| State Senator Martha Escutia Gives A $1,000 Donation to Elba Romo In 2001 Escutia Endorsed Escareño and also Gave him a Monetary contribution. March 8, 2005 Editor, WatchOurCity.com Huntington Park, CA - According to contribution statements submitted to the city clerk's office, council candidate Elba Romo reports that State Senator Martha Escutia gave her a $1,000 monetary contribution. It is curious that the State Senator, a Democrat, would be so generous with a candidate who is managed by a Republican (councilman Mario Gomez), is endorsed by Rosario Marin, a Republican, and has a running mate, Andy Molina, also a Republican. In 2001 Senator Escutia endorsed Ed Escareño, a Republican. Escareño is responsible for highly questionable use and outright misuse of public funds, as WatchOurCity.com has well documented for all to see. What is striking about Senator Escutia's involvement with councilman Escareño is the common link with Former US Treasurer Rosario Marin. If the good Senator would have done some preliminary investigation of Escareño back then, and presumably not taken Rosario Marin's word at face value, Escutia would have discovered that her endorsement and monetary contribution was made to a candidate without any means of support. Escareño was unemployed at the time. Rosario Marin sure knows how to find puppets to do her bidding. Someone from the Senator's office should have taken the time to take a 5 minute walk from her office down one building over to the County Recorder's office in Norwalk. The good Senator would have discovered that Escareño was deceiving her and the voters of Huntington Park, presumably with Rosario Marin's full complicity, falsely stating that he was a "Businessman", as his 2001 candidate statement indicates. Escutia would have discovered that Escareño in fact had no business or fictitious entity registered under his name. But nobody checked. Marin and Escareño got away with hoodwinking Senator Escutia. Escareño goes on to win a council seat. Marin even represented Escareño as a man of integrity to the voters in campaign mailers. Whatever that must mean to her. Rosario Marin's con and misrepresentation of Escareno's credentials for elective office was apparently so successful that she decided to try it herself, on a grand scale. Rosario Marin, too tried using the term "Businesswoman" during her failed US Senate race primaries. The Sacramento Bee reported in December of 2003 that Marin was sued in Sacramento Superior Court for her alleged use of the term "Businesswoman". Reportedly, the court found that in fact she was no "Businesswoman" and could only use the term "Former US Treasurer" on the 2004 California Primary Ballot. Marin reportedly appealed the decision. The term "Businesswoman" was not printed in any statewide primary ballot. If Marin is willing to be dishonest with voters in the entire state of California, what chance do voters in Huntington Park stand expecting any sort of honesty and integrity from Rosario and her pick of candidates? Senator Escutia must be painfully aware that her investment in Escareño has yielded horribly bad results as he continues to plunder public funds from 2001 to the writing of this article on the eve of election day, March 8, 2005. Escareño was been absent from four council meetings out of five this year alone, including this evening's meeting. Nobody seems outraged. The rest of city council says and does nothing. The other candidates are just as quiet. They are all eyeing the prize: almost $3,000 per month council pay that Escareño benefits from without even showing up to work. Great example Escareño is setting. They all allow Escareno to rip-off the city one more time. Mayor John Noguez, Ofelia Hernandez, Mario Gomez. Escareno quite literally walks away with close to $6,000 from public funds by not showing up at 4 of the 5 city council meetings this year and getting paid. The Mayor in Compton was indicted and convicted for $7,000 of alleged misuse of public funds, but at least he attended every meeting. The city clerk's office confirmed that Ed Escareno has not had any form of communication with the city explaining his absence. Where is the District Attorney's corruption unit? Rosario Marin does have a close relationship with District Attorney Steve Cooley. Last April, he appointed Rosario Marin to a special blue ribbon commission looking into L.A. County jail irregularities. Does Escareno think Rosario will protect him from the District Attorney's investigation? One would think that the good Senator would have learned something of a lesson by now from her dealings with Rosario. One can reasonably conclude that Senator Escutia's $1,000 campaign donation to Elba Romo is a form of atonement for the questionable judgement she exercised in associating with both Rosario Marin and Edward Escareno. Let's hope so. Source of Data: 1. Los Angeles County Registrar Recorder's Office 2. Campaign brochures by Elba Romo/Andy Molina 3. Public Record Information, City Clerk's office, Huntington Park, CA. |
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