| The Rise and Fall of Edward Escareno. The Rise and Rise of Rosario Marin. Why the D.A's office protects Rosario Marin Posted Monday, March 27, 2006 Editor, WatchOurCity.com |
| Huntington Park, CA - On December 8, 2000, Ed Escareno first filed his Candidate’s Statement Form for Member of City Council. The Committee to Elect Ed Escareno was formed around the same time. Then on December 20, 2000, Escareno receives, in what is more a symbolic gesture, his first ever political contribution of $100 from Alvaro A. Marin, husband of then Huntington Park council member Rosario Marin, the soon-to-be US Treasurer. Ed Escareno was an unemployed registered Republican at the time he filed his candidate application. The $100 donation made by Mr. Marin on 12-20-00 was the only reported donation received by Escareno’s election committee for the period covering January 1, 2000 through December 31, 2000, according to public record document “California Form 460” filed with the city clerk’s office. This form and subsequent campaign contribution submittal forms filed by Escareno all stated that Karina G. Lara was the Treasurer. Karina’s official mailing address on the form matches candidate Escareno’s home address. Allegedly, Karina Lara was living with Escareno. Public documents reviewed by WatchOurCity.com reveal that Escareno was married at the time, but not to Karina G. Lara. Ms. Lara is the niece of councilman John Noguez. Public court documents show that a Proof of Service of Summons (Family Law), part of divorce proceedings (case number VD 043 269), was served on Edward Avila Escareno at 7: 00 A.M. on November 11, 2000, a Saturday. The summons document indicates that it was delivered to Escareno’s “home” and that it was “personally delivered to the person served”. The address where he was served that morning was not in Huntington Park, but in the city of La Mirada, California. The summons was served in his La Mirada address roughly one month before Escareno officially files his paperwork to be a council candidate in Huntington Park. Rosario went on to endorse Edward Escareno for his successful campaign. Escareno listed his occupation as a "Businessman/Police Volunteer". Public records in the County of L.A.'s Registrar-Recorders' office do no show any filings or record of Escareno ever having a business. He was a police volunteer and had a close relationship with Randy Narramore, the recently fired/retired Chief of Police. Same pattern with council member John Noguez. Noguez buys a four unit apartment complex on the northeast corner of Stafford and Clarendon in Huntington Park barely one month before he files for elective office in Huntington Park. Rosario Marin went on to endorse Noguez's slate in 2003, presided over their victory party, and presided over their swearing in ceremonies. Escareno was the campaign manager for the campaign slate of Noguez, Hernandez and Gomez. That's when Escareno is elected as the city's mayor by a slate that he now controlled, and by extension was in Rosario Marin's control. Then city contracts started going to a close knit group of Rosario Marin supporters worth millions of dollars. That's also when preschool funding was dropped to ZERO dollars. Little league fees were raised 100% and adult baseball league fees were raised from $6,000 per year to $30,000 per year. Escareno's summons document was filed by the Los Angeles Superior Court on November 2, 2001. It is puzzling why Escareno would be at another address other than his listed Huntington Park home, when public records show that he, his wife and a third party have owned the Huntington Park residence. Was Escareno not living in Huntington Park at the time? On January 28, 2004 the city clerk’s office in Huntington Park files Councilman Escareno’s most recent campaign contribution statement Form 460 for the period covering July 1, 2003 through December 31, 2003. One day later, on 1-29-04 Escareno executes an amendment to the form. The reason for the amendment is stated as “Change in name of Treasurer”. Karina G. Lara’s name no longer appears on Escareno’s campaign form. Karina G. Lara was also the listed campaign committee “Treasurer” for Ofelia Hernandez and Mario Gomez. She is campaign treasurer to one of two campaign committees for Mayor John Noguez. WatchOurCity.com reported that councilman Escareno had a romantic relationship with a school teacher from Playas De Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico. Included in that report was a reference to a December 2003 article appearing in that city’s newspaper, Ecos de Rosarito, that alleged a romantic relationship between the then-Mayor of Huntington Park and the school teacher. Playas de Rosarito is one of Huntingting Park's official "Sister Cities". Public funds are expanded in official travel and cultural exchanges. WatchOurCity.com reported that Escareno had charged to public funds a lavish, unprecedented and highly questionable $25,001 in combined travel expenses during the last two completed fiscal years, according to the city’s 2004-2005 Budget Report. Part of those travel costs included reportedly “official” trips to Playas de Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico, a Sister City to Huntington Park. Additionally, WatchOurCity.com reported that between December 2003 and January 2004, Escareno had charged to public funds approximately $1,600 in cell phone charges: reportedly, calls to a single phone number in Playas de Rosarito. Escareno became a one-term councilman, having lost the March 2005 elections, along with three-term council member Ric Loya. For an incumbent, Escareno had such dismal results on election night, that he ended up at 7th place out of eight candidates. Exactly five years to the day since his very fist $100 campaign donation on 12-20-00, Edward Escareno was convicted on December 20, 2005 for "Grand Theft" in Los Angeles Superior Court. The conviction was kept stealthily quiet by the D.A's office until WatchOurCity.com broke the story on January 16, 2006, based on an anonymous tip. The D.A's office had not issued a press release nor was the media alerted. Its Public Integrity unit seemed to want to keep Escareno's conviction very quiet. What was the reason? Rosario Marin and L.A. County's District Attorney Steve Cooley are Republican buddies. He appointed her to a Blue Ribbon commission looking into L.A. County Jail irregularities in April 2005. Rosario Marin recommended the endorsement of Steve Cooley during his initial successful campaign for District Attorney. Marin was State Republican Party Secretary before she moved to Washington D.C to serve as U.S. Treasurer. Marin was on the Republican Party's committee that endorsed Republican candidates. Steve Cooley has a lot to be thankful for to Rosario Marin. On February 1, 2006, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger travels to Huntington Park City Hall to announce in council chambers to a room-full of reporters and T.V cameras that Rosario Marin was being named to head the State's Consumer Affairs Department. Contrast this with the timing of Escareno's conviction, and Rosario's appointment by the Governor, the D.A's silence on the conviction, and any reasonable person can wonder if an official cover-up took place to prevent damage to Rosario's appointment due to her close association with her protege Escareno. Escareno recently became the father of an infant child. The mother is Perla Huerta, the teacher from Playas de Rosarito in Baja California. They are living somewhere in Huntington Park. Notes: 1. Source of Data: Candidate Statement filed in the City Clerk's Office in the City of Huntington Park, CA 90255. 2. Los Angeles Superior Court documents. |
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