BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Arvin Mayor Juan Olivares had just one request of a Kern County sheriff's deputy during a traffic stop — "Don't call me dude."
The mayor of the city of 20,000 people about 20 miles south of Bakersfield planned to file an official complaint with the sheriff's department, seeking to have the deputy fired for what he calls disrespectful behavior.
"I asked him five times, 'Please officer, don't call me dude.' I'm not a dude. I'm 41 years old, I'm a businessman, I'm a Christian and I consider myself a gentlemen," Olivares said Monday.
Olivares and Arvin City Councilwoman Carmen Acevedo were stopped by the deputy in Bakersfield on Nov. 23. Olivares, who was driving, said he was ticketed for having illegally tinted windows on his vehicle and Acevedo received a citation for having an open container of beer.
Olivares doesn't dispute the charges, but simply takes issue with being called dude.
"He was calling me dude and laughing about it," Olivares said. "I don't think Kern County needs that kind of leadership."
Both Olivares and Acevedo are due in traffic court December 17th.
Acevedo did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment. A message left for Sgt. Chevy Garza, spokesman for the Kern County Sheriff's Department, also was not returned.