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Editorial
A Questionably Swift Turn of Events For Leo Vargas, A Registered Sex
Offender & Relative of Councilman Mario Gomez

If parents are outraged that a registered sex offender is a volunteer coaching kids at St. Matthias
Catholic elementary school, how outraged would the voters be if they discovered that the same
registered sex offender is volunteering to help councilman Mario Gomez “manage” the campaign of
two city council candidates, who all just happen to be leaders in the same church? Was the speedy
exclusion of Leo Vargas from Megan’s Law website expedited?

January 31, 2005
Editor, WatchOurCity.com

Huntington Park, CA - Fox 11 News first broadcast the story on Monday 1-24-05 reporting
that a Registered Sex Offender listed on the State's Megan's Law website was volunteering at
St. Matthias Elementary School, part of the Catholic Archdiocese office of Education. A
school parent called a press conference on Monday 1-24-05 announcing the disturbing
discovery that a registered sex offender was in fact a volunteer at the private parochial school
after a cursory review of the State of California’s Megan’s Law website. The violation of
trust and the children's public safety is at issue.

For the record, There are no reports that Leo Vargas molested any child while a volunteer
coach at St. Matthias elementary school.

Just two days later, on Wednesday, WatchOurCity.com reported the same story, adding that
Councilman Mario Gomez is a relative of Leo Vargas, a convicted child molester and
registered sex offender as earlier listed in Megan's Law website. Leo Vargas is reportedly
married to the sister of Councilman Mario Gomez’ wife.

WatchOurCity.com also noted that reportedly Councilman Mario Gomez and Leo Vargas are
“managing” the campaign of council candidate team of Elba Romo / Andres “Andy” Molina.

By Friday, 1-28-05, barely four days after the Fox 11 News report, Leo Vargas was no longer
listed on Megan's Law website.

Exclusion From Megan's Law Website
The State’s Department of Justice (DOJ), allows for non-violent convicted child molesters /
registered sex offenders to be “excluded” from Megan’s Law website. The process for
exclusion from the website includes:
1. Filling out a State of California Department of Justice application form.
2. Visiting the local police department for review, approval and clearance.
3. Mailing the application to an address in Sacramento for processing, review and final
approval from the Department of Justice.
4. Then Megan’s Law website has to be notified and the registry picture and data has to
deleted from the website’s database to “exclude” the registered sex offender.
There is no indication on the DOJ's website that an expedited process is in place to process
the forms.

According to the State Attorney General's website, "Registered sex offenders who are granted
exclusion from the Internet web site must still register as sex offenders".

Is this “Exclusion” from the website a speedy process as it seems to be for Leo Vargas?

Can other eligible sex offenders in the city who qualify for exclusion be processed as fast?
There are over 90 registered offenders in the city, and some of them theoretically may qualify
to be excluded from the website, just like Leo Vargas was.

An embarrassing, disturbing and potentially damaging episode. Consider the following:

The Catholic Archdiocese
The Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles is already reeling from pending litigation of alleged
priest sex abuse scandals as reported in the media. The Archdiocese does not need the added
burden of dealing with a local scandal such as having a registered sex offender volunteering at
a catholic elementary school, seemingly under protection by local elected officials who are
also local church leaders. It does not promote public safety, nor does it do much to the
Church’s battered image and allegations of protecting sexually abusive priests and violation of
public trust.

It appears that the Catholic Archdiocese has to deal with the following St. Matthias political
connections to City Hall:
- Councilman Mario Gomez is a Eucharistic Minister at the church.
- Elba Romo is a “St. Matthias Church Lector”. She is the current City Clerk, appointed
by city council team of Gomez, Noguez, Escareño, Hernandez
- Andres Molina is “past St. Matthias School Board President”, “St. Mathias Church
Finance Council Chairman”, and “St. Matthias Eucharistic Minister”. Andres is currently
a city planning commissioner appointed by the same council folk who appointed Elba Romo.
- Former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin is reportedly a Eucharistic minister at St. Mathias
Church. She was Ex-Mayor of Huntington Park and is the top endorser that Romo/Molina
list on their campaign literature.

Councilman Mario Gomez, his wife, council candidates Elba Romo and Andy Molina, Elba
Guerrero and Former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin, all claim to be actively involved either in
church or school activities and governing bodies at St. Matthias.

Everyone involved seemingly kept quiet about Leo’s background while he volunteered
coaching the catholic school’s children.

One parent apparently did not take the seeming violation of trust lightly and called the press
conference that eventually exposed Leo Vargas’ background as registered sex offender and
convicted child molester.

More to Consider:
Huntington Park City Council Elections 2005
City council elections are slightly more than 30 days away, scheduled for March 8, 2005.
Reportedly councilman Mario Gomez and registered sex offender Leo Vargas are “managing”
the campaign of council candidates Elba Romo and Andres “Andy” Molina”.

Former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin endorses the team of Elba Romo / Andy Molina.

The relationship is potentially very damaging to some political reputations and campaigns.

The glue that binds Mario Gomez, Elba Romo, Andres Molina and former U.S. Treasurer
Rosario Marin have something else in common other than cloaking themselves with the
mantle of St. Matthias and all the notions of family values, ethics, morality and public trust
implied:
- Mario Gomez is registered Republican,
- Andy Molina is a registered Republican.
- Rosario Marin is a registered Republican
- Elba Romo changed her registration from Republican to Democrat, perhaps calculated to
increase her chances of getting more votes from a mostly Democratic registered voter base in
Huntington Park.

Rosario Marin
In 2003, Mrs. Marin actively campaign for the candidate slate of current council members
John Noguez, Mario Gomez and Ofelia Hernandez while a U.S. Treasurer in
Washington D.C., as evidenced by images of her in their campaign literature.
- Marin is a very close friend of councilman Ed Escareño and endorsed him in 2001 (She's
not endorsing him this time, though; One may wonder why).
- Marin now endorses her fellow parishioners and fellow church leaders Elba Romo and
Andres Molina, who’s campaign is reportedly managed by fellow parishioner councilman
Mario Gomez with help from Leo Vargas.

The Fox 11 News report is embarrassing enough, and potentially damaging for Rosario Marin,
Councilman Mario Gomez, City Clerk Elba Romo and Planning Commissioner Andres
Molina. Not to mention the school and parish of St. Mathias and the Catholic Archdiocese.

Is it any wonder that Leo Vargas' picture and data from Megan's Law website as a registered
sex offender disappeared just 4 days after the Fox 11 News report?

Can all the other thousands of convicted child molesters and registered sex offenders in the
State who qualify to be “excluded” from the Megan’s Law website, also have the benefit of a
seeming expedited process to be excluded from website listing?

Did Leo Vargas receive preferential treatment in order to expedite processing of his
application to speedily remove him from Megan's Law website because his relative is city
councilman Mario Gomez whom Leo is helping in managing the campaign of candidates Elba
Romo / Andres Molina, who are endorsed by the Former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin, who
was recently appointed by the Governor to an important State Board Paying $122,000 yearly?

The violation of public trust and of public safety is at issue along with questionable ethics,
priorities and moral character of church and city leaders who, in this case are one and the
same.

St. Matthias parishioners and school parents must be very forgiving and tolerant.

Will the voters be as well?

WatchOurCity.com
In The Public Interest

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