Leonis C. Malburg (April 4, 1929 – November 1, 2017) was an American politician and convicted felon, who served as Mayor of Vernon, California from his election in 1974 until his resignation in 2009.
Malburg's father was a mortuary director from San Francisco who played a prominent role in forensic examinations in the Los Angeles Coroner's Office.
was a Basque immigrant who with ranchers Thomas and James Furlong founded Vernon, the first exclusively industrial city in the California, in September 1905.
In its early days, Vernon was noted for its sporting events, including professional boxing and baseball and the 'world's longest bar' at Jack Doyle's Saloon located on land leased from J.
After returning from his service in the U.S. Air Force, Malburg attended Woodbury University in Los Angeles and majored in Business Administration.
The Sanitation Districts build and maintain facilities to manage solid, industrial, and water waste in Los Angeles County.
Malburg's career in politics began when he accepted an appointment to the Vernon city council following the death of a sitting councilman.
As mayor, he also oversaw ongoing land development and the city's expanding infrastructure, including a power generation station which bears his name.
In 1978, the mayor and city council made the controversial decision during a labor dispute to dismiss striking firefighters who refused to report for duty or take acting positions on fire calls.
Superior Court Judge Harry L. Hupp upheld the city's decision in October, 1978, ruling that the firefighter's strike was indeed illegal.
In 1979, Judge William Keene dismissed the charges when it was revealed that the district attorney's office had withheld evidence from the grand jury which directly contradicted the prosecution's claims.
In the course of that investigation the District Attorney's new Public Integrity Division learned that Malburg and his wife and son all claimed to live in apartments within an office building in Vernon.