>> if i am confused about something, i can ask for words. >> i recommend we have the interpreter available. if ms. lopez feels she needs the interpreter to a understand the question or provide the answer, an interpreter was available. time. >> [inaudible] >> ok, perfect. thank you. å the new witness and the interpreter, please? >> if the interpreter would stand and raise your right hand. you solemnly swear that you will transmitffff[$ questions d answers given to those?

ms. lopez? raise your right hand. you do solemnly state and a penalty of perjury that the answers will be the truth the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. >> yes. >> thank you. >>l!÷8ówd yes. thank you very much. please proceed. >> i am sorry. >> good evening, ms. lopez, i am a deputy city attorney. >> nice to meet. -- me you. >> ? >> i fly in late monday night. >> you have been away from the united states sense march 25 of

this year? >> yes, i think that is the right date. would you mind moving the microphone closer? ñh[óç,zwhen will you be flying o venezuela? >> objection, irrelevant. >> would you be here tomorrow night? >> yes. >> i would like to ask you some questions about how your life in venezuela has been between march 25 and when you flew back a couple of days ago. do you still want a home in -- hear? >> objection. >> sustained. >> i am establishing some of the background facts because it will bear on issues of bias and credibility. >> what is your proper --

proffer? >> she has a driving license in venezuela. she wants to be careful doing something that would be counter to the interests of the sheriff's. i think it will become clear shortly. >> we will give you some leeway to get there. >> do you own a home in venezuela? >> yes. >> is that where you have been living? >> yes. >> to you have family nearby? >> dess. your father is close by? >> yes. >> you have been spending time with him? >> yes. he had major surgery last week. >> you will be going back soon so you can be with him?

>> i was sleeping with him in the hospital for three days. >> before you came to the united states, you had a successful career as an actress in venezuela? >> yes. >> since you returned, have you worked on film projects there? >> i start rehearsals and i am going to start shooting to the next monday i am doing on monday. movies? >> no. >> no. not at this moment. >> before the movie you will start work on monday, did you work on a different movie since she went back? no. >> how long is that project expected to last that will start on monday? >> i think is going to be like

20 days. i do not have all the scheduling. >> your son has been with you in venezuela since march 25? >> ps3 >> is he and i and that as well right now? >> yes. >> is he being well cared for? >> he is with my mother and father. >> you trust them to take good care of them? >> they are better than me. >> that is how i feel that my parents. >> they are watching this hearing. even at midnight. >> i do not know where my parents are. >> the nice thing is they do not understand english. that is love and support. >> this two hours will go by pretty quick if we keep doing this. >> do you feel that theo is safe in venezuela with you? >> sedgefield now at this

moment even he is safer in venezuela that in san francisco. >> is it important to have your son with you? >> absolutely. >> one of the reasons you were able to take your son to venezuela is your husband gave his consent for you to take the 02 venezuela. is that correct? >> yes. >> your husband signed a document that was filed with family court giving consent to take him to venezuela -- your son to venezuela. there was a document that he had to sign in march in order for you to leave this country with the zero? >> yes. we are a family. even though we are apart we make all the decisions together. now through lawyers but we are family. >> and then you have to get an

extension. . ÷l >> your husband had to get an extension? >> hannity's. >> once again in june you had to obtain the consent of your husband in order to remain in venezuela with theo with you. >> yes. >> you have to come back8w,eqz d obtain another extension. >> yes. >> to stay past august to have to get your husband's consent again. >> yes. >> to have another -- do you have another film project lined up? >> not at the moment. >> are you working at lining up

another -- arranging another film project for you to work on after the current one? >> the situation we are is that my husband was suspended without pay. that was one of the reasons that i moved to venezuela so i can work and i -- i have my own home and to live in venezuela and half may be a better life than we have here. it is 25% of the cost here. we are not -- >> not a burden for ross. >>mvúñ [unintelligible] >> i am glad to give that answer. there were some questions i'm going to ask you in a couple of minutes.

i want to go back to the question i asked you. you have this film project started on monday that is expected to take about 20 days. >> yes. >> are you looking -- working on lining up another project? >> no. i do not have anyone yet. >> up to now, your husband has always given his consent for you to stay with theo in venezuela. >> yes. k;u/ said it allows you to support yourself and theo in venezuela. >> yes. because we do not have any money. >> your husband could stop giving back consent at any time. >> how do now? >> are you sure that he is going to give consent next time? >> how do you know? we do not know.

jh, sure that your husband will give consent in august? >> of course. i do not know if he is going to do it but will make the decision as a family together. what is the best, maybe at that moment he is the sheriff again so i can come back. >> so for your own information, the process takes longer middle blocker, whatever the result might be. t a longer, whatever the result might be. >> i do not know. maybe we have to wait. >> you have considered divorcing your husband? >> no. >> you never considered divorcing your husband? >> no. >> never ever? %ei we never made any decision. >> what you mean by that? >> we did not make any decision

about to split or get divorced. >> you and your husband together never made any decision. >> exactly. >> i want to focus on your own thoughts about whether or not you want to divorce. whether or not you have considered divorcing your husband. perhaps this is something where the interpreter -- >> i understand everything you are saying. >> is it your testimony that you have never considered divorcing your husband? >> that is asked and answered. >> stained -- sustained. >> have you seriously considered divorcing your husband? >> asked and answered. >> you have an answer. she said no. >> alright. >> you executed a declaration in

this case? >> hold on one second. you have something? clarify. did you respond that you talked about divorce but never made a decision about it? was that your answer? >> yes. >> ok, thank you. >> thank you. you have talked about divorce but you have not made a decision whether to divorce. >> exactly. >> ok. you have discussed the potential for divorcing with people beside your husband? >> i am sorry? >> have you discussed the possibility of divorcing your husband with friends? >> i think what i did was -- in

which position i am, if we decide to get divorced. >> you discussed with your friends with the consequences of a divorce might be. >> if we decide together to get divorced, which one are my rights and how was the legal situation in the divorce? like looking for information, that is what i did. >> you have looked for information about what would be your rights in the case of a divorce. >> yes. >> ok. one of the issues that would, in the case of a divorce from her husband -- >> actuate -- >> let me finish my question. >> one of the issues that would come up in a divorce would be with the custody arrangements would be for the zeroo. -- for theo.

>> yes. >> if there were to be a divorce, the current arrangement you have regarding the custody of theo would change. >> i am sorry. i am a little tired. could you tell me again? >> if you feel too tired to understand my questions,m+&nm[ze say so. >> ok, try again. >> if you were to get a divorce, the arrangement you have right now where you are in venezuela with theo in your custody could change. >> i am not looking for a divorce right now. >> i am going to object. that calls for speculation. >> i am going to overrule it. can the interpreter interpret the question?

>> i do not know. >> ok. [laughter] you realize in the united states that -- when there is a divorce, the family court makes an order regarding the custody of children in the marriage? >> i do not know. >> ok. you have never -- -e we did not make a decision. i was looking for information. >> have you ever sought out any advice about the consequences for custody? >> that was the information i was looking for. we were talking about ivory madison, of course.

>> i am not. >> that is my only friend. she is a liar. that was the information i got. i was looking for, sorry. >> i will ask about your conversation with ms. madison later. >> maybe we can shorten the period. >> we need the question answered. the court would determine who gets custody of theo. you were very concerned about what would happen in regard to the custody of theo. he was born her in the united states and he is in american

citizen? >> yes. >> you have permanent resident status? >> yes. >> when did you obtain that status? >> generate, i think. -- january, i think. we started the process last year. >>!pjój+e got your green card in billing >> in january. -- you have got your green card in --lhy5én >> in january. -- i am a citizen. >> you are still a citizen of venezuela. >> yes, of course, and i will be forever. >> you will never relinquish or venezuelan citizenship? >> never. >> objection, relevance.

>> you can have two or three citizenships. >> ok. >> if there were a divorce between you and your husband, do you expect your husband to consent to having custody of the zero in venezuela? >> it goes to state of mind and bias. >> overruled. >> i do not know what his position could be. >> i'm not asking about what his position is. i'm asking what your expectation is. >> i am sorry. >> one at a time. if you could wait for the question and for her to finish

before you start your next one. >> based on the arguments, discussions, conversations you have had with your husband in the past, would you expect him x to you hay of theo in venezuela in theu hay event you divorced? >> i think we have to work on that. if we get divorced in a year or we get divorced in 25 years, i do not know. it is completely different. i do not know. get divorced, i am working here and i do not need to go back to venezuela. i do not know. but i think your point is like in the same way, we do not want

to take my son from his dad at some point, some hypothetical point, i do not want anyone taking theo away from me. as a family of all is, we have to be together making the decisions together. what is the best for theo. i am sure i will expect and i am sure ross will agree with me. >> your husband has told you in the past that he thinks you're trying to take theo away from him. >> yes. >> you are concerned that your husband is a powerful man who is powerful enough to take theo away from you. >> i think that after all the

research i have been doing, i think that he being an american and me being not american, an immigrant, he is in a better position than me to gain if he opposed, if i have to travel, i do not know. he is in a better position than me. >> ok. than me. >> ok. but what she= pertains to your husband's status as an american citizen. >> yes. >> ok. was there a time when you saw

his status as the sheriff made him powerful so he could take it away from you? >> no. >> you never thought that? >> as a sheriff, know. as an american, yes. >> let me finish my question. you never thought his status as an elected official gave him power that he could use to take it away from you. he said that to you, hasn't he? >> no. >> you say your husband told him -- told you he is a powerful man. you told that to williams. were you lying?

>> no. the problem is that i had this conversation, it not that we discussed every day we are going to get a divorce. we had that conversation twice. one in march 2011 end of that conversation we were talking about divorce and how my position and all of it was about 45 minutes and some my conclusion after all of that was that]zízo:( he is more powerfuln me. so when he said he is powerful, my conclusion in all of that conversation.

>> you were expressing your conclusion that your husband was a powerful man and could take it away from you. >> yes. that was not a nice conversation and i got scared that maybe i would lose custody. scared. >> now, you also told by every madison that your husband told you he is a powerful man. >> it was exactly the same thing. my conclusion was that conversation, i am not going to explain the 40 minute conversation but he said he is more powerful than me. he is in a better position in

this country than me. i just saw a family court hearing ruling against a woman taking the son away from her because the court said puerto rico is dirty and save so it is better to be here and california -- unsafe so it is better to be here in california. so i felt scared. >> even now you feel scared that she would lose custody. >> absolutely. i am scared of all this madness. b>> even nu >> i am scared about all this process against us and this same

thing about the court is taking away his mom because they think that it is a no good place for a boy. every person from other countries in a horrible >> i want to make sure that i have an understanding of how you came to this conclusion that you expressed to callie williams ñ]h were an elected official? >> do any of the commissioners to feel the need to hear the answer to the question?

i think the witness hass it. let's allow it. e8r in march 2011. he was not even thinking at that point. >> man, i was asking about your conclusion about the power that your husband had. >> that was more than a year ago so he was not even thinking of running 3 it >> he was an elected member of the board of supervisors. >> he was not in his best moment at that moment. he was not the president of the board of supervisors. with all of this movement, it was not like i am so powerful

and i am going to take theo away from you. it was not in that context. >> ok. didn't you think that as an american and a politician your husband was a powerful man and if he wanted he could take custody of theo? >> objection. >> sustained. >> as of january 1, wasn't it your view that your husband was

a powerful man and could take custody of theo if you wanted to in the case of a divorce? >> that was my conclusion of the conversation in march 2011. >> also on january 1? >> as an american he is in a better position like i already said. >> what about as an elected official? >> objection. already answered. >> commissioners, i would like to read from her declaration, page 2 of the declaration -- >> tell me what part. >> paragraph 7. the inconsistent statement would be 13-15. i am happy to read the paragraph so we know the date we are talking about.