Investigators Raid Palmdale Mayor's Office, Home

PALMDALE (CBSLA.com) — Investigators have raided Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford's office and home.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said it has served search warrants at six locations.

Austin Bishop, one of Palmdale's newest City Council members, confirmed investigators searched the mayor's office and home.

"Seven people came in, and they executed the search. And I think they were here for a couple hours," Bishop said. "I think there's been some transparency issues with the way things have been run around here - where's money going for projects, how the budget's being spent and just overall transparency about how our city is being ran."

Ledford is in his 13th term as mayor. With no term limits, he has served for 25 years.

Rex Parris is the mayor of Lancaster and also an attorney. He represented a Palmdale man who sued the city over election districting in 2013. Parris said Ledford's deposition proved that he was taking home illegal income.

"He testified that he was getting $60,000 a year, that he was supposedly working by the hour, but he did no work for it. That is a gift," Parris pointed out.

He said he believed that was what sparked this investigation. "Part of me is really saddened by this. Although I knew it was coming," he said.

No one answered when CBS2's Andrea Fujii knocked on Ledford's door Wednesday night.

A city spokesman said the mayor's office was fully cooperating with the investigation.

Bishop said the mayor had two public events planned Wednesday but failed to show at either one.