Downey : Santangelo Case Postponed

The conflict-of-interest trial of Downey Councilman James S. Santangelo has been postponed again until Oct. 19 to allow the defense more time to prepare, a spokeswoman for defense attorney Leo P. Newton said.

Santangelo originally was scheduled to be tried May 4 on a misdemeanor charge that he had a conflict of interest in 1984 when he voted to expand the city’s redevelopment district. Santangelo owned land within the new area.

Retired Municipal Court Judge Mario Barsotti had rescheduled the trial to Aug. 3 to allow Newton time to sift through thousands of documents in the case. Newton requested another postponement because personal business has kept him from working on the case.