| Honor Among Thieves - Part 2 Depriving The Public of Honest Services. George Cole's fingers in Huntington Park cookie jar of politics and city contracts. Posted December 5, 2005 Update December 6, 2005 with Post Data The Editor, WatchOurCity.com Huntington Park, CA- One lives in a million dollar mansion with swimming pool in the nearby city of Downey. The other lives in cramped housing and attends the local YMCA's public pool since there is no municipal swimming pool here. One owns many restaurants selling tacos. He has every local official and dignitary attend each taco shop grand opening as if a grand public works project was just completed. He even had ex-city council member Rosario Marin make special appearances at his taco shop grand openings, despite her duties as U.S. Treasurer then. The other is the child of a family receiving federally subsidized WIC food vouchers and attends local federally designated Title I public schools and would most benefit from city services. One is a successful businessman looking out for his interests with close friends in city council. So who do City Council members see as more deserving of public funds benefiting the common good? Who does City Council choose to subsidize with tens of thousands of dollars in gifts of public funds? One is too innocent to figure that Huntington Park city council members have sold out the public benefit of his interests for the private benefit of a few select friends who consistently bat 400 with getting multi-million dollar city contracts. Just look at the city attorney billings from the city's warrant drafts of the past few months. First he gets selected in a closed-door session without competing bids. His contract calls for monthly billings of a not-to-exceed amount of $25,000. According to public record as reflected in the warrant drafts, the city attorney has billed three times that amount each month, for the past few months. That's $50,000 more per month that he's getting. City council members seem to go along with it all. Francisco Leal, Huntington Park's City Attorney, was a campaign donor to the troika candidate slate in 2003 of John Noguez, Ofelia Hernandez and Mario Gomez. City of Bell The City Clerk in the City of Bell was having a little difficulty fulfilling a simple Public Records request made by a local resident. The editor of a new watchdog website, www.WatchCityofBell.com is trying to get the website off the ground but encountered some bumps along the way. The Bell editor emailed WatchOurCity.com for tips on getting hold of some public records. According to the Bell editor, the City Clerk was quite cooperative and showed some good will with some data. One response in particular from Bell's City Clerk was disturbing because it seemed to be in clear violation of the most basic tenets of the California Public Records Act (see pocket guide to the California Public Records Act, click here for PDF document, Courtesy of the California First Amendment Coaliton). City of Bell officials should familiarize themselves with this document and bone up on it basic requirements. It's as if no one has ever asked for public records of campaign contributions. The simple request to get copies of campaign contribution statements from each council member, including George Cole, was met with the following official response from the Bell's Deputy City Clerk. "California Form 460 filed by each Council Member is available for inspection in City Hall during regular business hours through the City Clerk’s Office. Please note that there was no election conducted in 2003 and 2005 for the office of council member as the number of candidates in each election year did not exceed the number of council seats available to be filled; as such, none are on file at this time." Surely the city clerk in the city of Bell was at best uninformed about the requirements of the California Public Records Act. Public records are not subject to "inspection" only. According to the State's Public Records Act, when copies are requested by a member of the public, copies must be issued (the city may charge a nominal fee), not just made "available for inspection". Another local citizen who also contacted WatchOurCity.com, about a letter she wrote to Bell's City Clerk requested public records of campaign contribution statements filed by George Cole and gang. Evidently, this resulted in a quick about-face by Bell officials and the statements, technically known as "California Form 460" were promptly released. Campaign filing statements, or Form 460's, were sent free of charge. Now that's public service! What was the trick? It may have helped that the letter mentioned that the city of Bell was clearly in violation the California Public Records Act in the first place. Copies were issued post haste of freshly released campaign statements for council members George Cole, Victor Bello and Teresa Jacobo. So what is contained in those public records of campaign contributions? George Cole's fingers in Huntington Park cookie jar of politics and city contracts Copies of the campaign contributions statements for George Cole reveal some interesting connections between City of Bell Council member George Cole and Huntington Park's Juan Noguez. Public records indicate that each gave the other campaign contributions. Also, each shared the same campaign fundraiser: Conrado Terrazas. Public records show that George Cole gave Conrado Terrazas a total of $2,816 for "Fundraising Events" between January 1, 2004 and June 30, 2004. Conrado Terrazas wrote a glowing article on John Noguez in Adelante Magazine, a notable Latino Gay & Lesbian monthly magazine. Noguez makes some very questionable statements and twisted claims about his dubious accomplishments as an elected official. The article mentions that as the "first openly gay mayor in Southeast Los Angeles County" cities, the residents accept him for what he does for the community, not for his sexual orientation. Two of the claims that Noguez makes on the interview are that he spearheaded the new city's transportation program and increased the Meals-on-wheels program to senior citizens. Not mentioned was the fact that these were all contracts awarded to George Cole's Oldtimers Foundation. And he increased funding, which means that he just gave more money to George Cole. A recent audit of George's meals contract conducted by the County of L.A. uncovered certain mismanagement of the program. Cole protested the findings, but the County stood firm on its report (click here to see copy of report in PDF format). Noguez's two problems: One, Noguez was not honest with the voters when he ran for office in 2003 since he never mentioned he was gay. His lack of honesty and transparency became a Noguez trademark. Two, what he does in city council has not necessarily been in the best public interest. His many questionable official actions are so over the ethics and conflict-of-interest line, that one wonders if he has anyone covering his back. How questionable is it when John Noguez is voting on awarding city contracts to George Cole when they both share the same fundraising conslutant, Conrado Terrazas, who also used to be on the Oldtimers' payroll? Perhaps they believed nobody would be watching. The D.A.'s office does not even feint a passing interest at John Noguez' many questionable actions, starting with his residency status when he first was appointed to public office, including the unprecedented sums of campaign contributions during the 2003 elections. What was the real source of so much money poured into his team's campaign? Nearly $130,000 in contributions; $72,000 contributed by five individuals alone, $62,000 on the eve of the election night in March 2003 as evidenced in campaign contribution statements. Why the urgency to assure a council win for Rosario Marin's troika slate? A a clue lies in the post election public record. There were millions of dollars in contracts to be let by the city. A select group of Rosario's friends were in line to be recipients. No one could afford to loose even one candidate from Rosario's slate, least of all John Noguez, the most promising candidate. Mario Gomez and Ofelia Hernandez didn't realize they were just puppets since they had little going for them on their own. Indeed, The Rosario Marin-John Noguez Mentor-Protege team is prominently noted in a recent published book by Wiley Press and sold on Amazon.com, "Power Mentoring: How Successful Mentors and Proteges Get the Most Out of Their Relationships". The book lists the so-called "50 most important" Mentor-Protege relationships in the U.S. Huntington Park council member John Noguez is listed as Rosario Marin's prominent "Protege". I kid you not. Just go to Google.com or Amazon.com and type "Power Mentoring" and you'll see. It is widely known that Rosario Marin and Steve Cooley, L.A. County District Attorney, are Republican Party chums. He even appointed her to a blue ribbon commission looking into L.A. County inmate jailing irregularities, as reported by the L.A. Times. Back to Terrazas: John Noguez also paid Mr. Terrazas several thousand dollars for "Fundraising events", according to his California 460 forms filed with the city clerk's office. And why are Huntington Park council members just handing transportation contracts and senior housing management contracts hand over fist to good ol' boy George Cole? When as Huntington Park's Mayor, Juan "John" Noguez voted to award a nearly $4 million transportation contract to George Cole's Oldtimers Foundation/Fiesta Taxi team, then gave him a cool $100,000 for start-up capital to fulfill the term of the contract. So how was it that George Cole managed to get Huntington Park's nearly $4 million transportation contract against such odds when he was rated least competent out of four bidders? To get a clue, in an eerily similar case, Federal prosecutors convicted Keith McDonald, Director of the West Basin Municipal Water District in the nearby city of Carson on corruption charges for bribing Carson council members in a scheme to get a $6 million bus transportation contract (click here to see press release from the Department of Justice regarding the conviction). Federal prosecutors alleged that McDonald was "engaged in several corrupt activities". And "Specifically:" • That he paid three members of the Carson City Council $5,000 each in exchange for their votes in favor of a $6 million public bus service contract; • "That he demanded and received $30,000 in kickbacks in exchange for his support on a $3 million pipeline project; and • "That he solicited a $50,000 contribution to his California State Assembly campaign in exchange for his support of an expanded political consulting contract." The DOJ's press release further states: "McDonald did not directly accept the proceeds of his corrupt activities; rather, he funneled the funds through companies controlled by associates or other third parties. McDonald then fraudulently declared, under penalty of perjury in publicly filed documents, that he was employed as a salaried consultant for these companies, when in fact he merely routed his corruption proceeds through these businesses." Conrado Terrazas used to work for George Cole's Oldtimers Foundation. Terrazas also used to be a field rep under State Assembly member Jackie Goldberg. Evidently, Terrazas is now a political conslutant/fundraiser for both George Cole and Juan Noguez. George Cole, a die-hard Democrat, has only donated to Democratic State and Federal candidates. Curiously, George Cole gave a $1,000 contribution to Republican Party member Rosario Marin's U.S. Senate campaign against Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer in February 2004, according to public records of Federal campaign reports. The fundraiser was hosted by and held at Huntington Park city attorney Francisco Leal's home in Hancock park. Curiously, George Cole receives, courtesy of Huntington Park council members, an approximately $4 million transportation contract just a few days before Leal's fundraiser for Rosario Marin. John Noguez also gives $1,000 that evening. So does Victor Caballero of Fiesta Taxi, another co-host for the event, who teamed up with Cole's Oldtimers Foundations to ramrod their transportation contract of a square peg into a round hole. A third co-host of Marin's party at Leal's house, Vicente Ortiz (owner of Tacos Don Chente), and Irma Ortiz, his wife, donate $1,000 each to Marin that evening. Ortiz has a knack of getting $30,000 to $40,000 in public funds from Marin's proteges in city council for his shadowy META 2000 Group to put on one-day fiestas. The public money seemingly has no strings attached and no auditing is required. Vicente Ortiz is well connected to local and state politicians. Too well connected in fact that a recent baby shower was held for his child. The mother is a former staffer of termed out Assemblyman Marco Firebaugh and her name is not Irma. Curiously, George knows that the majority council vote in Huntington Park seems to be controlled by proteges of Rosario Marin. Marin tacitly endorsed the troika team in 2003 and actively campaigned for them as evidenced by her public appearances with her proteges, and by the campaign mailer and pictures in which she was prominently displayed while she was still a sitting U.S. Treasurer. They even throw in the picture of a Catholic priest, for good measure. Curiously, George Cole, Victor Caballero and Rosario Marin were listed as top endorsers of council member Elba Romo during the March 2005 race. Wonder who Romo has in mind when voting on million dollar contracts? Things just get curiouser and curiouser with George. George Cole: a presence to be reckoned with in Southeast L.A. County politics George Cole evidently keeps a tidy city, both literally and metaphorically, in the City of Bell, Huntington Park's easterly good-humor neighbor. Bell city streets are paved, parks are well maintained. Public funds have paid for reconstructed park facilities. In the case of one city park, it was reconstructed twice in less than ten years. Public funds have even been used to construct a tricked-out skateboard park on Gage avenue that on evenings and weekends is packed with families. Bell just can't put up enough parks with klieg lights for its residents. Another park is being planned on the north-east corner of Florence and Wilcox. Huntington Park elected official could learn a thing or two from such prodigious public facilities expansion projects, to say nothing of the well maintained public restrooms. But there is something off-kilter, something not right, lurking behind the family-friendly face of city hall. All the klieg lights point the spotlight on George Cole, and his shadow looms large. Quite revealing is the earlier statement from the City of Bell's Deputy City Clerk herself: There have been no challengers to incumbent council members in the City of Bell's last two elections of 2003 and 2005. When other local cities hold elections, even if it is just two council seats up for grabs, a whole slew of candidates suddenly materialize. The lack of challengers in Bell seems remarkable and, frankly, ominous. Why were there no candidates challenging George Cole during the March 2005 municipal elections in Bell or the previous two election cycles, when right next door in Huntington Park, no less than eight candidates challenged two incumbents? Nearby Lynwood saw a total of 16 candidates for three open council seats during the November 2005 elections. The city of Bell has no challengers against George Cole? Not even token opposition? Victor Bello and Teresa Jacobo spent less than $1000 total each for the last election. That, too, is remarkable. In 2003, Rosario Marin's troika slate of John Noguez, Ofelia Hernandez and Mario Gomez received close to $130,000. Some of that money came from George Cole himself ($500 to John Noguez). George Cole is a council member in Bell. He is also the CEO of the Oldtimers Foundation in Huntington Park. George is a board member of the Central Basin Municipal Water District. Mr. Cole's Bio on the Water District's website states (click here for link to http://www.centralbasin. org/board_dirs.php): "Named to the Central Basin Board of Directors in 2003, George Cole represents the cities of Bell, Commerce, Huntington Park, Maywood, Walnut Park, portions of Cudahy and Monterey Park, and unincorporated East Los Angeles. A longtime community leader, he currently serves as the Mayor Pro-tem of the City of Bell. Besides dedicating 19 years of service to the Bell City Council, Director Cole has been active in the Gateway Cities Council of Government, the Board of the County Sanitation Districts, the SCAG Transportation Committee and the L.A. Unified School District Redistricting Commission. Professionally, he is the Chief Executive Officer of a non-profit organization that builds senior housing and provides senior services." By all accounts, council member/CEO/Director Cole is doing such a great job running the city that no other candidate need apply. Or is there something darker lurking behind all those klieg lights in the city of Bell? George knows how to appear clean and not soil his hands. He has henchmen to do his bidding, it seems, in keeping the city opposition-free. One well placed call to an employer by one of Cole's henchmen can sure do wonders to scare off anybody even remotely suspected of rocking the boat and questioning agendas in Bell/Oldtimers Foundation. Bell City council contenders, elected officials, school principals and even L.A. Unified School District board members better watch their backs. George Cole runs a mean, if not always lean, machine. A recent high profile parent protest at Miles Avenue Elementary School in Huntington Park saw the unlikely pairing of parents and senior citizens coming out of nowhere gathering signatures. Even the local Spanish media's interest was piqued as top-level school district and elected officials met to discuss the protest issues. One of George Cole's presumed henchmen, Guillermo Roacho, reportedly tried to broker a knuckle-headed deal to make the embarrassing protest go away. Reportedly, Mr. Roacho disingenuously offered that the protest is in response to lack of cultural awareness on the part of the school officials currently in charge (Miles has a student enrollment that is 99.9% Latino and is on a year-round multi-track calendar). It is known that Enrique Aranda of the Oldtimers Foundation and top lieutenant/henchman of George Cole, has virtually postulated himself as a school board member candidate against incumbent David Tokofsky in LAUSD's next board member elections in 2007. In fact, Tokofsky speaks a better Castilian Spanish than even Huizar and Villaraigosa put together. Reportedly, Guillermo Roacho also offered to make protesters go away if the current school principal at Miles, a Latino, was replaced with Roacho's highly recommended pick, an LAUSD teacher and administrator who surely has that local community's interest at heart better than the Latinos themselves: a certain Judy Cole. That last name is no coincidence: Judy just happens to be George Cole's wife, curiously. 12-06-05 Post note: George Cole was quoted in an L.A. Times report appearing Tuesday 12-06-05 ("School Takeover Plan: Too Big An Assignment?"): "I mean, they still for the most part refer to 'L.A. city schools,' " said Cole, who noted that he is a Villaraigosa supporter. "That's a huge mentality there. Our communities outside the district, especially southeast cities, have been neglected, and that's a mild term." The report is about a School District take-over plan by L.A. City Mayor Villaraigosa. Does George have an agenda with regards to the school District? Imagine if the School District was broken up as Villaraigosa and gang want it to be, guess who has the gonads, but more importantly, the support of local elected officials, to be angling to take over not just Miles Avenue School, but could also envision running a school district in Southeast L.A. in the near future? Already George Cole has a built-in advantage and would be a step ahead of everyone else with all the key players in place: Enrique Aranda, Judy Cole and Guillermo Roacho would make fine future school board members. The attorney for this school district would be non other than Francisco Leal, selected in closed door session without competing bids, of course. For good show, throw in Huntington Park's mayor Ofelia Hernandez as another token board member. After all, she is the "Education Czar" here. The high profile, high power, well connected Rosario Marin and her protege Juan Noguez would be deployed to be in charge of a ballot initiative campaign and lead a traveling circus to each independent city in an effort to convince local elected officials and voters to go along with the plan, similar to her road show efforts for "No Child Left Behind" that left every child behind in this community. George Cole would marshal every able-bodied senior citizen served by the Oldtimers Foundation with his Meals- on-wheels and senior housing projects as foot soldiers and guaranteed absentee ballot voters, as he did to help Rosario Marin elect her Huntington Park Proteges. Even the local State Assemblyman and current Speaker of the House Fabian Nunez would throw his support in. He did officially endorse the Noguez election team, even making a personal appearance to kick-off their election race in January of 2003. A potential newly created break-away School District in Southeast L.A. County would have millions of dollars in contracts to award. And nobody would be watching, like they do now. Sound far fetched? Not really. Just look to the fine and tranquil neighboring city of Lynwood and the cozy relationship between city council and Lynwood Unified School District board members there. Councilman Ramon Rodriguez had his wife elected to the Lynwood Unified School District (each was voted out of office during the recent November 2005 elections under a cloud of questionable conflict of interest and ethics issues). Guess who is one of Lynwood Unified's attorneys? That's right, Francisco Leal. Oh, and Lynwood's mayor of some 17 years, Paul Richards, was recently convicted in Federal court on various corruption charges. He was accused of "conspiracy to commit extortion, fraud, money laundering and depriving the public of honest services." |
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