More than a year after his death, controversy surfaced Thursday about the circumstances surrounding the death of L.A. labor leader Miguel Contreras, with questions raised about whether local officials blocked an official autopsy.
The 52-year-old leader of the County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, died suddenly on May 6, 2005. Officials said he died of a heart attack.
On Thursday, the L.A. Weekly reported that Contreras actually had the heart attack at a South Los Angeles business called Botanica Inca. Six months after Contreras’ death, police conducted a prostitution sting at Botanica Inca, the paper reported.
The article said then-City Council members Antonio Villaraigosa and Martin Ludlow were among those who rushed that night to Daniel Freeman Hospital, where Contreras was pronounced dead.
It said influence might have been used to avoid an autopsy that would have exposed the circumstances of the death, which until now had been the subject of rumors without substantiation.
Asked about the report, Capt. Ed Winter of the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office said a letter had been sent to county Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich outlining the procedures used in Contreras’ case.
“No one influenced us on whether or not to do an autopsy … Besides, his organs were harvested (for transplant), so there would not have been much point to an autopsy.”
A tissue sample taken from Contreras’ heart showed extensive damage, officials said. A death certificate said Contreras, who was suffering from diabetes and had a history of heart problems, died of a heart attack.
Antonovich spokesman Tony Bell said the supervisor was satisfied with the coroner’s report.
Ludlow, who briefly succeeded Contreras as labor chief but was forced to resign after admitting to criminal violations of election laws, said he had done nothing to block an autopsy.
“Miguel was a dear friend of mine, and stories surrounding his death such as this are very, very unfortunate,” Ludlow said. “Those close to him and his family were there that evening to offer prayers and support.
“No one that I’m aware of – from officials, to police, to paramedics to hospital personnel – did anything to provide special consideration.”
Other officials who were at the Daniel Freeman Medical Center emergency room that night refused to comment.
“The mayor, out of respect for the family, will not discuss this at all,” said Joe Ramallo, a spokesman for Villaraigosa.
Former Mayor James Hahn, who was also at the hospital, declined to comment.
The report in L.A. Weekly also said the paper had obtained a tape of a 911 call that night to the Los Angeles Fire Department from Botanica Inca.
On the tape, a woman speaking Spanish says a customer had come in for a card reading and collapsed.
Operators attempted to talk her through resuscitation efforts, without success. Paramedics who responded found Contreras and took him to the hospital, where he was declared dead.
Police last November raided the Botanica Inca and arrested two women on suspicion of prostitution and a third person for acting as a pimp.
The L.A. Weekly story stirred widespread anger Thursday among Contreras’ friends.
It also spurred a dispute at the newspaper, where an outgoing columnist, Harold Myerson, sent a note to staff members criticizing the story.
“Looks like I’m gone at precisely the right moment,” Myerson wrote.
“With the Contreras piece, we’ve crossed a line. Well, actually, you’ve crossed a line. I’m gone.”
The Weekly’s news editor, Alan Mittelstaedt, defended the decision to publish the story, saying Contreras was a prominent local leader, and circumstances surrounding his death could not be ignored.
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