El Monte City Council Votes 3-2 In Favor Of Rehiring 'Gangnam Style' Lifeguards
EL MONTE (CBSLA.com) — The El Monte City Council voted 3-2 Tuesday night to direct the interim city manager to rehire the lifeguards who were fired over a "Gangnam Style" parody shot at the city's Aquatic Center.
Mayor Andre Quintero and councilmembers Bart Patel and Norma Macias voted in favor of the motion, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, while councilmembers Martinez and Juventino "J" Gomez opposed the motion directing interim City Manager Dayle Keller to rehire the lifeguards.
The lifeguards' reinstatement is pending the completion of a review of the Aquatic Center's management, policies and procedures.
Twelve lifeguards and a pool manager were fired when their spoof of the viral Korean pop video "Gangnam Style" at the El Monte Aquatic Center was posted to YouTube. The lifeguards involved in the video say it was filmed while they were off duty, but city officials say they were dismissed for using city property for private use.
There has been overwhelming support in favor of giving the lifeguards their jobs back. Their supporters packed a recent El Monte City Council meeting, and a Facebook page titled, "Bring back the 14 El Monte Lifeguards" has 17,362 likes as of Wednesday.
"It is now up to interim city manager Dayle Keller to actually implement any action," a status update on the Facebook page says.
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