Santa Ana Councilman Johnathan Hernandez was involved in a confrontation Wednesday morning with two men – one of whom was his former council aide. The confrontation escalated into a fight, and the two men were arrested and charged with assault and battery.
According to accounts from the Santa Ana Police Department and various sources, Vernon Carter (33 years old) and his friend Danilo Delvalle (30 years old), showed up morning at the home of Maria Hernandez around 10:00 a.m. on the morning of August 2, demanding to see her son, Councilman Hernandez.
Hernandez showed up, and a confrontation ensured that escalated into a physical altercation. According to sources, Carter and Delvalle got Hernandez in a headlock and kicked him several times. The police were called (it is unknown at this time by whom) and informed a fight was in progress.
Officers arrived and separated Carter, Delvalle and Hernandez. According to police, all parties sustained injuries but declined medical attention at the scene.
Carter and Delvalle were arrested and charged with violating Penal Code Sections 240 and 242 – assault on a person and batter/simple assault, respectively.
OC Independent has requested additional information, including police reports and video.
Hernandez has been a strident critic of law enforcement in general and the Santa Ana police department in particular during his tenure on the city council.
Who Is Vernon Carter?
Carter is a rap musician who performs under the nom-du-rap of “King Karlton.” He has an active presence on various social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and Facebook, promoting his music and airing grievances against Hernandez and La Placito Cinco, the apartment building where he lives. According to his social media posts, Carter accuses both of being racist and disrespectful to him.
Delvalle is a self-described hip-hop artist who goes by the stage name Danilo Energy.
During his 2020 city council campaign, Hernandez paid Carter $270 for social media work. He subsequently hired Carter as a contract council aide. City spokesman Paul Eakins confirmed Carter had been a paid, contract council aide to Hernandez.
OC Independent has requested that information from the city. Carter never filed the required Form 700 financial disclosure form, according to a search of the city’s website.
This evening, the City of Santa Ana issued a statement regarding the incident:
“Vernon Carter was an independent contractor who served as a City Council aide for Councilmember Johnathan Ryan Hernandez. The City no longer has a contract with Mr. Carter for this service. City Councilmembers, including Councilmember Hernandez, are not responsible for managing or approving payment to their City Council aides,” Public Information Officer Paul Eakins stated in an e-mail to OC Independent.
“Following the incident involving Councilmember Hernandez, today a judge approved the City’s request for a restraining order on Councilmember Hernandez’s behalf against Vernon K. Carter and Danilo Baba DelValle. The details of the incident itself are a criminal matter under investigation by the Santa Ana Police Department,” stated Eakins.
Eakins stated additional information will be forthcoming when City Hall re-opens on Monday (it was closed today).
What Is The Relationship Between Hernandez And Carter?
A dispute over what Carter is owed or not owed seems to be at the heart of this fracas. Whatever promises Hernandez did or did not make to Carter, their professional relationship did not end well.
Back in February, Carter posted a video of himself and a friend in City Hall. His friend referred to Carter as “Bat Gay” and said they were going to “talk to the city council people and all their little puppets” to see if they could get Carter “f—-ng paid.” Carter, apparently assuming the “Bat Gay” persona, affected a British accent for part of the video, before reverting to his normal voice and stating they were there “representing the gay community.”
“Last week I yet AGAIN attempted to notify the city of their misconduct and mistreatment. I’m only of the only black and LGBT“independent contractor/ employees” here and because of that they have decided my voice is not one that needs to be hear or appealed too. Shame on them,” Carter wrote in the video notes.
Around the same time, Carter posted a long Instagram video of himself and a friend walking from his house to a Santa Ana City Council meeting. Carter went on at length about his grievances – including the claims of owed money and broken promises – toward Hernandez and his plan to confront him during public comments.
On June 1, Carter posted a video of an e-mail he sent Councilman Hernandez on February 10, 2023 regarding his “grievances” about his council aide contract:
“Hello, Jonathan. Here are my dispositions and grievances in regard to the contract we have until Feb. 16 for Policy Aid/Consultant [Media/CreativeDirector. Which I must mention was missing from docs but verbally presented at the time of hire/interview that, would be my title also).“
Carter told Hernandez that the “rest of the agreed amount” must be “paid in full in lieu of other options.” Carter referenced an October 5, 2022 meeting with the city attorney and Daniel Soto (a management assistant whom Carter refers to as assistant city manager) at which he claims he felt “degraded” and “gaslit.”
In the caption for the video, Carter fleshes out his grievances against Hernandez, whom he believed to be in cahoots with the management of his apartment building:
“I was working for Johnathan Ryan Hernandez and City of Santa Ana as social media management, and general work related assistant. I’m sorry to report and inform, I have come to find out Mr. Hernandez does not support black and brown excellence. In fact, he is very focused on supporting other things that have nothing to do with what he campaigned on. Additionally, I have experienced poor staff behavior at the new property LA PLACITA CINCO [2239 w 5th Santa Ana Ca.] Mr. Hernandez is widely promoted here and has a direct influence over this building, which I am now having issues at post employment. I have a claim filed with the city of Santa Ana with regards to breach of contract, but will most likely have to pursue legal action. Unfortunately, since I have been blocked from talking to Mr. Hernandez and also blocked on social media. It is my perspective that La Placita Cinco is under the influence of Johnathan Ryan Hernandez and the city of Santa Ana. Hassling me and abusing their power.”
In a June 8, 2023 post on Facebook claiming apartment management is persecuting him on account of his race and sexuality, Carter accuses Hernandez of reneging on promises and using him as a “token black”:
“Johnathan Ryan Hernandez frequently attends this building and hold meetings. I will have to do another video on this, but he (and DANIEL SOTO- assistant city manager) has completely done me wrong with regard to work THEY approached me to do – independent contract for Creative Work …I have all proof and records of which I can’t reveal much details right now because it must go through litigation … sorry to say Johnathan Ryan Hernandez does not truly stand for a black and brown excellence, he used me as a TOKEN BLACK & touted I am the first black person to work in the City Hall building & when the moment came to stand up for what’s right & against the system, he would not do it. He has confided in the system and turned on me to please his new City Hall cohorts.”
For the past several months, Carter has been claiming Hernandez and the city owe him several thousand dollars in promised “creative content” work.
Later that month, on June 22, Carter posted video of Santa Ana police officers arriving at the La Placita Cinco apartments in the wake of a verbal confrontation with the apartment manager. Carter was angry that his car – which he claimed had a valid handicapped placard – was towed from the handicapped parking spot.
It is unclear why Hernandez hired Carter as a council aide and why he let him go. Carter’s behavior and temperament raise serious questions about Hernandez’s judgment and management skills.
OC Independent e-mailed Councilman Hernandez yesterday with a number of questions regarding the incident. City spokesman Paul Eakins responded this morning that Hernandez had forwarded the e-mail to him and that the city would have a public statement on the incident at some point.
