“There was instances that I can recall where [Mendez] gave us a list of properties to research, and we went back to her and said these are all Fuller’s properties, and then she came back the next day or a couple days later with more properties and said, ‘here, I threw in some non-Fuller properties so it doesn’t look like we’re piling on,’” said Gonzalez.The city attorney argued that the city alone could legally represent Gonzalez in the interview and deposition, and since Gonzalez relied on the advice of a personal attorney, the content must be kept confidential.If I am called to testify, I’ll testify, I’ll give the truth.” J.C. Planas, an attorney with a stalled effort to recall Commissioner Carollo from office, said he is "shocked" by the sworn testimony, particularly what it reveals about the alleged role of city attorney Mendez.“This is a pattern that we’ve repeatedly seen by the city attorney ever since Carollo was elected.” "I would be shocked if Vicky Mendez is not a part of any ongoing investigations against sitting commissioners.The allegations unearthed in Gonzalez’ testimony closely mirror allegations of rampant corruption and targeted code enforcement in the city made by former chief of police Art Acevedo, who likened the city to being run by “the Cuban mafia.” Those comments led to Acevedo, a Cuban native, getting fired last year after being submitted to two full days of public hearings in which his entire law enforcement history dating back to the 1980s in the California Highway Patrol was dragged in the mud."