LA Councilman Accused Of Stealing Rival's Campaign Signs

MOUNT WASHINGTON (CBSLA.com) — A Los Angeles city councilman running for re-election in the 1st Disctrict is accused of stealing his political rival's campaign signs.

Joe Bray-Ali, who is running against incumbent Gil Cedillo, made the allegation.

A security video released by homeowner Carlos Tapia in Mount Washington shows a Tesla SUV pulling up in front of his house.

A man is seen running toward the vehicle with what appears to be Bray-Ali's campaign signs in his hands. Within seconds, the guy is in the passenger seat, and the SUV is out of sight.

Tapia said he was at home when it all went down but didn't realize what was happening until the SUV took off.

"This is kind of like high school thing," Tapia said. "For them to be doing that, there's something wrong with their campaign. I didn't know there was even a campaign going on. I stay out of politics."

"My daughter is a 9-year-old Girl Scout. Her and her mom hand silk-screened all of these. We're doing it with no budget because I'm a grassroots candidate," Bray-Ali said. "I think that Mr. Cedillo has to answer for why petty crime is how he thinks he's going to win this seat."

But there is no evidence linking Cedillo to the alleged scheme.

Cedillo released a statement in response: "Stealing yard signs is against the law and goes against the spirit of our electoral system. Our campaign in no way condones the actions of these individuals, who appear to have been supporters of Councilmember Cedillo acting on their own. They should be held accountable for their actions."