Home

The California First
Amendment Coalition
salutes
WATCHOURCITY.COM
with its
2004
B EACON AWARD

See the L.A. Times
Report on
WatchOurCity.com

T erms of
Use

A new collection of original short
stories from the editor of
WatchOurCity.com that revives the
Noir Pulp Fiction genre, with a Latino
twist, based on real-life shenanigans at
small-time local city halls where the
public record is stranger than fiction.

The intrigue, the corruption, the
comedy, the incompetence and every
policeman's ultimate fantasy of sex in a
donut shop.

CUT ME IN is a series of riveting stories
of bumbling and deeply flawed
characters - mobsters, fringe players,
petty thieves turned politicians turned
petty thieves - with dark agendas who
betray their honor, and the public's
trust, on a dime's turn; at times
humorous and tragic; redemption is
always around the corner but flees
when tempted by small ambition; rare
moments of truth are discarded like
chump change, all played out over the
background both bleak and colorfully
gritty of a blue-collar immigrant town
in the shadows of the big city, a town
of second chancers, forgotten and
abused, but aching for a comeback...
tales with no moral lessons to
uncover, only everyday political dirty
dealings with the help of one lone
hero, Chucho* and his beloved
low-rider.

The Editor presents:

Recent Posts:
All politics is local

Hasta Los Gatos Quieren Zapatos
L.A. Eastside.com
L.A. Observed Blog
TPM Muckcracker
Think Progress
Politico

Links

WatchOurC
ity

In The Public Interest .com

A gay
  Latino
   Mayor

with a lust

A convicted

for money,

cop,

and a hot

Latina

E nter Site

A courageously innovative, muckraking web site that focuses like a laser on the political, financial and legal shenanigans of the local government
California First Amendment Coalition

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

George Cole's shadow looms large in Southeast L.A. politics and public contracts
The Political Adventures of Curious George
George Cole, Bell councilman, Director of the Oldtimers Foundation and all- around
seemingly do-gooder southeast L.A. politico has a few monkey tricks up his sleeves.
Coming story titles:
- Curious George makes over to $200,000 annually.
- Curious George gets $3,000 donation from Senator Ron Calderon
- Curious George gives $3,000 donation to Rosario Marin (Part I)
- Curious George gets multi-million dollar contract from Rosario's team (Part II)
- Curious George saves tax payers' money by preventing elections to take place
- Curious George schemes to get his wife a job as a school principal at Miles Ave. ES
- Curious George is behind plan to create Southeast Break-away school district
- Curious George reports $10 K salary on Form 700 from school, principal denies it
- Curious George speaks Spanish to fool people in two languages
- Curious George appoints employee to replace him on West Basin Water Board
- Curious George sends Mario Beltran to help political opponent's campaign
- Curious George donates $500 to Mario Beltran, the convicted councilman
- Curious George keeps identity of board members at Oldtimers Foundation a secret
- Curious George hires Francisco Leal as legal counsel for Break-away school district

No one ever knows the name of the man in the yellow hat.

You may be surprised.....it may not even be a man...... or a Democrat!

The adventures of Curious George, only on WatchOurCity.com

Brokeback Rancho
John "Juan" Noguez, Huntington Park's self-proclaimed first Latino Gay mayor, currently "just" a
council member, finally gets married. That's right, folks. Who says WatchOurCity.com only takes the
"bad" from these local corrupt politicos? Oh, yeah, that was Noguez himself who said it to the L.A.
Times back on August 21, 2004.

Noguez was married to his current flavor of the month boyfriend, his short-time companion Latin
lover, Robert Marez. Actually, they were married in Las Vegas right before California legalized
same-sex unions.

It was love at first sight for these two men. It was Brokeback Mountain, Latino style. No word on
Noguez's old flame, the mustachioed Tacos Mexico owner, lifelong bachelor who lives with his mother
in Huntington Park, who, along with his other Tacos Mexico brothers, bankrolled John Noguez's run
for public office in 2003. According to public records, John's old lover and his taco stand owning
brothers gave John a combined $45,000 in campaign "gifts". How's that for laundering campaign
donations?

It is unclear what John gave the Tacos guys in return. We can only guess what John gave his then
boyfriend on election night, and it wasn't a taco John ate that evening. But that's none of our
business.

John's sexual orientation is his business. Juan's public policy orientation is our business. Sometimes
they cross. Private interest with public benefit. The public record gives ample evidence, and
WatchOurCity has reported on this for the past four years, that the public has benefited little, and
private interests have benefited a lot while Noguez has been in office.

Brokeback Public Benefit
WatchOurCity.com was informed that Juan 'John" sent out an official looking letter this Labor day
weekend with an official City of Huntington Park logo, titled "From the Desk of Council Member Juan
"John" Noguez".

It looks mighty official, like a real official city document with an official city seal printed not just on the
cover page next to his face, but also on the inside cover page. Did I mention that it looks official? He
also wears on his lapel a pin with the city seal, the bling-bling of elected officials.

Yet, on the back side in tiny words no bigger than the length of a flea riding the back of a rat, it says
"Not printed or mailed at taxpayer expense", which means it is not an official city document.

Hmmm. It sounds like an official quack, and it walks like an official quack, why, it's still a quack, just
not official. Oh, wait, the next line says: "Elect John Noguez Committee". But he's not running for
reelection. What gives? So campaign funds donated by private individuals (whom Noguez does a
good job of not revealing identities) are used to fund a public policy opinion poll?

Why is John spending probably over $5,000 on a full color, thick paper stock brochure, with pictures of
himself that only a mother, a husband or a Tacos Mexico ex-boyfriend/campaign bankroller could
love, and then send it to Huntington Park voters if he's not running for reelection? Then, you find out
that he is simply asking for your opinion. He says that "Your Opinion Matters to Me!".

Okay, I admit, I am exaggerating here; maybe Noguez's mother does not after all like his face since
John "Juan" Reynaldo Rodriguez Noguez (or whatever name she gave him at birth) was sued by his
own mother in L.A. Superior Court over some real estate matter. What kind of mother would sue her
own son? Maybe the kind that knows what kind of man he turned out to be. If the residents think we
have it bad with Noguez as a dirty and corrupt councilman, think what it's like to be John "Juan's"
mother. Poor woman. See L.A. Weekly's investigative report on Juan "John's" use of many names,
some not legal, some used to weasel out of a lawsuit, and others simply to deceive.

Is it John "Juan" or Juan "John"?

You, kind reader, will forgive the editor for the ineptitude in keeping straight all of the different
variations of his name. It's confusing and deceitful. When his own mother sued him, Noguez
responded that the suit named "John Noguez" as the defendant, not "Juan", thus, this "Name Game"
was used by Noguez as grounds to dismiss the suit. Now, if even Noguez's mother can lose sight of
her son's real name, who are we to keep him straight?

It turns out John is spending $5,000 to find our your opinion about liquor licenses. In particular, the
kind that benefit his private interest friends who probably financed this slick deceptive brochure, and
probably laundered the funds to cover their tracks.

Noguez poses the question about the liquor license issues as if you the public benefited from it. Don't
believe Noguez for one bit, folks. He is a lying knave who has demonstrated over and over again for
the past six years that he does not have the Public's best interest in mind. It is unprecedented for
any public official in Huntington Park to ask for your opinion in this most expensive way.

John "Juan" Noguez has never asked for your opinion since he was elected to a city council seat back
in March 2003. So why now? John continues to be slimy in person, in politics and in his methods.

The way Noguez states it, businesses like Trader Joe's, Costco, Olive Garden and Target would move
into Huntington Park the minute they are granted a liquor license.

Councilman Noguez has a hidden agenda here. And it is not about getting your opinion.

Brokeback PD
Meanwhile, over at the Elba Guerrero reelection campaign headquarters, her volunteers are gearing
up for her March 2009 election.

Already allegations are flying against the good mayor. Certain PD folks are alleging that Huntington
Park's mayor Elba Guerrero is having a torrid sexual affair with a certain PD officer.

Mayor Guerrero's alleged private love affair is her business. Her public policy dalliance is ours.
Sometimes they cross. Private interest with public benefit. The public record gives ample evidence
that Mayor Guerrero's alleged affair with a certain high ranking member of the police department is
affecting how she votes on the use of public funds that seemingly favor her alleged lover at the PD
department.

Now these allegations would not amount to much except that the public record does reflect a certain
voting pattern where she votes on official city items such as legal settlements, salary raises and
promotions which only benefit the officer who is alleged to be Guerrero's paramour.

What Guerrero does in the privacy of a police cruiser or a bedroom is her business; what she does in
the public benefit with public funds that seemingly benefit her alleged lover in the Police Department
is the Public's business.

John Noguez paid for Elba's campaign in full, public campaign statements show. Elba Guerrero was
quoted as stating that political opponents don't know how to play dirty like her team does. I guess
not. Elba Guerrero's nephew is also a member of the Police Department, but nobody is supposed to
know about it, so shhhhhh... let's keep it a secret. Not that it matters, unless, of course he is given
preferential treatment.

Brokeback City Attorney
The mob had their favorite attorneys. But the attorneys never took over the mob's operations, let
alone carry Louisville sluggers out in the open, or god forbid, finance mob activities.

Well right here in Southeast L.A., we have our very own Harvard trained attorney to the Latino elected
gangsters who call themselves council members.

Francisco Leal is the exclusive de rigour attorney of choice for Maywood, Huntington Park and
surrounding cities. Leal and his ex-law partners are attorneys of choice and historically have shown a
winning track record of being selected as city attorneys, in closed door session, no less, as extra
measure of exclusivity.

WatchOurCity.com has been reporting on Francisco Leal's business practices in Southeast cities. And
as far as we know, Leal has not had any romantic affairs to report about, but he does have a fetish
for kinky ways to increase the size of his city attorney contract by a factor of three, thanks to an
obliging city council in Huntington Park led by councilman John Noguez and his distant relative puppet
of his, Elba Guerrero (Noguez and Guerrero are both Anayas).

The city of Maywood recently dropped Leal as attorney when a new city council was elected. Right
away, out of nowhere, there is a well financed, well-healed recall campaign. Gee, aren't these the very
same signature tactics that the L.A. Times wrote about in an investigative report on Francisco Leal and
company dating back to the late 90's? Sure enough. Leal's Louisville slugger baseball bat signature is
all over this one. It's the way any FBI agent would profile a bomb-maker by the signature method the
bomb would be put together; same way with Francisco Leal and Maywood's recall campaign.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Brokeback City: Summer of Love
The editor here at WatchOurCity.com has been on an extended leave. The last
posting was on May 21, 2008.

So to catch up, here is a summary of the events you may have missed in the
long days of summer which are now officially over on this Labor Day weekend.
________________________________________________________________

Noguez

Guerrero