| City Council Votes 4-1 To Oppose Bill Introduced By State Assemblyman Hector De La Torre Cutting Exorbitant Salaries Of City Officials Sitting on Commissions Elected Officials Use Loophole To Make Thousands of Dollars Extra. Near Twice As much as Council Pay January 20, 2005 Editor, WatchOurCity.com Huntington Park, CA - The vote in opposition to Assemblyman De La Torre's proposed bill was taken during Tuesday's city council meeting. Mayor John Noguez, council member Mario Gomez, Ed Escareno and Ofelia Hernandez voted to oppose the bill which would cut nearly $1,750 a month from each member's salary from Redevelopment Commission. Councilman Ric Loya, who is up for reelection in March 2005, voted in favor of the state bill. The bill is the first legislation introduced by freshman Assemblyman De La Torre and was announced on December 6, 2004, barely 6 days after WatchOurCity.com reported on the exorbitant Redevelopment Commission salary that city council members pay themselves: $1,950 For 30 minutes work per month, or $975 per hour. "The bill would limit the compensation for city council members sitting on commissions and/or agencies that they create to no more than $150 per month. This would close a loophole that some city officials have used to make thousands of dollars more", according to Assemblyman De La Torre's official State website (click here for link). Reportedly, at Tuesday's council meeting, Councilman Mario Gomez And Mayor John Noguez spoke out against the new bill. They have good reason to: Their exorbitant pay to protect, made even more exorbitant by a vote right after New Year's '04 when no one was watching. Council Members Escareño, Gomez and Hernandez voted for the Pay Raise. They were reportedly unemployed at the time. Mayor Noguez votes against it out of principle, but still takes home the money, $350 a month: That's Honesty and Integrity for you folks, and outright hypocrisy in my view. Ric Loya voted against the pay raise and does not get paid the extra amount. Assemblyman De La Torre was most recently mayor of South Gate, the scandal-plagued city that saw the rise of alleged corruption practices by 3 council members, all allegedly led and masterminded by then city treasurer Albert Robles. |
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Assemblyman Hector De La Torre Pledges to be Champion of Government Ethics
