Editorial Catholic Archdiocese Responds To Events Surrounding Leo Vargas' School Volunteering. He's a Convicted sex offender. Council member Mario Gomez is his in-law In an email to WatchOurCity.com: "Archdiocesan investigators reportedly sent a letter to Mr. Vargas on Jan 25, advising him that, according to Archdiocese of Los Angeles' Zero Tolerance Policy, he was permanently barred from serving as a volunteer at St. Matthias School". February 1, 2005 Editor,  WatchOurCity.com Huntington Park, CA - WatchOurCity.com requested a comment from the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles regarding revelations that a St. Matthias School volunteer was listed on Megans Law website, the State of California's official registry of sex offenders. The individual's picture and data was subsequently deleted from Megan's Law website. By law, he must continue to register as a sex offender for life. In an emailed response, Tod Tamberg, Director of Media Relations for the Archdiocese,   explains the measures taken by church and school officials at St. Matthias Elementary School to reassure parents and students. WatchOurCity.com graciously acknowledges the following comments, here unedited: The Archdiocese is to be commended for their practice of implementing their "Zero Tolerance Policy" as well as the measures taken to safeguard a healthy and secure school environment for students and all involved. WatchOurCity.com appreciates the response from the Archdiocese and in particular, Mr. Tamberg's constructive critique of the personal views and observations by the Editor of WatchOurCity.com. Your critique of my editorial is strong. Curiously, though, the moral outrage of our church for the shameless acts of elected officials in our community is absent. Why doesn't the Archdiocese reserve strong language for questionable ethics and irresponsible use and misuse of public funds that sacrifices the needs of hard working families in exchange for favors to friends and campaign donors? Is that not "outrageous" and "shameless"? With all due respect to Mr. Tambert, I am compelled, however to explain that it is not WatchOurCity.com running for public office and cloaking itself with the implied mantel of religious sanction, presumably meant to impress voters. The sad reality, Mr. Tambert, is that the residents of Huntington Park are being fooled by "opportunistic and shameless politics" as practiced by certain candidates, current council members and ex-council members in our city, all seemingly using St. Matthias as a mantle. Just ask mayor John Noguez, Mario Gomez and council colleagues why they gave $30,000 gratis in public funds to a private business group who all happen to be friends, yet cut pre- school program funding in their 2005 budget. Ask mayor Noguez and Mario Gomez why they gave themselves a pay raise of $350 per month as Redevelopment Commissioners, bringing their total pay to $1,900 each per month for 30 minutes of work (and that's apart from their normal council pay of over $1,000), yet they raise little league baseball fees by 100% and adult baseball fees by 500%. Is that not "shameless" and "outrageous" politics? Ask mayor John Noguez why he and council members Mario Gomez and Ofelia Hernandez took in a historically unprecedented amounts in campaign contributions when they were elected in 2003, with just $72,000 "donated" by five individuals alone a day before elections, and presumably, donors gave the money from the goodness of their hearts. Can the Archdiocese think of a worthy institution in our community that could have possibly put to good use such seemingly freely given sums of cash? And yet, mayor Noguez, Mario Gomez Ofelia Hernandez and Ed Escareno pass a city ordinance cutting campaign contributions to no more than $1,000 per donor per candidate, ostensibly, to eliminate influence of donors on candidates. The City ordinance passed just 2 weeks ago, but mayor Noguez made sure to sneak in a reported $8,000 contribution in the form in election signs for candidates Elba Guerrero and incumbent councilman Ric Loya before they actually passed the self-serving ordinance. A local newspaper reported that "Noguez, who proposed the campaign contribution limit, said the aim is to prevent a company or group from trying to influence a candidate or an election with large donation”. Is that not hypocrisy, out-right deceiving, anti-catholic, anti-democratic, unethical and downright "shameless" and "outrageous"? My point, Mr. Talbert, and you may disagree with me on this observation, is that certain local politicians have been allowed access to the pulpit at St. Matthias and don't seem to exactly have scriptures in mind when they are up in the Lectern or passing out the Holy Eucharist. To be quite blunt in my view here, elected officials are seemingly using St. Matthias for hidden political agendas. You may deny it, and call it "utterly outrages and without factual foundation" that there is "no proof for the alleged ties between political figures and church personnel" at St. Matthias. I'm sure some candidates and elected officials would beg to differ as evidenced by their candidate statements and campaign brochures desperately associating with the parish. There is a connection, Mr. Tamberg, both real and implied. Why would the Archdiocese deny and try to hide this? You may call it "utterly outrageous", "opportunistic and shameless politics", but is it any coincidence that the Archdiocese now finds itself in an embarrassing situation dealing with the fallout of a registered sex offender volunteer at the local Catholic elementary school who happens to be related to a councilman who is an active parishioner, whose political team is also active in St. Matthias and blatantly state their connections to the parish? See for yourself, Mr. Tamberg (click here for link). It is the candidates themselves who claim to be connected to the parish/school of St. Matthias. I didn't make this up out of thin air. The candidates themselves quite explicitly advertise it in their candidate statements and in their campaign brochures. It is no coincidence that St. Matthias figures prominently in the resumes of council candidates Elba Guerrero, Elba Romo and Andres Molina. Mario Gomez is reportedly managing the Romo/Molina campaign with the help of Mr. Leo Vargas, a registered sex offender. You would think the candidates would be outraged. Another council candidate, Elba Guerrero, who is "enthusiastically" endorsed by mayor Noguez, would beg to differ with you about ties to St. Matthias church. She lists in her candidate statement that she has "Extensive involvement with St. Matthias parish activities". So what? If she cloaks herself with the church's mantle, why then does she not object to the hypocrisy and questionable ethics of Noguez, her political Padrino? they all want to make us believe they have high ethical and moral standards because they are connected to St. Matthias. In 2003, Mario Gomez too claimed he was a Eucharistic Minister at St. Matthias. Then he, Ofelia Hernandez, John Noguez and Rosario Marin included a picture of a parish priest from St. Martha's Catholic church in their political campaign brochures. Reportedly, they did not ask for permission. They just went ahead and did it; You can confirm this yourself. Their political campaigns were more important, it seemed, than respect for the church, the consternation they caused the priest, or potentially exposing the church to unpleasant questions from the IRS. I ask you, Mr. Tamberg, is this not "utterly outrageous", "opportunistic and shameless politics"? It is an offensive and disturbing pattern of behaviour. The Archdiocese seems rightfully so only concerned with the public safety of the school's children. The church seemingly fails to grasp that they also have a moral and ethical responsibility for the community at large. After all, public school kids also attend Sunday Mass. The well being of children in the entire city is affected not so much by one registered sex offender, but by several elected officials working in concert who's highly questionable use public funds WatchOurCity.com has been shamelessly exposing for all to see. I understand that the Archdiocese is not in the business of exposing "Shameless politics". WatchOurCity.com is.

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Campaign 2003: This picture was the back cover of the above political campaign mailer. Pictured clockwise Noguez, Hernandez, U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin, Fr. Ricardo De Alba of St. Martha's Churcha and Gomez in Huntington Park.

Campaign 2003: This campaign brochure stated: "Working Together For Our Community For Our Children For Our Future". Pictured left to right Gomez, Noguez, Hernandez

Campaign 2003: Andy Molina in 2003 campaign brochures claims to be involved in St. Matthias Church. He even prints a picture of the church itself to make sure voters voters got the message.

Campaign 2005: Andy Molina and Elba Romo with Former US Treasurer Rosario Marin, their top endorser. All St. Matthias Church Parishioners

Campaign 2003: Councilman Mario Gomez with Former US Treasurer Rosario Marin. This picture appeared in Mario's campaign material while Marin was a US Treasurer

Campaign 2005: Council candidate and current City Clerk Elba Romo claims she is a "St. Matthias Church Lector"

Campaign 2003: Gomez, Hernandez,   U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin and Noguez in campaign brochure. Caption states: "Supporting the Future of Huntington Park". As a US Treasurer Rosario was Reportedly not allowed to endorse political campaigns nor to support any candidate