| Posted 9-8-05 7:00 a.m. AB 11 Is Now California Law Approved by Governor Schwarzenegger on September 6, 2005. Huntington Park, CA - Assembly Bill Number 11 was authored by State Assembly member Hector De La Torre (D-Southgate). Huntington Park elected officials will suffer a drastic cut in salary and will curb appetites for similar salary abuses across cities in California. The new law eliminates loopholes in State law that allowed hungry elected officials a means to circumvent limits on base salaries. Elected officials created commissions that met, in the case of Huntington Park council members, for an average of 15 minutes twice a month and got paid the equivalent of $975 per hour, or a total of $1,950 a month, according to public records. This on top of their base salaries of $1,023 monthly. Mayor Ofelia Hernandez is unemployed. She, along with then Mayor Ed Escareno and council member Mario Gomez voted for themselves a sweet $350 monthly salary increase in commission pay on January 2004 when nobody was watching. It was a Happy New Year, indeed. John Noguez voted against the salary raise for the sake of appearances it seems, since quietly he's been taking home the extra dough, according to statements form the city clerk's office and public records. Council member Edward Avila Escareno was ousted from public office by the voters in March 2005. Escareno, the one-term council member, left an embarrassing and dubious legacy of his council tenure as evidenced by his misuse of public funds. The City of Huntington Park merited special recognition in the State Senate version of AB 11 which mentions that elected officials in this city represent an extreme example of such salary abuse which only served to crystallize the need for this new California law. Huntington Park elected officials are examples of other documented abuses as well which continue to be documented here on WatchOurCity.com since the site's inception on March 13, 2004. Ironically, the same Governor who signed AB 11 into law, curbing salary abuses by council members sitting on commissions, also appointed Rosario Marin to the State's Consolidated Waste Management Commission. Marin's pay: $122,000 per year. Reportedly, she has no other job. Four of the 5 Huntington Park council members here are proteges of Former U.S. Treasure Rosario Marin, also an ex-Huntington Park council member. Marin is the political den mother and mentor to elected officials here. She lives in Huntington Park zip code. It is a curious coincidence that Rosario's friends, such as city attorney Francisco Leal have lucrative city contracts. For a 5th Huntington Park council member, Marin endorsed, actively campaigned for, and became a political mentor and confidant. That 5th council member? Edward Avila Escareno. He spearheaded the ordinance giving himself the $350 salary raise, along with Ofelia and Mario. Escareno too was unemployed at the time. Escareno actively endorsed the 2003 campaigns of Juan Noguez, Ofelia Hernandez and Mario Gomez. Rosario Marin actively campaigned for Ed Escareno's city council race in 2001. She actively campaigned for the 2003 slate of Noguez, Hernandez, Gomez. Escareno was Rosario Marin's lackey in Huntington Park while she was U.S. Treasurer. Escareno, Rosario's favorite protege, openly boasted that he spoke to her on a daily basis while Marin was in D.C. When she was in town, he would literally hold her purse as he shadowed her on official and unofficial local events. Figuratively, Escareno would also hold her purse in other ways political, and when it came time to award lucrative city contracts to her friends. His mug relationship with Rosario led to a certain arrogance in his use of public funds that eventually led to his downfall in March 2005. Rosario Marin actively campaigned for the March 2005 council race of current council member Elba Romo. AB 11 reflects on Rosario Marin's legacy here. AB 11 reflects on the ethical conduct of her proteges. Click here to see new State law in its entirety See WatchOurcity.com Reports on AB 11: Report #1 Report #2 Report #3 Report #4 Report #5 |
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Government Ethics Champion - Asseblyman Hector De La Torre
