BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK/KBFX) — California City officials said recently completed administrative investigations into alleged misconduct involving Mayor Marquette Hawkins and Councilmember Ronald Smith found no wrongdoing, following a recorded conversation between the two in December 2024 and other allegations.
The city manager said the investigations were conducted independently and are now complete. “The investigators’ report did not make any findings of misconduct against Mayor Hawkins or Councilmember Smith,” the city manager said.
After the announcement, Smith read a statement centered on what he described as an accidental recording, calling it a “butt call,” and argued the recording was illegal.
“If you make an accidental call, as it’s referred to as a but call, with someone and somebody records that or eavesdrops that’s illegal, and Mr. Mayor, I inadvertently made an accidental call. You had no option whatsoever to approve that,” Smith said.
Hawkins also questioned the legality of the recording.
California City Mayor Marquette Hawkins is challenging the accusations of an anonymous author of deepfake videos. (KBAK/KBFX)
“Elected officials are not exempt from being victims of unlawful conduct; in this case, I am a victim of conduct that appears to implicate illegal recording laws,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins addressed the allegations that led to the investigation, saying serious accusations were publicly circulated and repeated before the facts had been independently examined. He said the completed investigations provide context that was not part of the initial allegations.
“Tonight, the record begins to be corrected,” Hawkins said.
Tempers ran high during the California City city council meeting on July 8, 2025, over a $1,000 mayor subscription. (City of California City)
“The completed investigations provide important factual context that was absent from the allegations originally presented to the public and that distinction matters,” he said.
Although the investigations are complete, the city has not made its findings publicly available.
Hawkins is asking the Kern County District Attorney’s Office to respond within 48 hours, saying he wants to know whether the matter will be investigated and what steps will be taken under California law. He is seeking a response within 48 hours from when the meeting ended.