| City is Served with Lawsuit Alleging Voting Irregularities Conducted At Lobby of City Hall "Serious & substantial" allegations of "irregularities in the conduct of the March 8, 2005" Elections in Huntington Park. April 4, 2005 By WatchOurCity.com Huntington Park, CA - On March 30, 2005, a lawsuit was presented in Los Angeles Superior Court (case No. BC331079; click to view document) alleging that "serious and substantial" conduct of voting "irregularities" took place in the lobby of Huntington Park City Hall. The law firm of Himmelfarb and Himmelfarb, located in the neighboring City of Vernon, is the plaintiff's attorney filing the complaint. The lobby at City Hall was one of several city-wide polling places during the March 8, 2005 city-wide elections. Eight candidates vied for 2 council seats that were up for grabs. One-term Councilman Ed Escareno and three-term Ric Loya were the incumbents. Both incumbents lost to Elba Guerrero, a new-comer, and Elba Romo, then city clerk. WatchOurCity.com obtained a copy of the public court document (see document filed with the Los Angeles Superior Court) alleging that security cameras were located in the same lobby where polling booths were stationed on election day. The plaintiff in the suit, Elena Arreola is a city resident. On election day, Mrs. Arreola cast her voting ballot at lobby of City Hall, her designated polling place. The lawsuit "seeks an annulment of that election and that a new election be ordered, free of the irregularities alleged below, so that elections can be held to permit free, unhindered, and intimidation-free voting by the electors of Huntington Park". Reportedly, even though the election results have been certified by city council, there is a small window of opportunity where a lawsuit such as this one this can potentially "annul" the elections if the allegations are upheld in a court of law. The lawsuit further states that "Despite this guarantee of the fundamental right to cas[t]e a ballot in an election of public officials in secret, The City of Huntington Park violated this right in its own City Hall, which served as a principal polling place for the citizens of Huntington Park for the election on March 8, 2005. Security cameras in City Hall were positioned so that all persons entering the polling place could be and were recorded. Further, cameras were positioned directly over the voting booths. Thus, a video record was made of actual votes by identifiable voting citizens on that voting day." WatchOurCity.com conducted a field visit to determine the approximate location of the camera in relation to where reportedly three voting booths were stationed. According to observations by WatchOurCity.com, the camera in question happens to be a fixed "fish-eye" wall-mounted camera, typical of systems used for security purposes. Reportedly, the city has many such cameras located through the building complex of city hall. One of those cameras happens to be inside the main city hall lobby by the main entry doors, quite coincidentally where the voting booths were placed. There seems to be no reasonable or logical explanation for why the voting booths were not placed away from the only lobby camera. According to the deputy city clerk, the camera in question is an "un-manned" security camera. The tape recording made from the camera on election day was reportedly placed under lock and key by the deputy city clerk. WatchOurCity.com will be reporting on the developments of this lawsuit. Stay tunned. |
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Campaign Watch
Final Election Results
1. Guerrero
2. Romo
3. Loya
4. Molina
5. Avila
6. Martinez
7. Escareño
8. Lopez
*Final Official Vote Tally
1. Guerrero
2. Romo
3. Loya
4. Molina
5. Avila
6. Martinez
7. Escareño
8. Lopez
*Final Official Vote Tally
1021*
1020
947
798
598
433
140
72
1020
947
798
598
433
140
72