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H.P. City Council Dismisses Francisco Leal as Redevelopment Commission
Attorney, Places him on Probation as City Attorney

Monday, June 27, 2005
Editor, WatchOurCity.com

Huntington Park, CA - During the regularly scheduled city council meeting on Monday June
20, 2005, council members voted to “dismiss” Francisco Leal as the city’s Redevelopment
Commission attorney. The council decision was made in a closed door session, confirmed the
city clerk.

Additionally, according to the city clerk, Francisco Leal was placed on probation in his capacity
as City Attorney.

WatchOurCity.com reported extensively on Francisco Leal’s roller-coaster relationships with
surrounding municipalities, their redevelopment commissions and local school districts. He was
recently "dismissed" as city attorney in the City of Commerce; the Alhambra Unified School
District was about to fire him, according to a report in the Pasadena Star News, but Leal
resigned ahead of the proposed action by the school board.

Watchourcity.com is not alone in reporting on questionable ethics and business development
practices that Mr. Leal seems quite fond of employing.

The following media groups have also reported on questionable business activity and alleged
undue political influence exerted by Mr. Leal’s law firm:
- Los Angeles Times.
- Pasadena Star News.
- Wave Community Newspaper.
- San Diego Union Tribune.

Francisco Leal’s legal practice seems to be wholly concentrated in the Southeast Los Angeles
County area. It is no coincidence that he has cozy relationships with certain Sacramento
politicians who exert considerable weight and influence with local elected officials. Leal even
hires them when they are termed out as reportedly he recently hired termed out Assemblyman
Marco Firebaugh for his lobbying firm.

These Southeast cities are known for their statistically high concentration of low-income, blue-
collar immigrant families, including some of the poorest in the state of California. The city
budgets are just as poor. City hall is only 25 feet away from the second most populated
elementary school in California where nearly 100% of the children are on subsidized lunches.

Yet, somehow, the attorney service budgets seem quite fat and are extremely attractive troughs
to feed from. Francisco Leal's City Attorney contract in Huntington Park alone is worth
$300,000 annually. The city clerk could not confirm the amount Leal charged the city in his
capacity as Redevelopment Commission attorney.

According the bi-weekly issued warrant drafts, a list of payment demands due by the city, the
city pays out tens of thousands of dollars in attorney fees. Francisco Leal's legal firm is not the
only one at the trough, there are others who may be taking as much as Leal.

Services for the neediest go lacking, municipal water rates were just recently increased, trash
collection rates are some in the highest in the area, and kids have to pay an extra $30 each to
play little league fees, up from $30 just 2 years ago; Park fees for adult baseball league were
raised from $6,000 per year to $30,000 per year. It seems obvious that some council members
really have no clue and/or don't care.

Last year's budget was passed without resident input or community hearings. Same thing this
year. Other local cities such as Compton and Downey hold public hearings to solicit resident
input on proposed city budgets. Not here. Wonder why?

The city clerk did confirm that residents were given a chance to comment on the budget during
a city council session.

Just one little problem: no one had a copy of the proposed city budget to review and comment
during a 3 minute alloted slot on about 500 pages of budget items. I asked the question last
year: "What is City Council hiding?" The same question goes begging this year too.

A few things found hiding in the budget last year:
Approximately $1,000,000 allotted for attorney services. That's one million dollars, or ten
million Pesos. One had to look mighty hard and slog through 500 pages of the budget book.

Also, just on one line item on one page buried in the 500-page report of last year, council
alloted $25,000, a free gift of public funds, to their friends at Meta 2000 for a 1-day "El Grito"
fiesta celebration. Then-Major John Noguez actually proposed giving them $50,000, eventually
settling for $30,000. Chump change when its not his money. Councilman Noguez is reportedly
a member of the private business group Meta 2000, started by Vicente Ortiz, owner of Tacos
Don Chente, Victor Caballero* of Fiesta Taxi and others. Tacos Don Chente is a fine Mexican
eatery in town and meeting headquarters of Meta 2000.

Meta 2000 made out like bandits at high noon, except this was no Spaghetti Western, but a
Quesadilla Special delivering via taxi a fist full of public dollars straight to Tacos Don Chente,
on the lap of Vicente and Victor, a city transportation contractor; both good friends with
councilman Noguez, ex-councilman Escareno, ex-councilwoman and former U.S. Treasurer
Rosario Marin, she an avid candidate endorser in this city. Both also members of the newly
created Arts and Culture commission paying $65 a meeting. Neither lives in this city.

Will it be $75,000 this year to Meta 2000? To this day, no accounting of the use of these
public funds has ever been given to the residents, even after a public request by WatchOurCity.
com (October 25, 2004 "WatchOurCity.com Requests In the Public Interest A Full and
Complete Public Audit of META 2000 For Its Use of $30,000 Gift From Public Funds").
Who knows what this shadowy private group's agenda is, but the Huntington Park Chamber of
Commerce better watch its back.

Another buried budget item: Zero dollars for pre-school services, and funding is yet to be
restored by city council members.

Who is subsidizing who? Who's robbing who?

The Huntington Park city clerk did not give reasons for the actions by city council regarding
Francisco Leal's attorney services.

An anonymous email to WatchOurCity.com's website received on Wednesday June 22, 2005,
stated:
"comments = FYI, the Leal firm was fired as agency counsel of the HP
Redevelopment Department on June 20, 2005 in a close session meeting. My
sources inform me that Mr. Leal was placed on probation. The reasons
for such actions can only stem from substandard services provided by the
firm. The city should look into the firms[sic] billing practices to see
that it was being overbilled for services rendered."

*For the record: Victor Caballero is no longer with Fiesta Taxi. He is still a member of the
city's Arts and Culture Commission and a prominent member of Meta 2000. He still does not
live in this city and still makes $65 per commission meeting. Victor's job at Fiesta Taxi,
expense account and all, was taken over by a young go-getter, former staffer of termed-out
State Assemblyman Marco Firebaugh, who himself now works for Francisco Leal. Is anyone
connecting the dots? click here to get a clue.

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