Less a week ’til election day … Irwindale City Officials arrested

It took more than three years but with a week to go before the statewide general election …

IRWINDALE — A San Gabriel Valley Tribune article from 2007 resulted in the arrests of four Irwindale city officials, including a current council member, officials said Wednesday.

The four have been charged with misappropriation of public funds after they allegedly attended Broadway shows and baseball games during trips to New York to get a better bond rating for the city, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office said.

Charged are City Councilman Mark Breceda, 50; retired city manager Steve Blancarte, 56; finance director Abe De Dios, 65; and former councilwoman Rosemary Ramirez, 49, said Deputy District Attorney Nipa Cook with the Public Integrity Division.

Defendants Breceda, Blancarte and Ramirez are scheduled to appear this morning in Department 30 at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center for arraignment.

De Dios, who is out of town, is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday.

Read more: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_16445212#ixzz13aF3z6QY

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Hector Urias, El Monte auto racing legend, shot to death

Hector Urias, known around El Monte and at the Irwindale Speedway for his fast cars has been shot to death at his shop in El Monte, officials said Wednesday morning. The shooting occurred about 6:30 a.m. in the 3500 block of Santa Anita Avenue.

Urias was close to the El Monte Police Department and there are several Internet videos of his funny car made out to look like an El Monte cop car.

Wikipedia: El Monte is a residential, industrial, and commercial city in Los Angeles County, California, United States.

El Monte Police Drag Car

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Train off the tracks in Irwindale


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IRWINDALE- Crews continue to clean up a tanker spill after four cars of a freight train derailed this morning on Azusa Canyon Road.

No one was hurt in the accident, which Los Angeles County Fire dispatch supervisor Andre Gougis says occurred at about 3:50 a.m. Tuesday.

A hazardous materials team responded because of the leak, but Gougis says the substance turned out to be nontoxic.

The incident occurred on tracks belonging to Union Pacific near the intersection of Arrow Highway and Azusa Canyon Road. No streets were closed because of the derailment and no one was evacuated.

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