Huntington Park censures Councilman Arturo Flores; he says he won’t step down

The City of Huntington Park has approved a resolution censuring Councilmember Arturo Flores for misconduct. Public records showed he was accused of sexual abuse in Nov. 2025. The survivor filed charges a month later and by Jan. 2026, she dropped them. 

Censure is a formal legislative action used by the Council to express disapproval of conduct determined to be inconsistent with adopted standards of behavior, states the city. 

During the April 28 council meeting, three of the four voting members approved the censure and asked Flores to voluntarily resign. Since he is an elected official the council cannot remove him from office, unless the electorate decides otherwise through a recall or the next election in Nov. 2026, according to Councilman Jonathan Sanabria. 

“Given those limits, the council exercised the tools available to it by issuing a formal censure, ensuring accountability while respecting the will of the voters,” said Sanabria. 

The censure includes his removal from all discretionary assignments for which he was appointed by the Mayor and City Council. He has been suspended from his personnel outreach and professional development accounts and prohibited from using any City-funded resources for travel, conferences and related expenses until he is cleared by the LAPD’s investigation. 

“If Councilmember Flores is charged with a crime, this order shall remain in effect for the remainder of his term as a member of this Council,” states the resolution.

Arturo Flores’s response

In response to the resolution at the meeting, Flores ripped his copy and said “I’m not going anywhere,” and called the council’s action a "political theater.” 

He pointed at the other councilmembers who have also had their own  issues and are still in office. In 2024, the L.A. County District Attorney started an investigation dubbed Operation Dirty Pond, which included then-Councilmembers Eddie Martinez and Mayor Karina Macias. The investigation is still ongoing. 

“If I have not commented on the allegations on the matter that's happening, it is because I'm committed to my education, and there's still an active administrative review process taking place for my school,” he said referring to USC. 

He said he has been humbled by the amount of support that came after these allegations and reiterated that one or four persons asking him to step down during previous council meetings don’t reflect the nearly 3,000 voters who elected him. 

“I have stayed quiet, and I have that right to do that, and I really don't care about who's bothered by it. When it's all said and done, I will raise my voice,” he said. “I will tell my story about what happened, the way that I sort of lived and then the cards will fall where they may.”

The City issued a statement highlighting that the incident with Flores did not arise from City operations, City business, or any official action taken in a City capacity. 

“As reflected in the resolution, the alleged conduct was undertaken in an individual capacity, outside the course and scope of official duties, and without authorization or ratification by the City Council,” the statement reads. 

The City is not the investigating agency and has no role in determining criminal findings.