Glendale councilman publicly reprimanded for ‘inappropriate’ behavior

A Glendale councilman accused of groping a woman’s breast was publicly reprimanded Tuesday by his colleagues, who recommended he attend sexual harassment training.

While Councilman Dave Weaver denies groping the woman at a Mexican restaurant, his colleagues also noted his acknowledgment he used vulgar language in front of a city employee, a violation of Glendale’s sexual harassment policy.

During the City Council meeting, two members read from a written statement on behalf of their colleagues, describing Weaver’s behavior as unacceptable, inappropriate and careless, the Glendale News-Press reported.

“It is important to us, as council members, and you, as the community we serve, that we hold one another accountable for our actions and for deviations from the values we espouse,” said Councilman Frank Quintero, reading from the statement.

Weaver did not respond during the meeting and declined to comment afterward. He has said in previous interviews that may have unintentionally pushed the woman during an argument at the restaurant in 2013.

Weaver is currently in out-of-court settlement negotiations with the woman, Lolita Gonzalves, who has said she wants a written apology and $10,000 regarding the alleged incident.

While the council said it considered the alleged groping incident a private matter, comments made in the presence of city staff had to be addressed.

In a previous interview with the News-Press, Weaver acknowledged having been scolded by top city officials for saying a vulgar word to a city employee while showing a sonogram of his then unborn granddaughter.

“It is apparent he was not then, nor is he now, apologetic for his inappropriate comments and there is the need for Mr. Weaver to understand how truly out of line his comments were,” Councilman Ara Najarian said.

Brittany Levine is a Times Community News staff writer.