The two men facing misdemeanor election-related charges in Manteca briefly shared an attorney Friday, when the lawyer appeared in court on behalf of Mayor Gurminder “Gary” Singh.
Singh was charged last month after a social media video showed chiropractor Matthew Alexander offering a $50 discount to people who said they had voted for Singh in the Nov. 3 general election.
Attorney Peter Marek, who represents Alexander, appeared on Friday in place of Singh’s attorney, Albert Ellis, who was unavailable. The hearing was held before Court Commissioner David French at the San Joaquin County Superior Court’s Manteca branch. Deputy District Attorney Jeff Derman represented the prosecution.
Neither Singh nor Alexander appeared in court on Friday or entered a plea. They are being prosecuted in separate cases, not as co-defendants.
The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office has charged both men with two misdemeanor counts each stemming from alleged election-related offenses between Aug. 12 and Aug. 31. The charges are related to a video filmed during Singh’s August visit to Alexander Chiropractic and Wellness.
In the video, Alexander offered $50 off a first visit to anyone who said they had voted for Singh in the general election. Singh responded, “It does pay off to vote for your mayor.”
The video drew scrutiny after the campaign of Jacob Naven, who is challenging Singh for mayor, circulated a portion of it. Singh later deleted the video from his Facebook page.
One charge alleges a violation of California election law prohibiting offers of money or something of value to induce someone to vote or register to vote. The second alleges a separate violation prohibiting payments or other valuable consideration to induce or reward someone for voting for or against a particular candidate or measure.
In a Sept. 18 statement, Singh said he was prepared to address the charges through the legal process and looked forward to having the facts fully heard.
“I remain confident in allowing that process to move forward, and I will not allow this matter to distract me from my responsibility to the people of Manteca,” Singh said.
The mayor said he would not comment further on the specifics of the case because it was before the court.
Alexander separately told Manteca officials that he made the offer spontaneously and had not discussed it beforehand with Singh or anyone associated with him. In a letter to the city clerk, Alexander said no one received the discount and that he withdrew the offer after learning more about election laws.
Marek asked the court Friday to waive formal arraignment for Singh and Alexander and continue their arraignments to 8:30 a.m. Oct. 30 in Department M2. French granted the request.
Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom, Marek said the defense had yet to receive evidence from the district attorney’s office.
“The district attorney will be providing what we call discovery — police reports, any evidence that they have that the alleged crime took place,” he said.
Marek emphasized that both men are presumed innocent as their cases move forward.
“This is America. You’re innocent until proven guilty. Thank God we live in this country,” he said. Marek declined to comment further on the cases, saying the defense had limited information until prosecutors provided discovery.