Do Councilman Huizar's MTA Contributions and Votes merit Legal Review?
 |
| Did Councilman Huizar "conga" his way around MTA contribution rules? |
Now as we enter the last month of a contentious re election battle in CD 14, Councilman Huizar's MTA contributions and their associated votes are causing some to speculate whether Huizar's MTA actions merit legal review. this would not be the first time that Councilman Huizar's past actions have been investigated (something here about the IRS?) and sanctioned. Thus, one would not be surprise to find out in the days ahead that Councilman Huizar would need to retain legal council.
More after the bloggin leap.
MTA rules state the following in regards to accepting contributions from those seeking contracts.
First, individuals and entities are prohibited from giving more than $10 to a MTA's board members campaign, when seeking contracts.
Second, MTA board members are prohibited from voting on contracts for individuals and entities who have donated to MTA moard members campaign committees withing four years of a vote. But as the evidence below will show, bouncilman Huizar has flouted the MTA's Conflict of Interest rules.
U.S. Tow: On May 27, 2009, U.S. Tow Inc. gave $500.00 to Councilman Huizar's "Office Holder Account". On June 25, 2009, less than one month after receiving U.S. Tow's contribution, Councilman Huizar voted to approve a modification of U.S. Tow's MTA contract by increasing it by $820,000.
(http://boardarchives.metro.metro.net/Minutes/20090723/RBMItem2.pdf)
American Moving Parts: Between 10/31/2005 and 6/30/07, David Seewack and Scott Spiwak gave five $500.000 contributions to Councilman Huizar's respective accounts for a total of $2,500.00. In addition, Councilman Huizar was the recipiant of donations from Seewack and Spiwak relatives/spouces. On March 25, 2010, Councilman Huizar helped approve a $100,200 contract paid to American Moving Parts.
(http://boardarchives.metro.net/Minutes/2010/11-12-Nov-Dec/200911108OPItem145.pdf)
Century Diversified: Between 2005 and 2010, Century Diversified Rodrigo Garcia has given $1,550 to Councilman Huizar. Meanwhile it includes these MTA projects on its "Portfolio page"(http://www.cdi-engr.com/potfolio.html)
Gateway Science & Engineering: Between 2005 and 2008, a total of $2,250 was donated to Councilman Huizar. The firm was listed a a sub-contractor on the Gold Line Eastside Extension.(http://boardarchive.metro.net/Net/Items/2010/07_20100722RBMItem25.pdf)
These are only some of Councilman Huizar's possible violations of MTA ethic rules, his most recent contributions have not been vetted, but as the documents we cite show, the CD 14 rep would be wise to review with consul whether there are future legal issues that merit further examination.
Your thoughts..............
Scott Johnson in CD 14
Labels: "COUNCILMAN LAST SEEN AS JOSE HUIZAR", mta, Outtakes from CD 14
Posted by Red Spot in CD 14 @ 1/31/2011 12:05:00 PM
46 Comments:
Hell yeah, review them, review everybody all the time. But let's at least be honest about what's raising this as an issue - 20 months after they supposedly happened.
It ain't anything but the fact that there's an election on, and this blog is a TOOL (by every definition), for Martinez's campaign.
Talk about "candy ass" scrutiny... when do you pick apart the challenger's lame and unbelievable excuses about his criminal past, and theft of government property and possible impersonating an police officer?
(Nah, never here....)
The 800 pound polling gorrila in the room, Rid Spurt?
How long will you trip over it.
Jon Regardie was your hero just a week ago, when he proclaimed Huizar's campaign people to be "sharks".
Now, no love??
(This will be like when I told a rabid Tony V. supporter years ago that he was claiming to be a Reagan Republican in mailers to few little redder spots in CD14, and he thought PACHECO mailed them as a dirty tricks... until Parke informed him that "everyone does it - lies to the GOP people in non-partisan races".
Until Rudy's people release the results of their dirty-ass poll - which they may not be able to do now that the content is public - Huizar haters may try to say HUIZAR called the poll, to make Rudy look bad.
Then, Rudy's pollsters will just say - "everyone lies with their polling questions."
But then, Huizar's pollsters DIDN'T a month or so ago.
So just how the blankety-blank would Rudy be an improvement, if his people are already lying bolder and badder?
Huizar's office is in a panic, some thing big must be happening.
I wonder if Huizar is also delivering Gustavo some action from MTA also. They might have expanded their shake down operation to a far more lucerative front.
How much MTA money did Griego's operation, DSO, get while Huizar was on the board? Did that money actually go for outreach or did they save that money for political campaign work? Does DSO have a contract with the Huizar campaign right now?
The MTA has been a cash cow for crooked Latino politicians from Alatorre to Molina to Villar to Huizar - and the eastside never got a subway!
HAHAHAHA, Red Spit you probably have a point with all this, but since you are a terrible person, I am voting for Huizar, hell now, I am going to put up a lawn sign.
In other words, your character assasination won't work.
Let's ask Carmen Trutanich to see if there are any 'criminal aspects' to this. On second thoughts, perhaps that's not such a great idea.
MTA is the tip of the iceberg, the entire Huzar operation is nothing but a racketeering operation for shaking down local business people.
That's despicable. Not just Latinos feed at the MTA trough. How about antonovich and parks? The MTA Board is sitting on an ethics complaint and staff report against Parks for taking loads of cash from MTA contractors.
12:29
Your right, they are shitting in their pants.
12:29
A mind-reading act, cute.
You should take it in the road. "The Great Fake Anonymous".
If anyone's showing desperation, it's Rudy's mini-army - the week after actual news is out showing they: 1) received illegal campaign contributions coerced out of Pacheco's employees; 2) they have only TWO new $100 campaign contributions since Dec. proving support is dwindling; 3) they're hatching a super-bogus poll, even by CD14 standards, and perhaps violating City Ethics disclosure in the process.
I'd say Rudy's at the point in the move "chase" scene where he's run out of bullets in his gun and just heaves the revolver at his pursuer (then get's taken "out" if you know what I mean - and not for overpriced sushi).
Although sushi IS a pretty good word picture here. The guy's been dead fish since he entered the race.
1:06 p.m.
Better in the pants, than for brains - like Huizar's opponent and his incredibly amateur campaign hacks!
They CALLED a prominent newspaper reporter with their slimy, see-through factless poll questions... one who writes about this race almost every week?
How hard could it be - since you're RIGGING the damn poll anyway - and it's only use is to bolster your limited support and keep rats from jumping off the sinking ship, to tell the callers... DON'T CALL ANY OF THE FOLLOWED 15-20 reporters, editors, columnists, bloggers, etc.
Hell, you KNOW who they are - you been leaking made-up slime to them for months - most of it ignored. They're on your SPEED-DIAL!
I revise what I said a couple weeks ago about Rudy M. shooting himself in both feet in the early candidate forums - now he's done and shot off his "third" leg, you know?
RUDY's Campaign is about as dead as the fish he serves.
12:46 PM - how is listing questionable contributions "character assassination ?" Either he accepted them or not. My question is : where is the oversight?
Next question: Who or what entity is responsible for monitoring contributions to politicians ?
from former Garment and Citizen Editor jerry Sullivan regarding the Miguel Contreras V.I.P. Scandal.
ARE FEDS STILL ON HUIZAR?: The U.S. Attorney might have dropped an investigation into 14th District City Councilmember Jose Huizar, but reliable sources say that agents of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are asking some questions of their own. The U.S. Attorney recently cleared Huizar after considering the propriety of payments he received from a labor-backed outfit for consulting services during his tenure on the Los Angeles Unified School District board. The IRS now appears to be backtracking Huizar’s spending habits, which could be an investigative method to check his claims on deductions or to determine whether he properly reported all of his income. Spend more than you could possibly afford on whatever income you claim and it’s liable to become a red flag for the feds. Huizar’s office had not returned calls seeking comment as of presstime…
1:32
First you have to buy the premise, and take into account who's presenting it, and where.
Red Scott's track record here is one of grossly tweaking, 180-degree misrepresenting, and completely misreading -- intentionally and/or offishly accidentally, all manner of published materials and posted records - because he knows few people will follow the link, and will instead take his dizzying "spin" on it here as fact.
(Most recently, he carried the banner of the "enemies" lists here for weeks, always failing to say the two LARGEST of the three lists were 3 years out of date - which confirmed Huizar's explanation to the LA Times - and that the one that was somewhat up-to-date (only 1-year old), had no "negative" scores of any kind on it and had obviously been converted to a completely different purpose, also confirming Huizar's take - and the fact that he "had never seen" that one.
SO, I don't "buy" his interpretation and selective cutting, splicing, and mega-emphasizing of often one-stray thought that belies the bulk of an outside article.
He'll daily pick up ONE sentence in an otherwise fairly flattering or neutral piece on Huizar using his own reverse-reverse-pyramid bizarro news sense, declare that one of the LAST things said by a fairly professional reporter was REALLY his MAIN point (the trained journalist just didn't realize it himself - that's why he put it at the end?)
I know the catch-phrase is "don't shoot the messenger" but when the "messenger" keeps buying the real message in the mud and making up slimy interpretations of his own, to serve his own intense blind hatred, he probably deserves to be sh.... (um, carpet-bombed?)
1:48
How f*cking old is that story, Scottie, you news-spinning Rudy-tool.
That publication has been out of business for months.
I was audited by the IRS 2-3 years ago, too. Case closed, no penalties/payments due - but I didn't exactly put out a news release about it being over.
AH, never mind. I found it myself, on the Mayor Sam's blog, of all places... from 15 MONTHS AGO. And not even a story that had ONE SINGLE source on-the-record.
Either the IRS has gotten REALLY slow, or your bringing up OLD, CLEARED, CLOSED cases, because you ALSO are just shooting blanks, now.
Like Rudy Rich's campaigners.
(The main problem with throwing REALLY old mud in a mudslinging contest, is that it usually don't even STICK)
15-month old news stories, that even at the TIME were filled with hedge words, like... "reliable sources say" ... (and it was about contributions to his LAUSD board races 6+ years), even then ...
"now appears to be" ... "could be" ...
Maybe, possibly, we suspect, someone anonymously tipped us... bah, what trash - and VERY old trash at that.
You know, don't you, that ALL those BS/BF words = one thing.
NO FACTS!
Just like your posts.
HA!
OMG when you have the Huizar camp consistently attacking Red Spot and posting immature rantings YOU know you got them good. Otherwise why would they continue to act like crybabies and slam this blog but every day still come on and post. Because they know this blog is read by everyone I know all over the city and reporters. I give Red Spot a lot of credit for continuing to post stories like this. For too many years the Latino politicians have been acting like gangsters and many of us are glad they will finally get caught. I'm sure reporters are looking into this story as I type
I wouldn't be surprised to find out that those "questionable" contributions were all made prior to Huizar's appointment to MTA, and RS is fudging the numbers. He's done it before, many times.
And, really, seriously, you think anyone can BUY the vote of a sitting councilmember (who makes $180K and can raise half-a-million for each election) to get huge contracts... by slipping $500 or even a thousand or so to him?
Not even to HIM personally, but to an account he can only use for limited types of expenses?
You gotta make up your minds, Huizar-haters. Either he's a very intelligent, sneaky, money-laundering genius -- or he's one of the biggest morons on Council, selling million-dollar contracts for contributions that are = 1/1000th of their value?
Dude, that is SOME cheap, stupid vote selling.
On the record, at that?
And you gotta ALSO suspend disbelief that these companies were willing to risk future govt. contracts to make a $500 BRIBE to get a VOTE they probably didn't even NEED??
Were these heavily contested contracts? Did Huizar's "bought" (Pfaaah) vote for $500 TURN the TIDE in a close race? Were they awarded over the top of better qualified firms?
NO, never, nada. These contracts are all as much "15-ayes" as City Council's are. So why would anyone spend a DIME (or take DIME), to get or make a specific vote.
The stories here just get dumber as the slime in the campaign bucket starts to run thinner and more watery.
I think I see why the "Garment" paper went under.
If I want character-bashing rumors and innuendo, I can just come here and see what Scott Johnson and his band of merry tinfoil-hatted follower (no "s" - on purpose) have made up from their FUTILE (no, not fertile) imaginations -- and avoid getting newsprint on my hands.
(Although I do have to squeegee the slime off my computer screen every few minutes here.)
Mayor Sam's should market a branded computer screen washer-and-wiper, just for its regular readers.
The funny thing is, someone probably will review these, or already has and passed them all as fine.
But, now that the slime has been placed here, you'll never hear that end of the story. Red Spit will just keep replacing his unfounded "charges" here, like a broken record.
PLUS, I judge by your typical word-hiding and fact-hedging that you already know these are false leads?
MTA rules say no "CAMPAIGN" contributions, but your one more specific account listed shows the contribution as being to "office holder" account.
NOT THE SAME THING. Can't be used for campaigns.
SO, where's the smoking, um - anything (don't count your 'smoking' pants - as in "liar, liar...").
Other accounts are equally faked and hedged here by the Spot.
Tell the truth for once, RS, were any of these things you list here - REALLY "campaign contributions" that were actually paid into Huizar's campaign accounts, AFTER he was named to MTA?
Apparently only $250, and by an officer of a company that has no pending contracts?
By your own notations:
AMERICAN MOVING PARTS (2005-07) Two FULL years before Huizar goes to MTA.
GATEWAY SCIENCE (2005-08) More one a FULL YEAR before Huizar goes to MTA.
CENTURY DIVERSIFIED. There are NO dates on their portfolio. All MTA projects on this very old listing (some go back 20 YEARS) most likely preceded Huizar's being on the board -- and NONE are pending before the current MTA board, so unless these "portfolio" awards were voted on in the last 18 months - and not 5-10-15 years ago, then this is even MORE bogus filth. (And, Garcia's contribution to the current Huizar campaign is ONLY $250 so 5/6 of your sum of contributions there DEFINITELY preceded Huizar/MTA
U.S. TOW - again "OFFICE HOLDER" - NOT campaign account. Not any kind of violation.
THERE IS NO POSSIBLE VIOLATION IN ANY OF THESE made-up scenarios, is there? Insert ring in nose and lead the dazed Mayor Sam's readers around like livestock...
How STOOPID do you think the readers here are???
2:27
"OMG???"
(Why don't you leave "god" out of this, since you're obviously backing a multi-convicted criminal against Huizar, huh? I don't think he'd appreciate the company.)
"I'm sure reporters are looking into this story as I type"
(I'm pretty sure they're not... they've all been sandbagged at least once by Red Spot's libelous factless posts here... but I do see more and more of the commented rebuttals posted here showing up in the media.
Like LA Weekly pointing out a few days ago what a poster here said many weeks back about Rudy's "flip" show revealing his permit-buggering antics to deceive the City inspectors he claims to want to be one of the 15 bosses of someday.
I'm pretty sure none of them who live in CD14 will be voting for a man who disrespects the importance of their life- and health-preserving building code enforcement, just so he can make himself richer (and the buyers less safe).
Latino - gangsters.
I hear a lot of that here.
How many of the candidates in CD14 have been convicted of crimes?
Oh year, exactly one.
And that one's not Huizar. Hmmm, who's left.
(You sure you Rudy-rooters want to keep dropping the "criminal" related words here, especially considered the facts in evidence with LAPD?0
2:32
Yeah since campaign contribution limits went into effect, that kind of allegations has become as laughable as any can get.
If bribery was going on, it would take place off the books, and certainly be for much larger amounts.
But, every election, someone tries foolishly to suggest that developers, contractors, even sub-sub contractors are "buying" some kind of favoritism for less $$ that most candidates will drop on a quarter page ad in some local throwaway paper.
It's like anybody who works for a company that does any kind of contract work suddenly can't take part in the political process and support the candidate they favor, because someday - years before or years after, they may try to do business with the city.
That's not what these laws were intended to cut out. And, sliming respected contractors just to bash a candidate you hate is pretty nasty and cynical, no matter how you slice it.
Yeah, I'm gleaning a lot more real truths from the people who post to expose Scott Johnson's fact-bending.
If I were Rudy Martinez's campaign people, I'd be on the Red-spot-phone begging him to bash someone else for awhile, because the comments that follow his posts unveil the lies they're trying to put out before they can even convince someone to run their stories.
Four of Huizar major community supporter have strong gang connections. First Margo Amador, her current husband is gang member from Cuatro Flats who is an active gang member. Second Sal Martinez, major ex-gang member and Huizar Victory Outreach supporter. Third is Victory Outreach member who received a 3 and 5 on the famous kiss ass list.So, Huizar supporter should not be throwing rocks while living in a glass house.
3:09
Good point, both re: bldg. codes and just the well being of constituents. I've heard from 2-3 people now - on the El Sereno "LIST" who are very angry about Martinez releasing their private contact information, when it wasn't even necessary to make his point, and how they feel invaded and less safe than when those numbers were just entrusted to Huizar's staff so they could make contacts about community issues.
No one who doesn't agree to have their name bandied about out there specifically for the purpose of advocating for one campaign or another should have their privacy trashed that way.
It's hard enough to get people to volunteer to better their communities.
It does make me wonder how many times I've been sandbagged by the Huizar bashing threads here since this one was so fully outdated and contrived.
Well, reader beaware, I suppose.
3:30
You mean you would include people, like from VO, who are now pulling people OUT of the gangs as being "bad" for a councilmember to associate with and use for community reclamation?
Don't we need a lot more of those? How wrong to bash them. How hateful to try to call them people with GANG ties, when they're working to UNTIE others from gang life.
By your definition Father Boyle has "strong gang connections" then. Will Red Spot send the feds after him, to trash Huizar next?
I don't think we really need any more house-flippers though. Thanks very much. I'm not sure that's really that far removed from criminal activity.
4:33 Exactly, everyone needs a second chance including Rudy Martinez, and just like our great Mayor. You can not slap people faces with one hand because of their bad past, and pretend to care with the other.
For example, if Margo Husband from cuatro flats or Sal Martinez a great role decided to run for CD 14? Do they deserve a second chance? Would Huizar and his political machine destroy them for trying to bring leadership to the hood.
So when are the indictment for Huizar, Francine and Gustavo going to be served?
Will Huizar be dropping out by Thursday? who want to take a bet?
5:10
Sorry, you can't back away like that after spilling blood.
That's NOT what you said the first time, and you just don't dance that well.
Yeah, let's "bet" anonymously.
Piker!
6:03 p.m.
You'll be serving time before they are - unless maybe you already are?
Will Rudy Rich bail out of the race in time to save enough of his $200K (loaned?) to the campaign to still be able live like the rich, stingy, corner-cutting, tree uprooting, permit avoiding, illegal immigrant employing lifestyle in which he has become accustomed.
NAH, his campaign hack have him drugged with power to think he'll someday get to write LAWS to stop people in the building trades from doing exactly like he has been for years now.
5:10
That's a red Snot trick. When the facts contradict what you been spewing, you suddenly feign like you knew the truth all along.
It is pretty funny that the GOP hardcore here seem to have rallied around Rudy, when his house-flipping cable show has him regularly employing those annoying cheap-labor illegals they rant so much about.
Better an employer of Mexican illegals, than a legal Mexican-born councilmember who's proud of both parts of his heritage, huh Huizar-haters?
You can put your border-wall-building, "ship-em-all-back or I'm moving to Idaho," "penalize the employer double-hard," so-called principles on hold long enough to take that hypocritical stance, huh?
Boy, just keeps getting betterer and bitterer, here at the Bar Two-Faced Ranch of Mayor Sams, huh?
Huizar is finished.
Orange jump suits are not that far away.
I wonder if they will put Gustavo in the same cell with Jose.
8:21 PM
I'm not on either candidate's side. (haven't figured out who's the worst of the worst yet) I'm looking for clarification. Having never heard Huizar brag about anything other than his Mexican heritage, where can one find a source of him showing American pride?
2) where can his legal status be found?
Huizar might not even know he is being investigated.... They wouldn't tell him.
10:22
Ha,ha, funny. We got a "fake" newbite trying to start a BIRTHER controversy with Huizat, like the nutcases have with Obama.
Ha. You're not fooling anyone. Go back and tell George it didn't work.
Ha, ha. Hilarious.
9:03 p.m.
NAH, he's sharing the MAYOR SAM'S wing of county jail with Jimmy Hahn, right Higby?
(what a maroon!)
Daily News - Orlov 2005
"For Huizar and Wesson, the swearing-in ceremonies served to remind both of their backgrounds in the city.
"'Seventy-five years ago, my grandfather came from Zacatecas, Mexico, to work on the foundation of this building,' said Huizar, who will fill out the term of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa...
"'Today, 75 years later, his grandson took the oath of office to serve in this building. I think that shows the American dream is alive and well in Los Angeles'."
Huizar creative contributions collection in Question: Councilman Huizar and the Mayor received campaing contribution from Pedro Rozado, El Mercadito in Boyle Heights, in attempting to get approval for a fulln line of liquor and live entertainment, appeal by community activis, Huizar and Reyes seat at the PLUM committee, and guess how they voted? The community lost. I guess those contributions can get you ayes vote at city hall.
It looks like Huizar’s employees are trying to hold on to their jobs, no matter what Huizar does, and we know there is more to investigate, this is just the beginning. People are more informed and perceptive then what Huizar's gives Mexicans credit for. He will be surprised when the votes go to Rudy Martinez. They will take a chance with Rudy, and they know Huizar’s activities are questionable under the law. There is a lot more to investigate Huizar for, if not already in process. Huizar may not have sufficient capital to get out of this mess. He had better start thinking of his wife and children. The law will prevail.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home