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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:

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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

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Mario Beltran, indicted by
D.A.; was Huntington Park
councilman John Noguez's
campaign manager for the
2007 election. One week after
the election, Mario was
convicted for filing a false
police report. Part of his
strategy to help Noguez win
reelection was to make false
claims that his opponents
were criminals.

Steve Simonian, hired
by Bell Gardens as its
new city manager. Who
is the DA's office
protecting?
I don't have the D.A.'s
cell phone number. You
don't have the D.A.'s
cell phone number. You
can bet Simonian does.

For Whom the Bell
Doesn't Toll
City of
Bell:
Public
Records
Request
George Cole's
Shadow Looms
Large
WatchOurCity.com
10-6-08

Bell, CA -- On September 26,
2008, a group of residents from
the city of Bell issued a request
for public records to city officials.

The letter was sent via certified
mail to city manager Robert Rizzo
and city clerk Rebecca Valdez.

The records request is
unprecented in this small and
politically clubby, secretive and
tight-lipped Southeast Los
Angeles County city.

George Cole, the long-time council
member and local power broker,
has been the subject of several
investigative reports by
WatchOurCity.com going back to
2004.

Bell has not held elections over
the past two election cycles due to
lack of candidates willing to
oppose the George Cole election
machinery. Couple that with
simple scare tactics.

Once, a long-time Bell resident
returned to his home town after
finishing a college degree with
plans to run for public office in
Bell. Only that he was scared
straight by some of George Cole's
employees at the Oldtimers
Foundation who went after the
young man's job, talking to his
supervisor at LAUSD trying to
pressure them to fire this
potential candidate. Such is
democracy in Bell.

This historically unprecedented
request for public records seeks
the following items:

1. Treasure's Report for July 2008;
2. The Joint Exercise of Powers
Agreement of the Southeast Cities
Schools Coalition and its addenda
and addendums, any and all;
3. City agreement by and between
Consolidated Disposal effective in
and around 1995 to present 2008
for Residential and Commercial
purposes;
4. Executive Summary Report or
Consultant's report, or the like,
leading up to the Agreement by
and between City of Bell and
Consolidated Disposal;
5. Invoices from Consolidated
Disposal from 1995 through 2008
for residential and commercial
services;
6. Executive Summary Report or
Consultant's report, or the like,
leading up to the City Bell's Utility
or User taxes, Measure A;
7. The reports accounting for the
revenue derived from Measure A
from 1997 to 2008;
8. Approved Minutes of all Council
meetings from 1995 to present,
for the most recent meeting, Draft
Minutes;
9. Independent Auditor's report
from 2005 to 2008

WatchOurCity.com will have an
official countdown of days since
the group of Bell residents sent
the public records request to city
hall on September 26.

Countdown to
Release of
Public Records:
Day 10
How long will it
take George
Cole to release
records?

How long will it
take George
Cole to release
records?

Day 12

George Cole:
City of Bell
councilman.
His shadow looms
large in Southeast
L.A. County politics
with his hand in the
cookie jar of million
dollar contracts in
Huntington
Park.

George Cole has his hands in the cookie jar of multi-million dollar
contracts in Huntington Park. A Political Obituary? Don't bet on it.
George Cole Abruptly Resigns
From Bell City Council
Bell, CA - George Cole resigned abruptly and without much explanation on Monday
evening. George was a long-time councilman in the city of Bell. He is also currently
Director of Oldtimers Foundation. Cole has a long rap sheet in public service and
public record indicates that he has exclusive rights for getting city contracts from
Huntington Park council member John Noguez. It helps that both Cole and Noguez
share the same campaign fundraiser and also use Mario Beltran, Bell Gardens
councilmember, as their campaign manager of choice. Cole got a multi-million
transportation contract from Huntington Park's Mayor Ed Escareno, who was later
convicted of Grand Theft, a felony. Escareno and John Noguez awarded the contract
to Cole despite being rated the worst of four qualifying bidders, but then-Mayor
Escareno and team rigged the contract anyway, as evidenced in public records.
Spearheads LAUSD Breakaway plan and called a boycott of Miles Avenue
Elementary School in Huntington Park in order to get top LAUSD brass to replace
the current principal with Cole's wife. Under his watch, the City of Bell has called off
municipal elections for the last two election cycles (2003 and 2005). Shares
Francisco Leal's penchant for using tactics of intimidation, threats, harassment as
tools of civic engagement. A powerful local politician like George Cole does not
resign his political machinery that easily unless he has health issues or is under
investigation by the FBI or the District Attorneys office. And George certainly has
plenty of skeletons in his closet. Bell council members will elect a replacement for
George on Thursday at 2:30 pm when nobody is watching. How bizarre.

Ex-DA Investigator Hired as Bell
Gardens New City Manager

Position was not advertised nor was an interview of
potential candidates conducted. Looks like the FBI's on-
going investigation of Bell Gardens officials will now
duke it out with the D.A.'s office. How bizarre.

by Ken Roderick, L.A. Observed.com, September 30, 2008:
Bell Gardens Gets
Interesting Again
Bell Gardens, CA - The city council of Bell Gardens has
hired itself a new city manager — and it's Steve Simonian,
the former chief of investigations for District Attorney
Steve Cooley. What's intriguing about that is that Cooley
once set himself up as the lawman bent on cleaning up
the corrupt little cities that lay across the southeast
corner of Los Angeles County. Bell Gardens was one of
his targets, and last September Cooley even convened a
grand jury to investigate Bell Gardens councilman Mario
Beltran and his associates.

And Simonian, the DA's former chief investigator? He
recently endorsed the election of two council candidates
whose campaign manager was Beltran, according to a
CityBeat story by Jeffrey Anderson:

Simonian, according to veteran gang detectives, is the
same investigator who once probed the suspected
political ties of alleged Mexican Mafia member Armando
“Pericho” Ochoa, a Primera Flats gang member from Bell
Gardens. Simonian was assistant city manager in Bell
Gardens in 2000, so he recused himself from the
investigation into former City Manager Maria Chacon, who
was convicted of conflict of interest charges earlier this
year. A prolonged legal battle yielded no jail time.
Chacon’s case stemmed from her vote in 2000, while a
council member, that allowed her to become city
manager, a well-salaried position. However, it took six
years and numerous appeals by Cooley’s office to
sentence Chacon to a year of probation and the
possibility of $76,000 in restitution. (She also is
prevented from ever holding public office again.)

Meanwhile, Aceituno, one of the city council members who
voted Chacon into power, was re-elected November 6 in
a contest marred by threats, intimidation, and allegations
of electioneering. And Rodriguez is the daughter of
Rogelio Rodriguez, another councilman who supported
Chacon’s felonious power grab.

So by all appearances, it seems that after six years,
Cooley is back to square one in Bell Gardens – with his
former top investigator stumping for officials with strong
ties to Beltran, an aggressive and potentially doomed
politician.

Oh, did I mention that story ran last year? Now Simonian
has been hired to run the city — but at least Beltran, still
on the City Council, recused himself from the vote. Just to
complete your picture of Bell Gardens, Simonian also used
to be police chief there.

Where is Jeffrey Anderson?: The former LA Weekly
investigative reporter is now kicking ass for The City
Paper in Baltimore, most recently writing about the
indictment of some City Hall power players there with L.A.
and Hollywood ties."

Courtesy L.A. Observed.com 9-30-08.
______________________________________________

Editor's note:
On May 17, 2008, Watchourcity.com reported that Bell
Gardens council member Mario Beltran was arrested and
booked on felony charges.

A few days before, Sandy Gibbons with the L.A. County
District Attorney's office made an official announcement
about the indictment against Mario Beltran.

5 months later, flash forward to September 30, 2008, the
D.A.'s chief corruption investigator, Steve Simonian, is
hired by the chief corruption suspect.

To add some spice to the salsa, on May 21, 2008,
WatchOurCity.com reports that the FBI served subpoenas
on Bell Gardens' Chief of Police and other city officials in
connections to Mario Beltran's alleged embezzlement and
also in connection to a multi-million dollar tow truck
service contract.

Mario Beltran was Huntington Park councilman Juan "John"
Noguez's campaign manager leading up to the March
2007 election. Part of Noguez and Beltran's winning
tactics were to accuse opponents of being criminals. One
week after the election, Beltran is indicted in what now
seems one of many such criminal inquiries, arrests and
investigations into his colorful history.

City of Bell's George Cole dispatched Mario Beltran to help
a political opponent during recent elections there. A
novice candidate for public office approaches Cole to say
that they both should hold clean elections. Cole makes
the observation that the opponent has no experience
running an election and makes a recommendation that he
should hire Beltran, a highly regarded campaign manager
and staffer to State Senator Ron Calderon.

Monday, October 6, 2008