Stephen Bridge Makes His First Lompoc City Council Appearance After Felony Charges
Jarrod Zinn
LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) – Lompoc’s city council met tonight, just two weeks after councilman Steve Bridge was charged with multiple felonies.
“I will be appearing in court on December 4th, 2025, and entering a not guilty plea to all charges because I have not committed any crime,” says Bridge.
The councilman addressed the city at Tuesday’s council meeting, the first after he was charged with multiple felonies, including forgery, grand theft by embezzlement, and identity theft.
An alleged fraudulent use of a contractor’s license number is listed among the charges, as well.
“I’m kind of embarrassed to be from Lompoc right now,” said one local during public comment.
The criminal complaint alleges that Bridge stole roughly $10,000 from the city of Lompoc, and also sent fraudulent invoices to several businesses.
Three of the charges are dated prior to November 2024, when Bridge won the election to represent District 1 on the northern side of the city.
“We have an integrity problem,” said another local resident during public comment. “My first impression of council member Bridge at the beginning of the year was that something was off.”
Bridge’s fellow city councilman Jeremy Ball has already called for Bridge to step down in the face of these charges, and Tuesday night’s public comments largely agreed.
“Why should anyone trust someone who behaves like the laws only apply to anyone else?” asked another concerned resident.
With his arraignment on Thursday, Bridge is legally allowed to appear and serve as city council member.
“I believe in the American justice system and I’m confident that through the court process, I will be found not guilty,” said Bridge. “Therefore, I’ll continue to support to represent every member of the community and District one and will continue to ask the hard questions of the city.”
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