Support Councilwoman Leslie Rule's Defense Fund

I hope you can help with my legal bills. $30,000 and counting.

Briefly—In my role as a duly elected Ojai Council member, I disclosed what I believed to be illegal actions by other council members during three "closed session" meetings. The Ventura County DA agreed with me—those meetings did violate the law. At the time, actions decided in those three meetings had the potential to inflict grave financial harm on the City—they were meant to overturn an existing ordinance (law) without proper procedure. My duty of care and commitment to protect the City demanded that I disclose those secret dealings.

A Huge Cost

Lawyer Sabrina Venskus, a political ally of Mayor Betsy Stix, and known for suing the City of Ojai through the non-profit Simply Ojai, was a major player in the above secret dealings. Because of my disclosures, she recently filed a lawsuit against me on behalf of people I don't know, have never met, and may or may not live (or vote) in the City. To date, my legal defense has cost $30,000, and we are not yet done.

This is a frivolous lawsuit

In my opinion, this suit is nothing more than an attempt to intimidate me and give fair warning to those that would expose unethical, immoral, and potentially illegal activities at City Hall and on the ballot.

We have heard it before on the national level, "You come after me, I am coming after you." We've seen it before: weaponizing the legal system by threatening and filing lawsuits.

Unfortunately, these tactics often work

But not here, not now, and not with me. To paraphrase Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice: The more you try to intimidate me, the stronger my resolve.

So, I am asking you to help pay my legal bills

I will continue to hold down the dais and fight for honesty, integrity, and transparency at City Hall. You deserve that. Ojai deserves that. So, I am appealing to you for financial support. Every bit helps. Councilmembers are only paid a minimal stipend, and social security is hardly a help.

Willow, my puppy!

The behavior during some of our council meetings is so disheartening, so full of hypocrisy and shameful behavior, I do catch myself sinking into a bitter-coated sadness. But, during those moments, I remember my favorite thing...PUPPY LOVE. And while the world may not be right, it is righted for a moment by the exuberant love and joy of my puppy Willow. My great gratitude to her...even though she chewed up my cell phone (!!!).

Feel free to make your donation anonymous so that it won't be visible to the public on the fundraiser page.

Together we can...return to a council that relies on honesty, integrity, and transparency to guide our municipal decisions.