Gloria Gray Urged to Resign From Water Board as Lawsuit Targets Dual Roles

Attorney calls for Inglewood council member to resign, citing conflicting duties as she runs for mayor and water board reelection.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — An attorney representing two community members called on Inglewood City Council member Gloria Gray to resign from the West Basin Municipal Water District board Thursday, saying a newly filed lawsuit seeks to remove her because the two elected positions carry conflicting responsibilities.

Speaking outside Inglewood City Hall, attorney Jim Sutton said the lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court on behalf of Inglewood resident Daniel Bookman and Conner Everts, executive director of the Southern California Watershed Alliance. The action follows California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s Oct. 7 decision granting them permission to challenge Gray’s right to remain on the water board.

The challenge comes as Gray campaigns for Inglewood mayor and reelection to her West Basin seat in the Nov. 3 election. She has served on the water board since 2006 and joined the City Council in 2023.

“She basically sits on both sides of the same transaction, selling the water and buying the water,” Sutton said.

At issue is California Government Code Section 1099, which prohibits holding incompatible public offices. The applicants contend Gray forfeited her West Basin position when she took office on the City Council because the agencies’ overlapping water responsibilities create the potential for divided loyalties.

West Basin has the authority to supply water and set wholesale rates, while the Inglewood City Council has authority to obtain water for the city and its residents. Those responsibilities can put the interests of the supplier and the buyer at odds, according to Bonta’s opinion.

The lawsuit uses a legal process known as quo warranto — Latin for “by what authority” — to challenge a person’s right to hold public office. Private parties must obtain the attorney general’s permission before bringing such an action.

Bonta’s authorization did not remove Gray from office or constitute a final court ruling against her. His opinion found a substantial legal question warranting judicial review and concluded that allowing the case to proceed would serve the public interest.

“Based on all of the above, we conclude there is at least a substantial legal issue as to whether the offices in question are incompatible, such that Gray forfeited her West Basin Board seat when she took office on the Inglewood City Council,” the opinion states.

Sutton said Thursday that he planned to seek an expedited court order removing Gray from the water board. He also alleged that West Basin’s legal counsel warned her about the incompatibility issue in April 2023, shortly after she won her council seat.

Sutton also said an email from Gray’s attorney acknowledged that the two offices are incompatible and indicated that, if she wins both the Inglewood mayoral race and reelection to the West Basin water board, she would resign from one of the positions.

The legal dispute centers on the responsibilities of the offices, rather than requiring proof that a particular vote caused harm. Bonta’s opinion explains that a potential significant clash of duties or loyalties can make offices incompatible and that declining to perform one of the conflicting roles does not resolve the underlying problem.

A similar case resulted in the removal of then-Carson Mayor Albert Robles from the Water Replenishment District of Southern California board in 2018. A state appeals court upheld that decision in 2020, finding that the positions carried conflicting duties involving water costs and the interests of the agencies they represented. Bonta cited that ruling in authorizing the challenge against Gray.

Tyron Turner, who is running against Gray for the West Basin Division 2 seat, joined Thursday’s news conference and urged her to step down. Turner identified himself as an Inglewood homeowner, business owner and father, and said concerns about water quality helped motivate his candidacy.

“You can’t have one foot in City Hall and one foot at West Basin,” Turner said.

Gray opposed the request for permission to sue. According to Bonta’s opinion, she disputed whether the applicants properly served her with the application and argued that only a few months remained in her term. The attorney general found that service appeared proper and concluded that the remaining time in office did not outweigh the public interest in resolving the dispute.

The November election would not necessarily end the litigation. Bonta’s opinion notes that a court could allow the case to continue beyond the end of Gray’s term because of the public interest in determining whether she lawfully held the office.

Gray had not responded to requests for comment by publication.