Councilman takes plea bargain, avoids jail

Perris City Councilman Julio Rodriguez faces sentencing Friday after changing his plea in a drug case. Rodriguez accepted a plea bargain Monday in which he agreed to resign in exchange for 5-years’ probation. Rodriguez had been charged with five drug offenses stemming from an all-night session smoking ‘meth’ with two men at the Red Lion Inn in Perris. There was a disagreement over who was paying for the ‘meth’. Rodriguez was elected to the City Council in 2012 after spending only $500 for some campaign signs.