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“He misled the people of Tustin,” argues a constituent. “The people of Tustin deserve better representation.”
Less than two months after his election to Tustin City Council, Lee Fink pleaded guilty to battery and has been sentenced to one year of probation, according to recently-released case documents. If necessary, Fink could also be ordered to pay restitution.
The incident in question, which occurred during the Old Town Tustin Home Tour in May 2024, was captured by a Ring security camera. Footage shows Fink threatening, shouting obscenities, and pushing an elderly man. He is then asked to leave by the property owner who says that his behavior is “out of line.”
Days prior to the election, Fink released a 30-second video emailed to campaign supporters offering an eleventh hour apology to the individual he battered. It remains one of the few times Fink has publicly acknowledged the incident.
“Many of you have seen an interaction that I had that is unfitting for anyone, much less someone running for public office,” Fink said. “I was wrong.”
Nevertheless, Fink won his election, defeating Republican challenger Tanner Douthit by just over 300 votes. While he was able to withstand the controversy in November, the recent guilty plea is sure to reignite the public’s ire. Already, there are calls for Fink’s resignation.
“He misled the people of Tustin. He was sworn in on Dec. 3… knowing full well that he would plead guilty 20 days later. The people of Tustin deserve better representation. Lee Fink should resign,” writes Twitter/X user Amy Connelly.
“Our elected officials should be held to the highest standards of professional and personal conduct,” said Tustin Mayor Austin Lumbard regarding Fink’s guilty plea. “It harms the communities they represent when officials fail to adhere to those standards. Tustin stands for civility and compassion and we reject any behavior that falls short of those ideals including acts of violence, bullying, or intimidation.”
It’s possible that Fink has until now remained largely unscathed due—at least in part—to the “wall of silence” from Fink’s Democrat supporters, argues the OC Independent.
“Not a single Democratic official or organization mentioned it, let alone directed any criticism or condemnation of Fink’s unprovoked act of physical violence against a senior citizens,” reads the OC Independent piece by Matthew Cunningham. “The candidate didn’t lose a single endorsement.”
It’s also worth noting that there has not been a public statement from the Orange County District Attorney’s office, which typically will issue releases to the public when elected officials commit a crime. In their reporting of the issue, Voice of OC clarifies that this is the case “because Fink wasn’t an elected official at the time of the crime,” with confirmation from OCDA spokesperson Kimberly Edds.
The OCDA has, however, reported the conviction to the California Bar Association.
Fink has not responded to requests for comment. He has, however, been active on Twitter/X since the guilty plea—though he is not using the platform to acknowledge any wrongdoing. Instead, his most recent post is an ominous reply to political commentator Meghan McCain after she stated that she has faced lifelong ostracization for being a Republican:
“Let me tell you something,” Fink’s tweet reads, “if you're anyplace right now where it's ‘cool’ to be a Republican at this moment, here's my advice to you: RUN! FAST!”
As a reminder, Fink is now a convicted criminal.
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