FULLERTON – The “John and Ken” radio show will broadcast just steps from the police station and City Hall on Wednesday afternoon as the hosts attempt to drum up support for a recall campaign aimed at three City Council members.
Talk-show hosts John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou have been extremely critical of some Fullerton officials for how they handled the case of Kelly Thomas, a mentally ill homeless man.
Two police officers are accused of beating him to death in July: Officer Manuel Ramos, 37, has been charged with second degree murder and involuntary manslaughter and Cpl. Jay Cicinelli was charged with involuntary manslaughter.
KFI-AM’s Kobylt and Chiampou have blasted the trio, saying they have been too protective of the police union and the accused officers.
“These three idiot city council officials need to be held accountable for protecting the police who murdered Kelly Thomas!” the pair’s website said.
Both officers have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.
Chris Thompson, a Fullerton school board member and one of the recall organizers, has accused Mayor F. Richard Jones and council members Don Bankhead and Pat McKinley – by supporting the police union – of protecting the officers involved in the death.
At first, the three council members said little publicly about the case.
KFI’s Kobylt and Chiampou want Fullerton residents to stop by their radio show on Wednesday and sign recall petitions.
Sgt. Andrew Goodrich, the department’s spokesman, said Highland Avenue, between Amerige and commonwealth avenues, will be blocked off for the radio show, which runs 3 to 7 p.m.
Councilman Pat McKinley said he supports the radio hosts right to stage a rally, but the former Fullerton police chief certainly disagrees with the pair’s opinions: “They are toxic people who create problems for a lot of folks. I wish they would stay away.”
Bankhead said the council was advised by the city attorney to reserve making public comments about the Thomas case until the District .Attorney’s Office filed charges, which occurred last week.
“By being silent, by no means did I feel like I was protecting officers,” Bankhead said Friday. “I chose not to talk about it or discuss it until the D.A. released his findings.”
But now that the charges have been filed, Bankhead said he has scheduled appointments with residents to discuss their concerns.
Jones did not return a telephone call seeking comment.
The recall effort has until Feb.16 to gather 10,554 qualified signatures – 15 percent of Fullerton voters – for each council-member petition. If successful, the three ballot items would be in front of voters in an election.
