Breaking News: Greg Tuttle Sues Mayor Lozano and Council Members in Small Claims Court

Manuel Lozano

On Nov. 2, 2016 at around 06:30PM, Greg Tuttle, small business owner and activist served Mayor Manuel Lozano, Council Member Ricardo Pacheco, and Council Member Raquel Monica Garcia for malicious prosecution and invasion of privacy, for taking his picture without his consent, in Santa Barbara small claims court. Trial is scheduled on January 5, 2017.

Here's the background of the claim. On January of 2015, Greg Tuttle witnessed Ricardo Pacheco and Monica Garcia meeting with big business to discuss city business in Santa Barbara. He also figured out that Lozano took city money to go on this conference, but Lozano failed to show, until he found that Tuttle would be there.

Pacheco spent $52,000 in city money, alleging that Tuttle was dangerous, crazy, and a lunatic and obtained a restraining order to shut him up and chill him from investigating him more. Paul Cook, a local attorney in Baldwin Park, took up Tuttle's case free of charge.

After Cook up Tuttle's case, Lozano and Garcia joined in the lawsuit, and also filed a restraining order against Tuttle. At trial, Cook defeated the Mayor and the Council Members. The judge commented on the case and said that Monica had some serious problems, and that the entire lawsuit was meritless because Tuttle was doing what every good citizen should do, and that is participating in democracy.

Tuttle decided to sue Lozano and Garcia and Pacheco in small claims court for malicious prosecution and an invasion of privacy. He sued in Santa Barbara because that is where the event took place.

This is Lozano's second malicious prosecution suit because this is the second time Lozano sought a temporary restraining order against people who speak out against him. You would think by now, he would've learned his lesson: but nope.

Tuttle believes that he's setting an example for citizens all of the world that it is possible to hold public officials accountable.