Alvarez pleads guilty

Xavier Alvarez, member of the Three Valleys Municipal Water District board of directors, pleaded guilty Monday to falsely claiming to have won a Congressional Medal of Honor.

I've argued that the law fails to pass constitutional muster and that Alvarez should be held accountable for his lies in the court of public opinion, not in a court of law. A judge disagreed with me and denied a motion to dismiss on First Amendment grounds. As a result, Alvarez pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, which allows him to remain on the board.

We'll see if voters - most of whom pay very little attention to water boards - decide to mount a recall attempt.

Note: The Bulletin story says the plea deal leaves the door open for Alvarez to appeal his conviction on constitutional grounds and that he's expected to do so.