someone that is willing to be at the Council meeting every day it is scheduled,” seeming to imply that Trujillo does not have these qualifications.

Instead of Trujillo, newly elected Council Member Dorothy Pemberton voiced support for re-electing Frometa as Mayor, saying of Frometa, “Her mission was to restore order in our Council Chambers, and she’s accomplishing that. Our City is getting back on track and that takes good leadership, which she has done. She’s excellent, she should continue for another term.”

During public comment, several residents gave support for Trujillo, leading Mayor Frometa to say “I don’t know why there were so many people here advocating for Mayor Pro Tem Trujillo, unless there was an inkling that he was not going to be voted.”

The only resident to speak against Trujillo was LA County Democratic Party District 64 Delegate Juan Martinez. He said Trujillo has made slurs against women and people with disabilities. He also noted Trujillo’s connection to Gascón, saying of Trujillo, “He interfered in a court investigation where he tried to offer 7 years to a person who murdered another person. Everything he’s done is on video.” Speaking directly to Trujillo, Martinez said “You’re a crook and you’re corrupt.”

The final vote on Trujillo’s Mayorship was 3 yes (Trujillo, Sosa, Ortiz), 1 No (Pemberton), and 1 Abstain (Frometa).