Seaside city councilwoman's husband arrested
A Seaside City Council member's husband was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence at 1 a.m. Monday.
Ryan Daniel Gibson, 26, was arrested by Presidio of Monterey police officers at the couple's Seaside home.
It’s not known if councilwoman Kayla Jones was at home when the incident occurred. Police declined to say who called 911 in the house. The neighborhood is a former Ford Ord military housing community.
Gibson was booked into the Monterey County Jail on one count of inflicting corporal injury to a co-inhabitant, and one count of damaging a wireless device. His bail was set at $20,000.
Jones, 25, is running to become Seaside's next mayor.
While her husband was still sitting in jail, Jones released a prepared statement to KSBW Monday afternoon.
Jones wrote, "Under California state law, even in minor cases, the police are obligated to make an arrest. Ryan and I love each other very much and we are okay. My family has been under a lot of stress in the past month due to targeted attacks, mistruths in the media, and the vitriolic behavior from those who want to defeat my campaign. Ryan and I remain strong and he will continue to be a cheerleader and source of strength as the campaign continues."
Jones' political Facebook page was updated 10 hours after the arrest with a photo showing Jones smiling with her husband and daughter.
The photo's caption states, "Elect Kayla Jones for Seaside Mayor on November 6th (or early by mail), a candidate that understands the issues important to the working families of Seaside and is progressive and innovative in developing policies for the benefit of all."
Gibson has spoken out publicly on his wife's behalf to defend her reputation during recent political controversies.
But the controversies around Jones' campaign continue to grow.
The Fair Political Practices Commission told KSBW Monday afternoon that it sent a letter to Jones notifying her that it is opening an investigation into her campaign disclosure forms.
The letter was also addressed to Jennifer Shipley.
The letter from FPPC investigator Galena West states, "Dear Ms. Jones and Ms. Shipley: This letter is to notify you that the Commission has initiated an investigation into whether you violated the Political Reform Act's campaign disclosure provisions. This investigation stems from two anonymous complaints and a referral from the Seaside City Clerk's office."
The FPPC's letter states that Shipley was Jones' campaign treasurer during Jones' City Council campaign.
"I was the treasurer for her 2016 City Council Race, but resigned just following her win. Her husband, Ryan Gibson, is the treasurer on her current campaign," Shipley said.
City Clerk Lesley Milton-Rerig said Jones failed to properly turn in campaign finance disclosure forms.
A former City Council member also accused Jones of abusing her power with a city-funded purchasing card.
Jones spent more than $20,000 of city money on travel, food, and child care expenses while, according to Jones, she was conducting city business and attending leadership conferences. One conference was in Hawaii. The city launched an audit into all council members' financial records.
After her spending came under fire, Jones did not attend a Sept. 20 City Council meeting. Instead, her husband attended and spoke during the public comment period.
"She's at home right now because she's a human, and she's nice, and she's a good person," Gibson said during the Sept. 20 meeting. "I don't think it's fair for her to sit through the vitriol aimed at her.
WATCH: Gibson defends wife' reputation
"I have seen her up in the middle of the night consoling constituents who are losing their homes, those afraid of deportation, or women dealing with trauma," Gibson said. "People hate seeing a black queer femme in a position of power. Kayla has dealt with so much abuse from sexism, homophobia, class-ism, and more."
Jones is married to a man and identifies as queer.
During a Sept. 6 City Council meeting, Jones accused her fellow council members of sexual harassment due to comments they made about her appearance.
MORE: Seaside City Council member says she's sexually harassed
"Members of this board comment on my appearance, comment on my hair, comment on my makeup, comment on what clothes I wear. I honestly feel like I have had to deal with a level of just blatant sexual harassment," she said.
In response, the city launched a sexual harassment investigation.
At Seaside's most recent City Council meeting, things got heated and police officers had to intervene.
One speaker at the meeting, Darryl Choates, claims he was assaulted by one of Jones' supporters, Karen Araugo. Police Cmdr. Nick Borges said witnesses saw Araugo deliberately trip Choates and cause him to fall. A police officer escorted Araugo out of the council chambers.
Jones accused KSBW and Choates of leading a "witch hunt" against her.
"Darryl Choates, a known Ian Oglesby supporter who proudly sports an 'Ian for Mayor' sign in his yard, is leading a witch hunt against me, along with KSBW. His most recent claim is that my campaign manager assaulted him at a city council meeting. I do not have a campaign manager," she wrote on her Facebook page October 6.
MORE: City Council meeting gets heated
MORE: Seaside mayoral race: Kayla Jones vs. Ian Oglesby vs Lisa Sawhney
Jones is in a three-way race for mayor, running against candidates Ian Oglesby and Lisa Sawhney.
"I want to discourage Seaside voters and residents from believing his half-truths and blatant lies. Darryl's behavior is erratic, inappropriate, and I'm ashamed that one of our most prominent news outlets, KSBW, is taking his bait and running stories full of inaccuracies and not bothering to follow up with me or my assistant to see if Mr. Choates' claims are true (which they are not). I expect Darryl and his team of Ian supporters will only become nastier in the coming weeks," Jones wrote.