Assembly Bill 11 on Governor's Desk for Signature; Noguez's Campaign Limits Ordinance: Public Funds & Resources Seemingly Used for Private Political Gain Author State Assemblyman Hector De La Torre's bill is approved by the California Assembly in a 73-0 vote. Monday, August 22, 2005 Editor, WatchOurCity.com Huntington Park, CA - All five city council members vote in favor of approving a new ordinance that repeals a 7 month old ordinance. The old ordinance sets limits on political campaign contributions. The new ordinance repeals this. The old ordinance did not hinder in the least campaign fundraising capacities for Noguez, Gomez or Hernandez since they were not running for city council in 2005. In 2003, the slate of John Noguez, Ofelia Hernandez and Mario Gomez received an unprecedented sum in campaign contributions, totaling a record-breaking $130,000 for a local city council race. John Noguez's "family" alone gave a combined total of approximately $50,000 in "In-Kind" contributions to the slate of John Noguez, Mario Gomez and Ofelia Hernandez. Noguez's family? Owners of Lenardo's dance hall on Alameda. Noguez has taken action to vote for a card club benefiting his "family". Council member John Noguez, then mayor, authored and spearheaded this new ordinance into city law in January 2005, in time for the March 2005 elections. In time also to hamper and wound fundraising capabilities of eight city council candidates, including two incumbents. Were public funds and public resources used as a partisan campaign tool by Noguez? He sponsors, endorses and pays for one candidate's election material. She wins. Right after the elections, Noguez conveniently authors and spearheads the new ordinance repealing his months-old one. Mayor Ofelia Hernandez and council member Mario Gomez go along with the plan, as well as freshman class council member Elba Guerrero. For the record, Elba Romo voted against the measure. The tools and mechanisms for creating city ordinances meant to impact the greater public interest are here evidently subverted and manipulated for shameless, hypocritical, selfish and corrupt ends. It is astounding that nobody questions the timing nor the ethics of such manipulation of the city ordinance process. Not Elba Romo (claimed in campaign material that she was all about integrity), not Elba Guerrero (who claimed in campaign mailers that she would be the "voice of people"), especially not Ofelia or Mario. Public record suggests they must have none. Does the District Attorney or the State Attorney General even have laws against such blatant misuse and abuse of city governance and procedure? The old ordinance imposing campaign fundraising limits was hastily and carelessly crafted by the city attorney Francisco Leal, and hastily voted for on a 4-1 vote into law. Council members Noguez, Hernandez, Gomez and then council member Escareno voted in favor. Then council member Ric Loya was the sole vote against the faulty measure. Loya and Escareno were up for reelection in March 2005. Loya and Escareno both lost the election. Noguez apparently failed to read the fine print of his own campaign limits law. It is quite a feat accomplished by Noguez's neat ordinance. The actual intent of the ordinance is now evident: 1. To wound and hinder political opponents during election time. 2. Noguez/Gomez/Hernandez do not have to abide by the new rules. 3. Get rid of the new rules in time for their elections in 2007. Most importantly, and neatest trick of all, 4. Have public funds and public resources pay for personal political gain as a result of manipulating city charter law mechanisms. The campaign trio team in 2003 of Noguez, Hernandez, Gomez used the following as their campaign theme: "Actions Speak Louder than Words". Public records indicate that their campaign was run by then mayor, now ousted ex-council member Edward Avila Escareno. Escareno's home address was listed on the 2003 campaign filing statements of Noguez, Hernandez and Gomez. Escareno, the one-term council member, left such an embarrassing and dubious legacy of his council tenure as evidenced by his misuse of public funds (documented by WatchOurCity.com), manipulating highly questionable awarding of multi-million dollar transportation contracts to his buddies George Cole (city of Bell council member and Director of Oldtimers Foundation in Huntington Park) and Victor Caballero (Fiesta Taxi) amongst others, and other ethical issues, that no one dared give him any campaign funds. Even his political mentor, confidant and political godmother Rosario Marin could not save him from imminent fall from grace, let alone endorse him. Escareno is lucky to have gotten away without serious scrutiny from the District Attorney's Public Corruption Unit. But then again, his mentor is good friends with Steve Cooley, L.A. County's District Attorney. Assembly Bill 11 and Escareno Ousted from City Council Escareno came in last in a field of 8 candidates in the recent March 2003 elections. Escareno, unemployed at the time, masterminded a pay raise to himself and his city council "team" (Noguez, Ofelia Hernandez, Mario Gomez) 4 days after new year's day in 2004, when nobody was watching. The pay was for the Council's Community Development Commission "work". A report by WatchOurCity.com in November 30, 2004, revealed that CDC "work" consisted of two monthly meetings lasting an average of 15 minutes each. The pay: $1,950 for those 30 minutes of work. The need for AB 11 was crystallized by this example of extreme abuse. The monthly $350 additional salary that council voted itself last year tipped the scales in giving earned recognition to Huntington Park elected official as having the highest paid Redevelopment Commission salaries. Not only did The Los Angeles Times take notice, so did California State Assembly member Hector De La Torre and the entire State legislature. According to a spokesperson in De La Torre's Sacramento office, AB 11 was approved by a vote of 73-0 on Thursday August 18, 2005. One version of the bill, as it made its way to the California Senate, specifically made mention of the city of Huntington Park as an example of salary abuse and prime reason for approval of the assembly bill. AB 11 now sits on the Governor's desk for expected signature within 9 days of this report. AB 11 limits salaries of elected officials drawn from special redevelopment commissions. Perhaps a couple of council members should start looking for a real job to supplement their incomes. The expected income drops will hit hard. Mayor Ofelia Hernandez is unemployed. It is unknown if council member Mario Gomez holds a full time job. For the record, Mario Gomez publicly stated during a city council meeting that he is opposed to Assembly Bill 11 because he depends on the council and CDC salaries to supplement his daughter's college costs. One suggestion, Mario, get a full-time job. 65,000 mostly immigrant blue collar city residents and 15,000 hard working registered voters and senior citizens here may not be happy finding out they are subsidizing your kid's college tuition while you allocate zero dollars for the city's preschoolers, all the while you give $40,000 in public funds to your friends at Meta 2000for a 1-day fiesta celebration. Council members voted in January 2005 to oppose AB 11 (for the record, the two Elbas were not yet council members when the vote was taken). AB 11, Governor Schwarzenegger, Rosario Marin and Poetic Irony Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger may not realize as he signs AB 11 into law, that Huntington Park is noted in the Senate's version of the bill as the poster child of salary abuse. The Governor appointed Rosario Marin to the State's Integrated Waste Management Board which pays $122,000 per year. Rosario Marin, former U.S. Treasurer, was council member in Huntington Park and is intimately involved with council members here. Four of the five current council members in Huntington Park are proteges of Rosario Marin. For a 5th Huntington Park council member, Marin endorsed, actively campaigned for, and became a political mentor and confidant. Marin even got State Senator Martha Escutia to donate $1,000 to his campaign in 2001, an investment gone horribly wrong for the State Senator. That 5th council member? Edward Avila Escareno. WatchOurCity.com has reported on public record evidence that Rosario Marin was pushing Escareno as a "businessman" during his campaign. Escareno, in fact, had no "business". He spearheaded the ordinance giving himself the $350 salary raise. Escareno was unemployed at the time. Escareno openly boasted that he talked to Rosario Marin while she was in Washington D.C. Why would she need to talk to Escareno on a daily basis? Coincidentally, her friends kept getting city contracts, some in close door session and without competing bids. It is no casual coincidence that Francisco Leal is Huntington Park's city attorney. One more striking observation: Rosario Marin, the den-mother of Huntington Park politics, is nowhere to be found with clean-up efforts of her litters' poop. One may wonder if she even encourages the mess. Rosario Marin must be a proud of her achievements here. The Governor may appreciate this irony as he signs AB 11 into law. It is a curious fact based on public record that current city contractors also coincidentally donated to her failed California U.S. Senate campaign in 2004. Marin's pattern of behaviour, intimate relationship with city council and certain city contractors, and ethical guiding hand, or lack of, with council members here is quite disturbing. Rosario Marin has some good legacy herself to worry about. Here are the numbers on AB 11's impact on city council salaries in Huntington Park: Current Commission pay: $1,950 monthly. Proposed pay: $150 maximum monthly. Base salary pay: $1,023.88 monthly. Current combined salary: $35,686 per year. Proposed combined salary: $14,086.56 per year. Percentage drop in CDC salary: 97%. Percentage drop in combined salary: 60%. |
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| See previous WatchOurCity.com Reports about Mayor John Noguez and his highly questionable Campaign Contribution Limits Ordinance: 09-27-04: "Mayor John Noguez Proposes a Resolution Limiting Campaign Contributions for Upcoming Local Elections. Total Contributions in 2003 To The slate of Noguez, Gomez, Hernandez Was Over $129,000" 10-25-04: "Questionable And Flawed New City Ordinance Proposed by Noguez and Approved By Escareno, Hernandez and Gomez Limits Campaign Contributions". 02-07-05: "Is Mayor John Noguez A Liar and Hypocrite With his New Ordinance Limiting Campaign Contributions?" 08-15-05 H.P. City Council Takes Questionable Action in August to Repeal Campaign Limits Ordinance Passed In January 2005 |