Former senior Los Angeles City Hall aide Angie Reyes‑English is asking a judge to force testimony from one of Councilman Curren Price’s top lieutenants, saying he sits at the center of a retaliation drama that exploded after prosecutors opened a corruption case against her boss.
In a new petition filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Reyes‑English seeks to compel a deposition from deputy chief of staff Jose Ugarte, whom her attorneys say can back up her claim that she was branded a “snitch” inside Price’s District 9 office and ultimately pushed out of her job.
In court papers filed Tuesday with Judge William Weinberger, her lawyers accuse the city’s legal team of “egregious game playing” and say they have been improperly blocked from questioning Ugarte. They also note that Ugarte has filed to run for Price’s District 9 seat and argue that his testimony is crucial to fighting the city’s motion to toss the case, according to MyNewsLA.
What the suit alleges
Reyes‑English claims in her lawsuit that Price staffers tagged her as a “snitch” after the district attorney filed criminal charges against the councilman, touching off what she describes as a campaign of intimidation, according to the Los Angeles Times. The complaint and local reporting say she was hired in July 2013, placed on involuntary medical leave in July 2023, returned to work in October and was then fired on Jan. 9, 2024. Her attorneys contend those moves violated whistleblower protections and are seeking damages and discovery that includes Ugarte’s testimony.
Why Ugarte's testimony matters
The complaint says Ugarte called Reyes‑English and told her that staffers in District 9 believed she had provided information to prosecutors, a conversation her suit characterizes as intimidation. Her lawyers argue that deposing Ugarte could clarify who inside the office thought she was cooperating with investigators and whether that belief fueled any retaliatory personnel decisions, according to KNX News.
City response and dismissal motion
The City Attorney’s Office has moved to dismiss the lawsuit, saying an internal probe concluded Reyes‑English “created a hostile work environment” and that the city “had legitimate grounds to terminate plaintiff … based on her own actions and conduct,” according to court filings. Those papers, which set an April 10 hearing on the dismissal request, include a sworn declaration from city official James Westbrooks, who states he “tried to resolve these issues with Ms. Reyes‑English calmly, but she would not let me get a word in,” according to MyNewsLA.
Case timeline and next steps
After a six‑day preliminary hearing in January, a Superior Court judge found prosecutors had presented enough evidence for the criminal case against Price to move toward trial, leaving the corruption matter active as the civil fight plays out, according to the Los Angeles Times. Price remains free on his own recognizance and is scheduled to be arraigned March 13, according to court notices reported by Wave.
The clash over whether Ugarte has to sit for a deposition is expected to be resolved before the city’s April 10 dismissal hearing. That ruling could decide whether Reyes‑English’s whistleblower retaliation claim gets knocked out early or survives for a full‑blown trial.
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