COMPTON, CA--Emma Sharif, a member of the Compton City Council, has accused fellow council member
of using racist and abusive language. According to Sharif, the incident happened at the recent Independent Cities Association conference in Carlsbad. She said Galvan accused of not thanking him for his support during a past race. But Sharif said that she did not appreciate some of the tactics Galvan used. Apparently, he sent out a flier against her opponent that included some negative information. And her opponent, Dr. Willie Jones, was a well-respected member of the community. "I had to apologize for that piece," said Sharif. Sharif detailed her complaints in a letter read during a recent city council meeting, but she never received an apology from Galvan. In the letter Sharif alleges that Galvan told her to f-herself and also said, "I told Councilman Galvan that I had a problem with his comments he previously made with other elected officials that he believed his colleagues and the Mayor were monkeys." According to Sharif, Galvan needs to be held accountable for his words. "To this day Councilman Galvan has never apologized to this council and this community for his hateful comments and racist attitude. I will continue to work every day in a manner of respect and dignity to serve the constituents of my district and the people of Compton," said Sharif in her letter. Galvan's office never responded to repeated requests for a comment. Sharif also had an issue with a meeting held at a community center on immigration. The meeting was conducted in Spanish, although Sharif, who was there, was provided an English translator. Sharif said she felt the entire meeting needed to have an English translation because immigration is a problem that also affects non-Spanish speaking people. "There are other people dealing with immigration, who don't speak Spanish," said Sharif. Compton is a suburb of Los Angeles that has traditionally been known as a mainly Black city. But the ethnic makeup of the city has changed over the last few decades as more Black people move out, and Latinos move in. According to the U.S. Census, the city is 32 percent Black and 25 percent Hispanic.