Sep 25, 2007 9:18 am US/Pacific
Mayor's Girlfriend Will Now Cover Inland Empire
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
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Mirthala Salinas, who has been romantically linked with Antonio Villaraigosa, has been re-assigned to Telemundo's Inland Empire bureau, according to a station official.
CBS
The KVEA-TV reporter/anchorwoman suspended over her romantic relationship with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will return to work as a Riverside-based general assignment reporter, a station official confirmed Monday.
Executives at the station's parent company, Telemundo, suspended Mirthala Salinas Aug. 2 for two months without pay after determining her relationship with the mayor had violated Channel 52's ethical standards.
When she returns to work next Monday, Salinas will be assigned to the station's Inland Empire News Bureau, according KVEA spokesman Victor Franco, who said he could not elaborate on the reasons behind the decision.
Villaraigosa spokesman Matt Szabo declined to comment on the announcement.
The couple's relationship was first disclosed by the Daily News in July.
Following an investigation by the station, KVEA general manager Manuel Abud was reassigned and news director Al Corral was suspended for two months without pay.
Ibra Morales, president of the Telemundo station group, which oversees 16 of the Spanish-language network's stations, was also reprimanded.
The mayor announced June 8 that he and his wife, Corina, were separating after more than 20 years of marriage. She filed for divorce four days later.
Salinas had covered politics for KVEA, including stories on Villaraigosa's effort to gain control over the Los Angeles Unified School District. She also covered Villaraigosa when he traveled to New York City in March 2006 and Sacramento three months later.
At the end of last year, station managers agreed to reassign Salinas so her job would not involve stories about Villaraigosa, citing "a friendship that had developed between the reporter and the mayor," according to a memo
Telemundo President Don Browne sent to the station's staff last month.
In April, Salinas became a temporary news anchor and read lead-ins and other materials involving stories on Villaraigosa and politics.
On June 8 and June 11, Salinas read stories about Villaraigosa's separation in what Browne called "a flagrant violation of these guidelines."
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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