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Francisco Leal's Law Firm "Dismissed" as City Attorney in Commerce

Leal's Lobby Firm Legislative Advocacy Group was also "dismissed".

Posted Thursday April 21, 2005 1:00 pm
Expanded May 2, 2005 8:00 am
Editor, WatchOurCity.com

Huntington Park, CA - In a special city council session Wednesday evening in the City of
Commerce, city council voted to "dismiss" the firm of Leal & D ominguez LLP as city
attorney.

According to the city clerk, city council also dismissed its lobbying contractor, Legislative
Advocacy Group, Inc., owned by Francisco Leal, as posted on the State of California's
website of Lobbyist disclosure statements.

The city's agenda of the special council meeting held on the evening of Wednesday April
20, 2005, lists just 3 items (click PDF icon):
1. Open session: "Termination of agreement for lobbying services with Legislative
Advocacy Group, Inc."
2. Closed session: "consideration of personnel matters relating to discipline / dismissal /
termination of employment agreement(s).."
3. Close session: "City council and commission will consider personnel matters related to
appointment of interim City Attorney and Interim Commission Counsel..."

Reportedly, the law firm of Olivo and Plascencia was appointed as interim city attorney.

Francisco Leal is the city attorney in Huntington Park, appointed in closed door session in
2003, and under questionable circumstances and reportedly without competing bids (see
link to Wave Newspaper report). Leal's lobbying firm Legislative Advocacy Group is also
Huntington Park's Lobby contractor. As Huntington Park's City Attorney, Leal made a
daring pitch for city council's consideration of a $3,750/month proposal for his lobbying
firm, Legislative Advocacy Group. The appearance of Leal's conflict of interest seemingly
did not bother council members; they voted to hire him on as lobbyist.

Reportedly Francisco Leal has hired termed-out assemblyman Marco Firebaugh to ply his
new trade as a lobbyist with Legislative Advocacy Group. Marco's Rolodex and
presumably goodwill that he built with elected officials in his old Assembly District (Bell,
Bell Gardens, Cudahy, Lynwood, and South Gate) during his years in the California
Legislature will surely be put to good use by Francisco Leal.

During the 2003 council elections in which the campaign team of Noguez, Hernandez and
Gomez were running as a slate, they were endorsed not only Marco Firebaugh, but also by
fellow Assemblyman Fabian Nunez, now Speaker of the California Assembly. During that
election campaign Leal also made over $3,000 in contributions to then council candidates
Ofelia Hernandez and John Noguez.

Is it a coincidence that most, if not all, of Leal's city attorney contracts are concentrated in
Southeast Los Angeles County cities represented by Assemblyman Fabian Nunez and
Marco Firebaugh?

Is it also a coincidence that Francisco Leal's contracts are awarded in reportedly
non-competitive bids and mostly under closed door sessions?

More importantly, Marco's connections to the State Capitol will prove to be just as
important. Evidently, in the case of the City of Commerce, Firebaugh's influence and
goodwill there was not enough to keep both of Leal's attorney and lobby contracts from
being summarily "dismissed".

Marco Firebaugh is a graduate of Berkeley and of UCLA's Law School. First elected to the
California State Assembly in 1998, he served three consecutive terms until he was termed
out in November 2004. Reportedly, Marco briefly worked for Francisco Leal's law firm in
municipal practice before holding elective office. Leal and Firebaugh have a long standing
friendship that predates Marco's tenure in public office.

On November 17, 1999, barely a year after Marco Firebaugh's election as State
Assemblyman, the Los Angeles Times published an extensive report on the alleged
questionable political influence that Francisco Leal exerted on local elected officials in
Southeast Los Angeles County, cities that former Leal employee and apprentice Marco
Firebaugh represented, quite coincidentally.

According to the Times report, Leal would allegedly team up with influential State Capital
politicians such as termed-out former State Senator Richard Polanco to bully their way into
lucrative municipal contracts worth "hundreds of thousands of dollars per year".

The Times report also alleged that Leal would threaten retribution against any local city
council member who resisted awarding sweetheart contracts to his firm by financing recalls
against them. Apparently this was enough to scare up juicy city attorney contracts.

These questionable business development practices by Leal are probably not in the
attorney training manual at Harvard University, his alma mater. The Times report indicates
that alleged "coercion" of public officials took place in the cities of Bell Gardens,
Commerce, and Lynwood.

A current State Assemblyman, Dario Frommer, (D) Glendale, also worked under Leal's
tutelage in his law firm before being hired by then Gov. Gray Davis as his appointments
secretary.

Francisco Leal's attorney contract in Huntington Park is worth $300,000 a year.

Most recently, Leal quit as one of three attorneys from the Alhambra School District, on
the heels of planned board action to fire his firm, according to a report in the Pasadena Star
Newspaper. Allegedly, Francisco Leal was selected in questionable circumstances under
closed door session by a majority of school board members. Reportedly, one parent filed
suit alleging Brown Act violations

Reportedly Leal is currently one of Lynwood School District's attorneys. He is also a
lobbyist for neighboring cities of Maywood and Cudahy.

No official public statement was issued by the City of Commerce explaining the reason for
Francisco Leal's simultaneous "dismissal" as city attorney and city lobbyist.

Was it questionable billing practices?