HACLA's Ramona Gardens Resident Advisory Council Members in "Good Standing"?

Blogger notes: Serious question for Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) employees Sanford Riggs, (** who appeared on behalf of HACLA during KPPC's Patt Morrison "Boyle Heights Townhall") Joel Lopez and Georgina Garcia, are these actions and extracurricular activities of your former Ramona Gardens Resident Advisory Council Members Martha Gonzalez, Alma Ortega and the infamous Lilana Martinez, cause for disqualifying all three for consideration as candidates for the upcoming taxpayer-financed RAC Elections in the Ramona Gardens Housing Projects? Judging by the candidate forum reminder received by residents, your standards of what constitutes a "Resident in Good Standing" may need some serious revision---Scott Johnson

Should misidentifying yourself on the behalf of increasing beer and wine sales opportunity for 7-Eleven disqualify Gonzalez, Martinez and Ortega from holding RAC office? Martinez can be seen with Gonzalez and Ortega standing with her, at the 21:30 part of the video speaking on the behalf of the Ramona Gardens Community in support of 7-Eleven's efforts to secure a beer and wine license for its store on Broadway and Eastlake in Lincoln Heights. According to HACLA Commission Nominee Isabel Ayala who's husband Lupe is the "current President" of the Ramona Gardens RAC, the issue of supporting 7-Eleven was never agendise by the Ramona Gardens RAC. 

Previously here at Mayor Sam, we noted that Liliana Martinez had spoke (at the 26:30 mark on the video) on behalf (with Hollenbeck CPAB co-chair Margo Amador translating) of the Ramona Gardens RAC and Mayor's Villaraigosa's Gang Reduction and Youth Developement Program sub-contractor Legacy LA, in supporting 7-Eleven's successful efforts to build a store that displace the community respected business of United States Navy Veteran and Cambodia "Killing Fields" survivor Ben Lee. While documentation that Martinez had the approval to speak on the behalf of the Ramona Gardens RAC is in dispute, it is clear that Legacy LA derided benefits from Martinez support of 7-Eleven. 

If any action should disqualify one from holding RAC office, then operating an illegal food enterprise across the street from the Ramona Gardens property should suffice. But Martinez (and Gonzalez) support of Councilman Huizar's re-election (who received a donation from 7-Eleven) may have led to the thought that certain laws do not apply to her, like reporting the cash income and paying taxes where there are no receipts.   

At this year's Ramona Gardens RAC Father Day event, Liliana can be seen prepping food with Martha Gonzalez (in red). This is before the whole RAC board resigned over supposed "financial issues", but according to Isabel Ayala, her husband Lupe never formally resigned as noted above. Could it be that HACLA wants to reconstitute a new board that will go along with any future plans to "disposition" properties to private entities and "de-concentrate" poor populations into mixed-income communities?  

For Liliana Martinez, the fact that she sees it fit to operate an illegal business while Ben Lee is looking for new work, did not go unnoticed by those who supported Mr. Lee in his fight to keep his business. The video of Liliana Martinez was provided to this blogger as she conducted her illegal business across the street from the northern edge of the Ramona Gardens property. This is her regular Friday, Saturday and Sunday night location.

But despite all of the evidence above, Liliana Martinez and Alma Ortega still are "Residents in Good Standing" in the eyes of HACLA employees Sanford Riggs, Joel Lopez who oversee the RACs on HACLA properties and Ramona Gardens Projects Manager Georgina Garcia. Will anyone confront Ortega and Martinez regarding the information above and question their standing is up to the likes of Riggs, Lopez and Garcia to investigate.

Your thoughts..............

Scott Johnson in CD 14