Los Angeles Times sues for records on fire official reportedly drunk on duty

The Los Angeles Times has filed a lawsuit against the city in hopes of obtaining records relating to a high-ranking fire official who was reportedly drunk while on duty.

The newspaper in a suit filed late Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court claimed the city had not adhered to the California Public Records Act. The city denied the Times’s request for documentation relating to the incident involving former Chief Deputy Fred Mathis, the suit states.

Mathis was reportedly under the influence of alcohol while responding to May’s Palisades Fire, which was believed to have been sparked by an arsonist.

The city did not reprimand him and instead took actions such as allowing the time period of the incident to be retroactively marked as sick leave for Mathis in city timekeeping records, according to the Times. Mathis later retired with a $1.4 million payout.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (D) and his staff have remained quiet on the issue in addition to denying records requests, the Times claimed.

“Under a body of law that goes back almost 45 years, public agencies, including the city, must disclose government records reflecting well-founded allegations of misconduct against public employees such as Mathis and Terrazas,” the newspaper wrote in its suit.

Mathis reportedly claimed no wrongdoing in a statement to the Times.

“All of the allegations you have presented to me are false and unsubstantiated through the investigation initiated by the department,” he told the outlet.

Garcetti’s office did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.

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