Recently in Montebello Category

This tale comes from reporter James Wagner:

There's a difference between reporting politics locally and covering it in Sacramento.

On the Senate floor, to get a legislator's attention, you hand the guards your business card and they pass it along to whom you're hoping to talk to.

So last week, while covering a bill that would essentially allow the proposed NFL stadium in Industry to proceed, I asked to speak to a local Senator who co-authored the bill, Ron Calderon, D-Montebello.

Calderon came to the back of the Senate chamber to speak to me with my card in hand.

But after a few minutes of questioning, as we stood quietly while I jotted down his comments, he took my card, stuffed it into my jacket's front pocket and walked away.

I guess he thought I was done asking my questions. I wasn't.

Here ya go....

The race for the 57th District Assembly seat is heating up.

Baldwin Park Councilwoman Monica Garcia is the latest candidate to throw her name in for the June 2010 primaries.

She joins a growing list of local politicians vying for the seat, which comes open when state imposed term limits catch up to incumbent Democrat Ed Hernandez.

Besides Garcia, La Puente Mayor Louie Lujan, West Covina Mayor Roger Hernandez and West Covina Councilman Steve Herfert have all filed statements of an intent to run for the seat, according to documents filed with the California Secretary of State.

Garcia, 34, said people have been encouraging her since last year to run for the 57th District. She made her decision last month.

"I know that right now is a critical time for our state and even more so for our district, for the 57th," Garcia said. "I want to go up to Sacramento and make sure our district is getting its fair share."

Garcia said she has always been an advocate for "working-class communities," and has spent about a decade working in public service.

"I want to make sure the working families I've served over my career -- over 10 years, children, seniors -- I want to make sure they are protected and we take a sustainable approach to balance the budget," she said.

Garcia was elected to the Baldwin Park City Council in 2007, and served on the city's Planning Commission prior to that.

She has also worked for state Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, has spent time working with inner-city youth while attending USC as undergraduate student, and has worked in Washington, D.C., with a group advocating for women, children and families, Garcia said.

"I really have committed myself since college to serving populations that are disadvantaged," she said.

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Montebello City Councilwoman Kathy Salazar is a woman who is willing to fight for what she believes in.

Salazar passed up the chance to settle a lawsuit with the city for $25,000 because she wanted her name -- and only her name -- on a city plaque.

Salazar first filed the lawsuit against the department, the city and former Police Chief Garry Couso-Vasquez in 2007, claiming she was wrongfully booted from the Citizen's Patrol Unit.

Reporter Amanda Baumfeld got a hold of court documents last week and reported that Salazar's demanded $25,000; reinstatement into the unit; and recognition as its sole founder.

But the city wanted to list her on a plaque as the group's co-founder -- and Salazar wasn't having it.

"The city kept saying, 'no, no, no,' and the price kept going up, up, up," Salazar told Baumfeld. "We went to mediation three times because I just wanted to finish this."

Under the latest settlement agreement, Salazar would be awarded $130,000 -- $80,000 of which would go to her attorney -- she would be reinstated into the Citizen's Patrol Group and recognized as the sole founder.

Her only problem now is Couso-Vasquez, who has said he would rather go to trial then agree to the settlement.

Here's a councilwoman who is willing to fight for what she believes in...

Monetary demands in Montebello settlement increase over wording on plaque
By Amanda Baumfeld, Staff Writer
Posted: 07/15/2009 08:19:03 PM PDT

A $130,000 lawsuit filed by City Councilwoman Kathy Salazar could have been settled for $25,000, but the parties could not agree on the wording for a city plaque, according to court documents obtained Wednesday.

Claiming she was wrongfully booted from the Citizen's Patrol Group, which is administered by the Police Department, Salazar filed the suit in 2007. She named the city and former Police Chief Garry Couso-Vasquez as defendants.

Before her November 2007 re-election to the council, Salazar asked for $25,000, reinstatement into the patrol group and to be recognized as its sole founder, according to a statement of facts filed by the city and agreed to by both sides.

The city wanted to list her

The settlement agreement and other court documents describing the negotiations on a plaque as a co-founder, according to the documents.
"The city kept saying, `no, no, no,' and the price kept going up, up, up," Salazar said. "We went to mediation three times because I just wanted to finish this.

"It was important to me to be named as founder and to be reinstated. The money thing was for the attorney."

Under the latest settlement agreement drafted June 29, Salazar would be awarded $130,000, reinstated into the Citizen's Patrol Group and recognized as the sole founder.

Salazar would get $50,000, and $80,000 would go to her attorney, Michael McGill of Lackie, Dammeier and McGill. The firm also represents the Montebello Police Officers Association.

Read more.

Councilwoman Kathy Salazar is being accused of conflict of interest and financial misconduct stemming from a vote she cast to approve the Athens Services trash contract, Amanda Baumfeld reports.

The suit was filed in superior court last month by Montebello resident Mike Torres. In the complaint, he accuses the council of abusing the public process. Salazar denied all allegations.

Baumfeld rounds out a comprehensive story here....

As requested, here is a .pdf that includes the list of 24 cities in the San Gabriel Valley that details pension and retiree medical costs.

Retiree costs city by city[1].pdf

Top five highest pension costs in 2007-08

1. El Monte: $12.1 million    Total employees: 327

2. West Covina: $9.2 million   Total employees: 429

3. Montebello: $7.8 million    Total employees: 428

4. Arcadia: $6.7 million   Total employees: 286

5. Sante Fe Springs: $6.5 million   Total employees: N/A

Montebello Councilman Robert Urteaga is being sued for fraud, Amanda Baumfeld reports. The lawsuit comes several years after Urteaga was charged with grand theft, a felony.

Cities across the San Gabriel Valley -- except for Rosemead -- are pulling the plug on community events like July 4 parades and Easter Egg hunts, Alfred Lee reports.

Gregg Industries is getting ready to close in a month, but employees are working just as hard as they normally do. And when they are out of a job, many are wondering where they will go, Rebecca Kimitch reports.

If there's no sign telling you that you're entering the San Gabriel Valley, how will you know? Well, one group of people is proposing that a bridge become the area's welcoming sign, Nathan McIntyre reports.

That's what a group of Montebello residents are hoping for. They recently filed recall papers against the two City Council members -- Kathy Salazar and Robert Urteaga -- based on a laundry list of grievances.

For Salazar, there's allegations of money laundering, ethical misconduct and supporting special interests.

For Urteaga, there's allegations of lying to the public and also supporting special interests.
Amanda Baumfeld wrote a story in today's paper detailing the recall effort and a DA review into Salazar.

Recall supporters will be out at a rally today at 4:30 p.m. in front of City Hall, 1600 Beverly Blvd.

Have you ever paid $426 to watch the Angels play?

Montebello City Administrator Richard Torres has --- well, sort of.

Torres has been fined $426 by the Fair Political Practices Commission for accepting 12 free tickets on three separate occasions from City Attorney Marco Martinez in 2005, Amanda Baumfeld reports.

Torres summed up the fine to a goof: he reported all the gifts, but just didn't know there was an imposed limit on the value of the gifts at that time. The tickets were valued at $516, exceeding the 2005 FPPC gift limit by $156.

Apparently, some of the tickets were for the Diamond Club, which seats fans behind home plate.

Angels' tickets range anywhere from like $10 to as much as $80.

This just in from Amanda Baumfeld:

MONTEBELLO - The City Council will decide if they will spend $7 million in bond monies on projects in the area around the Montebello Hills.

Possible projects the bonds could fund include reconstruction of the Taylor Ranch, which was demolished in December; street improvements along Whittier and a performing arts center feasibility study among others.

If projects are funded with the tax-exempt bonds 85 percent of the projects have to be completed in three years.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. At City Hall, 1600 Beverly Blvd.

In the spirit of the New Year, this week's Leftovers column looked at the "Top 5" news stories based on reader comments and interest on the blog:

It's 2009 and there's no telling what tidings the new year will bring our local cities. But before we dive in, let's take a look back.

Here's a list of five stories that garnered the most comments and interest from blog readers in 2008 (in no particular order):

*In May, accusations surfaced that El Monte Mayor Ernie Gutierrez showed up at a sister city event drunk and shouting vulgarities. The allegations kicked up a whirlwind in City Hall, and criticism from residents who questioned Gutierrez's ethical standards as an elected officials. An in-house investigation cleared Gutierrez of the allegations.

But soon after, the mayor was arrested on allegations he was involved in a domestic argument with someone he was dating -- and not his wife. Charges weren't filed, but some City Council members expressed disappointment over the incident. Gutierrez eventually was removed from a commission over the arrest.

*Three Valleys Municipal Water District member Xavier Alvarez was found guilty in July of violating the Stolen Valor Act of 2005, which makes it a crime to lie about receiving certain medals.

He was sentenced to three years probation, and was fined $5,000 for falsely claiming to be a Medal of Honor recipient.

Alvarez continues to sit on the board and faces more legal trouble. He faces three felony charges for grand theft of personal property, insurance fraud and misappropriating public money.

*South El Monte Mayor Blanca Figueroa recently received international acclaim when her colleagues voted to ban her from working in her City Hall office past 11 p.m.

Figueroa has a habit of working late -- sometimes as late as 3 a.m. -- and some of her colleagues have accused her of living her in office.

She's denied those claims, but does admit to making the office her own. She decorates it with accolades, photos, beta fish, plants, a plasma television and snacks.

*A Montebello trash contract dispute that already was getting a lot of attention took an interesting turn when a group leaked documents detailing City Councilman Robert Urteaga's criminal history on the Internet.

In 1998, he pleaded no contest to grand theft of personal property totaling $30,000, according to court documents.

Urteaga said his conviction dated back to his years as a UCLA student when he was 21. Putting himself through school, he took up sports gambling to make extra money. He said he was remorseful.

*Baldwin Park school board member Sergio Corona is serving three years probation for a misdemeanor charge stemming from his May arrest.

The board's youngest member pleaded guilty in October to resisting arrest and obstructing a police officer. He was sentenced to one day in jail, fined $150 and was ordered to pay $100 in restitution fees, she said.

Corona, 34, was Tased and arrested on May 22 after allegedly breaking the windows of a home on Sandstone Street while shirtless and sweaty.

Following the incident, Corona then faced a myriad of criticism from parents and City Council members, especially over initial police reports that said Corona admitted he had smoked methamphetamine and marijuana the night he was arrested.
Subsequent toxicology reports did not support those allegations and Corona denied the claims. He did, however, say he took "full responsibility" for the arrest.

Montebello officials don't want their underage residents puffing on cigarettes they're not old enough to buy.

So they're thinking about adopting a tobacco ordinance that would enforce stricter rules on businesses that sell tobacco, Amanda Baumfeld reports.

Currently, if a Montebello business sells tobacco to a minor the clerk who sold it is cited and could get a fine of about $200, Gordon said.

Under the proposed ordinance the business owner would be responsible.

After the first offense a business would be banned from selling tobacco products for 30 days. The second offense would result in a 90-day license suspension. And if a third offense occurs in a 60-month period the seller's license would be suspended indefinitely, Gordon said.

Montebello Councilwoman Kathy Salazar is still suing the city she serves because she was booted out of a community patrol group. But Salazar is definitely not the first council person to sue a city.

One example is El Monte Councilwoman Emily Ishigaki sued El Monte several years back, according to this story. Do you know of any other council members who have sued the cities they served?

Ishigaki settles with El Monte council
Whittier Daily News, The (CA) - Thursday, September 4, 2003
Author/Byline: Karen RubinStaff Writer
Section: News

EL MONTE -- The El Monte City Council approved a settlement with Councilwoman Emily Ishigaki , who agreed to drop her lawsuit against the city, officials announced Wednesday.

In a closed-session meeting Tuesday, Mayor Ernie Gutierrez and councilmen Art Barrios and J. Gomez voted to approve Ishigaki's proposal. Councilwoman Pat Wallach was absent and Ishigaki recused herself.

The 59-year-old Ishigaki says she is relieved it's over. "I truly appreciate the sensitivity of the City Council," she said. "It was a huge misunderstanding and at times it was hurtful, but being patient worked everything out."

The terms of the proposal are spelled out in a Wednesday letter from Michael B. Montgomery, Ishigaki's attorney. Ishigaki has agreed to resign voluntarily and will not have to pay back approximately $27,500, the money she earned working from March 20, the day she was sworn into office, to July 17, the day she was forced to resign.

In addition, she is entitled to her retirement benefits and accrued sick leave and vacation. She can also pursue retirement benefits with the Public Employees Retirement System.

The final settlement will be signed by Sept. 23 or sooner, said El Monte City Attorney Clarke Mosley. "This is a case of misunderstanding," Mosley said. "Mrs. Ishigaki operated under the honest belief that she could (work for the city) while in office."

Mosley said his firm made a mistake when they told Ishigaki she could continue working for the city while serving on the City Council. "We though it would not be a ... conflict," Mosley said. "We missed it. We honestly missed it."

In June, Ishigaki sued the city for an undetermined amount of money and "declarative relief" over a dispute concerning the amount of her final salary that could affect her retirement benefits. Ishigaki was forced to retire July 17 because a state mandate forbids a city employee to be sworn into office unless they resign. Ishigaki says she planned to retire Aug. 1.

Ishigaki claimed the city was cheating her out of $108,000 in retirement. Under CalPERS, a retired person's monthly retirement is based on the highest salary made during the last year of employment. For this to occur, Ishigaki, who earned $82,000 per year, needed to retire Aug. 1.

Under the August date, she would be eligible to $680 per month in state retirement. -- Staff Writer Cindy Arora contributed to this story.

Think your city is hot stuff?

Find out this weekend. Reporter Daniel Tedford is working on a story about the top cities in the San Gabriel Valley. Tedford is using a CNN/Money Magazine formula to rank the cities based on housing affordability, job growth, marriage and divorce rates, commutes, school test scores, and crime rates.

Just a heads up, you'll likely be VERY surprised to see whose at the top and bottom of the list.

This just in from reporter Amanda Baumfeld:

The Montebello City Council meeting got a little rowdy on Wednesday.

Resident Chris Robles filed a police report accusing John Edwards of assaulting him during the meeting.

Edwards was the campaign manager for Councilmembers Kathy Salazar, Mary Anne Saucedo Rodriguez and Robert Urteaga. Robles has been instrumental in working with independent trash haulers in a political controversy against Athens Services.

Accounts the incident are different from both men. Edwards claims he tapped Robles on the arm to get his attention and wanted to talk to him outside. But Robles said Edwards grabbed his shoulder and said "you come here I want to talk to you."

Robles then told Edwards not to touch him. Edwards said he walked away but Robles said he ensued and threatened his girlfriend.

In the middle of the council meeting Robles shouted, "Sir if you touch me again that's assault."

At that time both men said the meeting stopped and turned toward them.

Robles and his girlfriend filed a police report against Edwards after the meeting. He said the police are investigating.

Edwards said, "The report is BS and nothing is going to come of it."

There are some pretty loaded accusations made by Councilman Roger Hernandez about Councilman Steve Herfert. The letter below was sent from Hernandez to City Manager Andrew Pasmant last month, and it appeared in my inbox yesterday.

City Hall is closed today, so I will not be able to confirm any of these accusations. Herfert could not be reached for comment.

I'm not even sure if this is worthy of a story. The first reaction when I told collegaues about this was, "Here we go again." West Covina Council members always seem to be bickering. But then, they are not the only ones.

Here's the letter:

From: Roger Hernandez, MPA
Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2008 4:48 PM
To: Andrew Pasmant
Cc: Frank Wills
Subject: Formal request for assistance with respect to closed session

Andy,

I am writing in order to make two formal requests, which I have outlined below.

As you are aware, during the closed session of September 2, 2008, Councilmember Herfert directed several loud and threatening statements towards me. Specifically, he directed the following comments towards me: "We're gonna come after your ass," "If not us, someone else will, " and "We are gonna sue your ass." They were made in a physically aggressive manner, while leaning into my personal space and waving his finger in a confrontational manner, which made all staff and councilmembers visibly uncomfortable. I understood his statements and body language as making a threat upon my life and livelihood. As I noted to you then and the Chief of Police thereafter, these statements caused me to fear for my personal safety.

At that time, I asked for your assistance in documenting the events I described above. You responded, while throwing your pen upon your notepad, that you could do nothing because it was a closed session. I understand that information discussed during a closed session is confidential; however, Councilmember Herfert's comments, first of all, had nothing to do with any closed session item that was placed upon on the agenda and nothing to do with any matter for which we could have legally convened a closed session. Moreover, Councilmember Herfert's comments, which I deem to be a threat upon my life, may be criminal activity. I would think that criminal conduct, in the form of battery or assault, for example, cannot be protected from disclosure. Therefore, I believe that Councilmember Herfert's comments were not confidential. They were stand-alone personal attacks upon me and, whether criminally actionable or not, should not be permitted.

In addition, I understand that as a councilmember, I have a right to feel safe when attending to my duties as an elected official. As councilmembers, we all do. Therefore, at this time, I'd like to make the following two requests:

1.) I would like law enforcement personnel to be present during all closed sessions. I have contacted the Chief of Police in order to request his assistance in this regard. I was, in fact, absent for twenty-five minutes of open session due to both my fear and my desire to properly document the events that had transpired with the appropriate authorities. Had there been law enforcement present during the closed session, I may have had the opportunity to join my fellow councilmembers at the beginning of the meeting. This should not happen again.

2.) I would like all closed sessions to be tape-recorded in order to potentially deter further attacks and also for evidentiary reasons, should there be a need to take further action.

Lastly, I would like to note for the record that Councilmember Herfert's conduct was, at minimum, unprofessional and alarming for the other councilmembers present. His actions undermine the institutional foundations of our governance: Intimidating other councilmbers is inimical to productive discussion and action. It further undermines our duties as elected officials and the proper execution of our responsibilities. As Councilmember Herfert should know, terror is not conducive to the creativity and hard work necessary to overcome the challenges faced by our City.

Please confirm that you have received this email and advise me of your conclusion with respect to my requests.

Roger Hernandez

This just in from reporter Amanda Baumfeld:

With the endless controversy that seems to emit from Montebello City Hall it appears they are attempting to promote themselves in a better light.

The council voted unanimously to add the position of city spokesperson to staff. The public information officer will be paid between $61,764 and $75,096. Not a bad salary for a time when most cities are in debt and have hiring freezes on their hands.

A staff report indicates, "there is a need to provide timely information of an often crucial nature to the public through the use of press releases, articles, message boards, announcements, flyers and broadcast."

No word on who they will hire or when the new spokesperson will start.

Not a whole lot of city news in today's paper, but that's mainly because of this great package on a nationwide raid by the feds on the Mongols Motorcycle Club, which has roots in Montebello.

If you haven't already, you should check it out...

This just in from reporter Amanda Baumfeld:

I found this to be pretty interesting.....

Councilwoman Mary Anne Saucedo-Rodriguez was set to discuss a possible limit on campaign contributions at an Oct. 8 meeting. It was an listed under her council oral but for whatever reason she opted not to discuss it.

The agenda for Wednesday's meeting is out and I thought Saucedo-Rodriguez would have moved the item to this week. But it happens to be left off the agenda.

Perhaps the councilwoman gave the idea a second thought

Reporter Amanda Baumfeld wrote a very telling piece this weekend about the effects an exclusive trash contract with Athens Services in Montebello could mean for local independent trash haulers.

Apparently, the refuse business goes way back for many Montebello Armenian families:

The 15-year agreement, worth $7.8 million annually, grants Athens exclusive rights to all trash hauling in the city. It phases out contracts with the 13 independent haulers who currently collect trash in commercial areas.

"It's the most precious thing to the Armenians to maintain their culture," Hagopian said. "But if you don't have business in the city you have to move and you lose those bonds that are hundreds of years old. What a terrible thing to lose."

Amanda Baumfeld hits a homerun in her story about Montebello Councilman Robert Urteaga's criminal record. Baumfeld said that she had the information several weeks ago. Earlier this week, http://www.stopathens.com/ posted info about Urteaga's record.

Urteaga was accused in 1999 of five counts of check forgery and one count grand theft.

In a July 1999 plea agreement between Urteaga and prosecutors, the forgery counts were dropped by the district attorney, according to court documents.

Urteaga, 33, is the youngest Montebello councilman to be elected in the city's history.

As a side note, any member of the public can find out whether anyone has a criminal record. But where to look and how much to pay sometimes discourage people, including reporters, from looking. Los Angeles County Superior Court charges $4.75 to run a criminal case index.

So I guess what I'm saying is that we don't always run criminal reports on council members, unless we get tips. (hint, hint.)

 Montebello trash fight reveals councilman's criminal record
By Amanda Baumfeld, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 10/15/2008 11:42:17 PM PDT

Urteaga court documents MONTEBELLO - A fight over a trash contract turned to mud slinging when a group opposed to the plan put materials from a City Councilman's criminal record on the Internet.

In 1998, Councilman Robert Urteaga pleaded no contest to grand theft of personal property totaling $30,000, according to court documents.

"When I ran for office, I knew eventually someone would dig into my background and dig this up," Urteaga said. "I just don't think that this incident happening 10 years ago is a true reflection of who Robert Urteaga is."

Details of the conviction have been on a Web site opposing the city's proposed contract with Athens Services since Oct. 9.

Urteaga along with Councilwomen Kathy Salazar and Rosie Vasquez became a target for independent trash haulers after they voted in favor of a contract with Athens Services in July.

The exclusive 15-year contract, worth about $7.8 million annually, provides Montebello with $500,000 and 7.5 percent of gross receipts from commercial accounts. It phases out contracts with the 13 independent haulers who currently collect trash from commercial areas.

More recently the same council majority voted to postpone a decision on placing a proposed referendum on the ballot. The measure would put the Athens contract to a popular vote.

The criminal complaint filed by the District Attorney's Office in February 1999 accused Urteaga of five counts of check forgery and one count grand theft.

In a July 1999 plea agreement between Urteaga and prosecutors, the forgery counts were dropped by the district attorney, according to court documents.

Urteaga said he accepted responsibility for his conviction, is remorseful and wants to move forward.

"Mine is a story of success, and I didn't let this one incident destroy my life," Urteaga said. "I am a big believer in second chances."

Nonetheless, independent trash haulers are questioning Urteaga's role on the City Council and his support of the Athens deal.

"He really has no ethics in politics or in business," said Aron Patrosian, a trash hauler. "Politically it doesn't look good; he swept it under the carpet and hoped no one would see it."

The conviction dates back to Urteaga's years as a UCLA student when he was 21, he said. Putting himself through school, he took up sports gambling as a means to make extra money, he added.

The councilman said he got in over his head and started losing, so he made bigger bets.

"I got into trouble with people you don't want to get in trouble with. I took money that didn't belong to me," Urteaga said. "My mistake was I didn't ask for help. I was too embarrassed."

The money was taken from a friend he worked for at the time, Urteaga said. He performed 60 days of community service with Caltrans and paid off his debt. He was on probation through November 2002.

Urteaga's older brother Armando, vice president of the East Whittier School District School Board, refers to the incident as a "bump in the road."

"We do things when we are younger, and we don't realize how it can impact the rest of our lives," Armando said. "With Robert, he's learned from his stupid silly mistakes, and he is trying to move forward."

Still the conviction has some residents and the mayor asking whether can Urteaga can hold political office?

"It's very disheartening," Montebello Mayor Bill Molinari said. "There is no question that politically it's very damaging to be involved with grand theft and forgery."

Montebello has no laws that would prevent a felon from running for office, according to City Administrator Richard Torres.

"There is no disqualifying factor that prohibits Urteaga from holding office or participating in any duties as a council member," said City Attorney Arnold Alvarez-Glasman.

A law signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in July targeted office holders with felony convictions. But grand theft was not covered in the proposal, authorities said.

"Certain felony convictions prevent those from holding office, but grand theft is not one of them," said Dave Demerjian, head of the District Attorney's Office Public Integrity Division. "Forgery would have prevented him from holding office, but the fact that he was not convicted and only charged (with forgery) would not disqualify him."

Police Chief Dan Weast, who endorsed Urteaga's campaign when he was president of the Montebello Police Officers' Association, refused to comment on Urteaga's conviction.

Vasquez and Salazar remain in support of Urteaga.

"If people want to dig into my personal record, I will accept what comes forward," Urteaga said. "They are trying to pressure me to resign, and I am not going to let them. I am going to fight this."