| Did Mayor John Noguez Live in the City of Montebello While Seeking Public Office in Huntington Park? Ex-Councilwoman Linda Guevara was Convicted for Lying about where she lived. September 7, 2004 By WatchOurCity.com Huntington Park- During December of 2000, John Noguez filed his candidate statement for City Treasurer. He also filed his first Campaign Statement Form 460 in the City of Huntington Park. A few months before, John Noguez filed a Fictitious Business Name Statement for M.A.N. Properties in June 2000. On the form filed with the County of Los Angeles Records Recorder's Office, Noguez lists his “Residence Street Address” not in Huntington Park, but in the city of Montebello, California. Form 460 reports campaign contribution activity for the "Noguez Campaign Committee" for the period covering January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2000. His campaign treasurer, Felipe Castaneda notes on Noguez's Form 460 for year 2000 that Noguez's first contribution received was for $500 on December 22, 2000 (Schedule "A", Monetary Contributions Received). The same form lists John Noguez's address as 6214 Stafford Avenue, Unit B, in Huntington Park. The campaign treasurer Felipe Castaneda lists a Montebello address for his place of residence on Noguez's Form 460. Schedule B of Noguez’s Form 460 indicates that his committee received two loans: one from M.A.N. Properties on December 3, 2000 for $680; and one from the candidate himself for $600 on December 8 of 2000. The M.A.N. Properties loan listed a Post Office Box in Montebello, contradicting Noguez's address as listed on Huntington Park's Form 460, but matching the city of residence as listed in his Fictitious Business Name Statement filed with the County of L.A. only seven months before. Reported also on Schedule "D" (Expenditures Supporting Other Candidates) is the date that Noguez allegedly made a contribution of $100 to "Martha Escutia For Senator": June of 2000. This is same month that John Noguez filed the Fictitious Business Name Statement for M.A.N. Properties listing his residence in Montebello. Noguez listed the contribution to State Senator Martha Escutia on his campaign statement Form 460 while officially a candidate for Huntington Park City Treasurer while at the same time filing a fictitious name statement listing his "Residence"address in Montebello. City residents can reasonably assume that if a campaign filing statement is made by a candidate, it is taken as fact that the candidate indeed lives in the city where he is running for elective office. WatchOurCity.com reported on August 23, 2004 regarding the $15,580 political campaign contributions made by M.A.N. Properties to city council candidates Escareno, Gomez and Hernandez – including Noguez's own campaigns. In the report, WatchOurCity.com questioned why Noguez had not reported the business interest in M.A.N. Properties (click here for link). WatchOurCity.com reviewed a "certified copy" of a Fictitious Business Name Statement filed by John Noguez on June 2000 with the Records Recorder's Office of the County of Los Angeles. The Registrant of Record is John Noguez as well as Liliana Guerrero. Additionally, the form indicates that "This Business is conducted by Husband and Wife". What is most striking is the Registrant's address: Under "Residence Street Address" for John Noguez, the address listed is "1012 W. Beverly Blvd, #310, Montebello, CA 90640". The same address is listed for Liliana Guerrero. As a "Principal Place of Business", again, the same Montebello address is noted. One month before John Noguez files as an official candidate for City Treasurer in December 2000, he purchases a 4-unit rental income property located at 6214 Stafford Avenue in Huntington Park, which becomes his official city address on California Forms 460 and 700 and candidate statements. He signs these forms under "penalty of perjury". Noguez Statement of Economic Interest Form 700 for year 2000 indicates that he "acquired" the Stafford Avenue property in Huntington Park on November 22 of 2000. He reports income for 3 of the 4 rental units on Form 700 for year 2000.Presumably Noguez lived in the 4th unit. The residents of Huntington Park are to believe that John Noguez moved into Huntington Park the day he acquired the Stafford Property on 11-22-00 in order to qualify for residency status to run as a candidate for Huntington Park City Treasurer one month later in December of 2000. Evidently, there are other public documents listing John Noguez’s address as being in Montebello while he held elective office in Huntington Park. On June 11, 2002, while John Noguez held the post of City Clerk in Huntington Park, Form 460 filed with the City of Los Angeles Ethics Commission lists his address as being in the city of Montebello, California. This document is posted on the City of L.A's Ethics Commission web site. Public records show that Noguez did buy a home in Huntington Park: in October of 2003, seven months after being elected to city council in March. Similarly, public court documents alleged that ex-councilwoman Linda Guevara had multiple homes: one in Huntington Park and one in Downey. Jurors found it hard to believe that her husband and son could live in Downey while she lived in Huntington Park while serving as councilwoman. Guevara was convicted, appealed and recently lost her appeal. Guevara's appeal is posted on the web site of the Los Angeles Superior Court. This public court document states that an anonymous tip to the District Attorney's office helped to launch an investigation of Guevara's residency in Huntington Park. The Superior Court document also alleges that Rosario Marin, then Huntington Park councilwoman, provided documents to the District Attorney's office during their investigation of Guevara. The Los Angeles Times reported that Guevara's conviction was the first under the District Attorney's Public Integrity Unit. In a related story posted by WatchOurCity.com on August 29, 2004, Councilman Ed Escareño noted on his official candidate statement form in 2000 that he had lived in Huntington Park for "the past 15 years". This is contradicted by a public court document that was allegedly served as a legal notice in his place of residence in November of 2000. The document was served in his home in La Mirada, and one month later, in December 2000, Escareño files his candidate statement form for Huntington Park city council. By law, all elected officials have to live in the city where they hold elective office in. A previous elected Official in the City of Huntington Park faced criminal charges. Ex- council member Linda Guevara had to abdicate her position as an elected official. "A Los Angeles Superior Court jury convicted Guevara of perjury for lying about living in Huntington Park" reported the Metropolitan New Service in August of 2004. It seems that on official Huntington Park forms and documentation John Noguez lists his address in Huntington Park; But on official forms and documentation with the City and County of Los Angeles, and the State of California, Noguez lists his address in Montebello. A note on John Noguez's current connection to the City of Montebello: John Noguez’s latest campaign contribution reports were just released for the period covering January 1, 2004 to June 30, 2004. The report states that he took in $5,000 in Monetary Contributions. He loaned his campaign $4,900; his campaign paid out $11,578. Nearly half of payments made from his campaign committee are made to a single individual in the city of Montebello: $4,650 in “Contributions” to a Christopher Robles on 18th Street. State Senator Martha Escutia reports on the State Secretary's website the she received John Noguez's $100 campaign contribution on "12-15-00" (not on "June 2000", as Noguez states in Huntington Parks Form 460). The State's website listing Noguez's contribution to Escutia also lists "Montebello, CA/90640" as Noguez's address (click here for link; name listed alphabetically by first name). This date is in direct contradiction to the date of "June 2000" that John Noguez indicated on Form 460 filed with the City Clerk's office in Huntington Park as the date he made a monetary contribution to Escutia. The Montebello address listed on the State's website places a direct conflict with John Noguez's candidate residency requirement and listed address in Huntington Park while he was officially a candidate for public office. Notes on Source of Data: 1. California Forms 460 and 700 filed in the City Clerk's Office in the City of Huntington Park, CA 90255. 2. Los Angeles Superior Court Public documents. 3. County of L.A. Registrar Recorder's office. 4. City of Los Angeles Ethics Commission Form 460. 5. State of California Secretary of State Public Campaign filing statements. Copyright © 2004, WatchOurCity.com, All rights reserved |
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