Mayor needed more dough for his home pizza oven, steals school food mixer

[Liberal_in_LA]

Hawthorne mayor charged in connection with stealing food mixer from school district

June 8, 2010 | 10:39 am

Hawthorne Mayor Larry Guidi, who had led the city for nearly two decades, was charged Tuesday in connection with stealing a commercial food mixer from the local school district because he allegedly needed more dough for his home pizza oven.

Guidi, 52, who worked as a warehouse operations manager for the Hawthorne School District, allegedly stole the food mixer and a cart March 25 from a district warehouse, said Jane Robison, spokeswoman for the L.A. County district attorney's office.

The theft was allegedly captured on a video security camera, she said.

The mayor of 17 years was charged with felony second-degree burglary and grand theft, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Ed Miller with the Public Integrity Division.

Prosecutors will ask that bail be set at $20,000. Guidi is expected to be arraigned Wednesday in a downtown L.A. court. If convicted, he faces up to three years in state prison.

He has been placed on leave with the school district, which he has worked for since 2000.

This was not Guidi's first run-in with the law.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/06/hawthorne-mayor-charged-with-stealing-food-mixer-from-school-district.html