Downey City Council to weigh censure of Councilman Trujillo over social media post

DOWNEY — The Downey City Council will hold a special meeting this Wednesday to consider censuring Councilman Mario Trujillo following backlash to a social media post he made after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

The meeting is scheduled for Sept. 17 at 4 p.m. inside council chambers at City Hall.

Trujillo, who was first elected to the council in 2020, came under fire after posting to his personal Instagram Stories shortly after news broke of Kirk’s killing Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University.

“No one mourns the wicked,” Trujillo wrote, a phrase widely interpreted as referencing Kirk.

The post drew immediate condemnation, including from local residents and political observers who criticized the message as insensitive in the aftermath of a fatal shooting.

By Thursday, Trujillo issued a clarification from his official City Council account.

“I want to be absolutely clear: I do not condone any form of violence, whether political or otherwise,” Trujillo wrote. “Free speech – a cornerstone of our democracy – should never, under any circumstances, lead to someone’s death. I stand united in condemning violence, regardless of who it targets or where it comes from.”

A censure is a formal statement of disapproval by the council and carries no direct legal consequences, but it is one of the strongest actions a city council can take against one of its members.

Wednesday’s meeting is open to the public and will be livestreamed on the city’s YouTube channel. Public comments will be accepted both in person and via email prior to the meeting.