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Friday July 30, 2010

From The Editor,
WatchOurCity.com
July 8, 2010

The City of Maywood is not
alone in its incompetence in
failing to manage municipal
insurance requirements:

- "Washington, D.C. - Attorney
General Peter Nickles ordered
an investigation in June after
learning that the city's payroll
office had, over a seven-year
period, failed to remit the life-
insurance premiums deducted
from the paychecks of at least
1,400 employees. Already, one
employee had been told that
her policy had been canceled
because of the unremitted
premiums. (Until the
investigation is finished, it is
impossible to say which of the
two usual explanations of
chronic D.C. bureaucratic
dysfunction -- theft or "large-
scale human error" -- is
applicable.)" [Washington Post,
6-16-10]

Sometimes, during a council
meeting, you just have to
nuke'em with an F-bomb:

- "At a public meeting of the
Dixon, Calif., City Council in
May, Councilman Michael
Ceremello refused to yield the
floor to a colleague ("(Y)ou
don't have the floor. Please sit
back and shut the (F-word)
up")". [KOVR-TV (Sacramento),
6-3-10]

- "Paul Gogarty, a Member of
Ireland's Parliament, during a
public session in May,
answering the criticism of an
opponent ("With all due respect
... (F-word) you, Deputy Stagg,
(F-word) you.")." [Sky News
(Isleworth, England), 5-25-10]
(courtesy of News of the Weird)

Other times, outside of city
council too:

- "Toledo, Ohio - The day
before Mayor Carty Finkbeiner's
spokesman was suspended for
three weeks for allegedly using
vulgar language with an off-air
radio producer, the mayor
himself used a profanity during
a live interview broadcast. Mr.
Finkbeiner uttered the "f-word"
followed by "ruckus" to describe
the "few days" after his order
last week to cancel a Marine
Corps weekend-long urban
warfare exercise in downtown
Toledo and in some abandoned
buildings."

Talking of the military and the f-
word, military folk just have to
let loose an f-bomb once in a
while, especially while on-record
in an interview for a Rolling
Stone Magazine report (by
Michael Hastings, 'The Runaway
General' June 22, 2010), where
the f-word was liberally
sprinkled like raisins on a bowl
of oatmeal; some quotes from
the report (who would have
thought military dirty laundry on
Afghanistan war strategy would
be so fun to read? Must be like
'Catcher in the Rye' for West
Point cadets):

- "The Boss would find the 24-
year-old kid with a nose ring,
with some (f-ing) brilliant
degree from MIT, sitting in the
corner with 16 computer
monitors humming," says a
Special Forces commando who
worked with McChrystal in Iraq
and now serves on his staff in
Kabul. "He'd say, 'Hey – you (f-
ing) muscleheads couldn't find
lunch without help. You got to
work together with these guys.' "

And sometimes an
F-bomb literally means an F-
bomb (again, from Rolling
Stone's 'Runaway General'):

-"For a soldier who has traveled
halfway around the world to
fight, that's like telling a cop he
should only patrol in areas
where he knows he won't have
to make arrests. "Does that
make any (f-ing) sense?" asks
Pfc. Jared Pautsch. "We should
just drop a (f-ing) bomb on this
place. You sit and ask yourself:
What are we doing here?"

Our own little Afghanistan in
southeast cities of
L.A. County: We finally make
full circle, going from the f-word
and dropping f-bombs to the C-
word - Corruption -, a gem of a
quote from the 'Runaway
General':

"[in Afghanistan] A tsunami of
cash fuels corruption,
delegitimizes the government
and creates an environment
where we're picking winners and
losers" – a process that fuels
resentment and hostility among
the civilian population."

For State, city and LAUSD
employees, The F-word takes
on a whole new twist in
meaning: Furlough.

The F-word, not to be confused
with the
U.K.'s Feminist website thefword.
org.uk

Also, for an exploration of the
F-word and other foul language
as you've never seen it before,
WatchOurCity.com explored the
F-word's many uses by local
corrupt officials caught on FBI
wiretap: "Cultural Nuances and
Pimpin' Politicos" (posted
November 5, 2007 by the
Editor, WatchOurCity.com)

______________________________

CURRENT POSTINGS

FROM 2008
CLICK BELOW

2004 to 2007

BODY POLITIC

George
Cole:
the Brains
behind
Rizzo's Salary
- Southeast
cities officials
waiting to
see if Cole is
implicated

BELL

Bell's
$800,000
Man

Robert
Rizzo

The Media's focus on
Bell's criminal-level
salaries is merely a
one-dimensional view of
the endemic larger
problem; the bigger
problem is three
dimensional, the
festering network of
corruption between
officials in the southeast.
- The Editor

Tuesday July 13, 2010
Update Wednesday July 14, 2010
The Editor,
WatchOurCity.com
Depriving the Public of
Honest Services: Bell,
Maywood, Huntington Park,
LAUSD
Fiduciary fail by Maywood, Bell,
Huntington Park officials.

Monday July 19, 2010
The Editor,
WatchOurCity.com
George Cole - The
Brains Behind
C riminal-level
salaries and
Charter City Law
Deception

Tuesday July 13, 2010
The Editor,
WatchOurCity.com
Huntington Park in
$1.2 Million Fiscal
Deficit Partly
Caused by City of
Bell's George Cole
Mayor Noguez gave
George Cole millions

Saturday, July 24, 2010, 7:00 am
The Editor, WatchOurCity.com
AP News Features B ell
Protester Wearing
WatchOurCity.com
T-shirt
The original T-Shirt design by
WatchOurCity.com was first
published on this site on March 4,
2009, attached to a posted
report on the dirty political
campaigns by Bell's George Cole.

Saturday, July 24, 2010, 7:00 am
Machete, Taco
Trucks & The
Editor Invade
Comic-Con
The Editor at Comic-Con,
WatchOurCity.com
San Diego, CA -
The Editor couldn't pass up the
chance to see Machete at
Comic-Con in San Diego. An empty
parking lot next to Comic-Con was
converted into a "Machete" themed
party, complete with taco trucks and
paleteros (ice cream vendors).
Director Robert Rodriguez attended
the Taco-Truck Parking Lot fest and
defended his movie's re-cut trailer,
making a political statement about
the Arizona anti-immigrant law.
Machete's theme fits in with recent
events in the city of Bell: "They
F*cked With The Wrong Mexican".
The film stars Danny Trejo. Cheech
Marin plays a kick-butt gun-toting
Padre, the kind needed around here.

Danny Trejo plays in his first starring lead role as "Machete", a film by Director
Robert Rodriguez. Cheech Marin plays a kick-ass rifle-toting Padre.

Friday, July 23, 2010, 12:30 am
Editor, WatchOurCity.com
Resigned! Bell's Robert Rizzo,
Angela Spaccia & Police Chief
Randy Adams Gone
Who is Pedro Carrillo, Bell's Interim Manager?

Tuesday, July 27, 2010, 8:00 am
Editor, WatchOurCity.com
Bell: Higher property taxes than
Beverly Hills (Bloomberg News)
Rizzo ordered Bell PD to collect Absentee
Ballots threatening to Bring In Sheriff's; Rizzo
fired from city manager's job in Hesperia in
1990's, Hired by George Cole in Bell; Interim
City Manager Carillo fired by city of Maywood.

Monday, July 26, 2010
The Editor, WatchOurCity.com
$10,000 a month to
Pedro Carrillo
Organization with no staff, office,
or work, run by George Cole.

July 28, 2010
Editor,
WatchOurCity.com
Easy
Money,
Rigging
Elections &
Thugs For
Hire

George Cole, former
Bell councilmember
and Teresa Jacobo.
George ran
her Bell
reelection
campaign

Thursday, July 29, 2010
Editor, WatchOurCity.com
DOJ Anti- Corruption Unit
R esurrected Yet?

Bell
Breaking
Newswires:
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Former Bell Police
Chief says his
department faced
relentles cuts as
top city officials'
salaries escalated
(Sam Quinones, L.A.
Times, 7-28-10)

3 former Bell
administrators
won't collect
pensions until
California clears
them
'CalPERS is
concerned,' an official
says. If approved,
payouts for the
administrators would
be more than $1
million a year (L.A.
Times, 7-28-10)

California's city
officials scramble
to limit damage
from Bell scandal
City managers will
gather in Sacramento
on Thursday to
discuss damage
control. Some say
more residents are
seeking salary
information from city
halls. The Legislature
considers reforms as
well (L.A. Times, 7-28-
10)

Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Voter Fraud
Allegations in
lawsuit presented
by former Bell PD
officer; Absentee
Ballots were
Rigged by Top Bell
Officials -
Nestor Valencia a
Victim of Voter Fraud
Voter Fraud also in
Huntington Park

Tuesday, July 27, 2010
State Attorney
General Jerry
Brown: Bell
Officials
Failed Fiduciary
Duty, Issues
Subpoenas to Bell
City Council

Will look wherever
public records take
him, Huntington Park,
Maywood.

Sunday,July 25, 2010
Bell's Sunday
Protest -
"FUERA!
OUT!"
L.A. Times -
It was a striking
demonstration for a
working-class city where
civic engagement
traditionally has been
muted. The raucous
crowd trudged to the
homes and workplaces of
Mayor Oscar Hernandez,
Vice Mayor Teresa
Jacobo and City Council
members Luis Artiga and
George Mirabal, each time
pausing for a moment of
silence and reflection,
then erupting with cries
of "fuera!" — "out!"

Some in the crowd
showed up wearing T-
shirts featuring a city seal
and the words: "My city
is more corrupt than your
city."

Bell Pension
Burden Sucker-
Punches other
Cities Sharing Cal-
Pers Pension Pool
L.A. Times Steve Lopez:
A pension reform activist
says that since Bell is
pooled with 140 similar-
size California towns and
public entities, their taxes
will help support the
three high-priced officials
who have resigned.

Friday, July 23, 2010,
C alifornia League
of Cities Blasts
City of Bell -
"Nauseating"

Bell mayor Oscar
Hernandez issued letter
stating "the big picture of
city compensation shows
that salaries of the city
manager and other top
city staff have been in line
with similar positions
over the period of their
tenure,"

California League of
Cities responds:
"We are unaware of any
city in the nation where
salaries of this level are
paid for comparable
positions", and
"situations like this
appals all of us".

Times reports "Robin
Lowe, president of the
league and a Hemet
councilwoman, said she
found Hernandez's
defense of Rizzo's salary
"nauseating."

Thursday July 22, 2010
$800,000 Turns
Into $30 Million
Rizzo's Salary &
Retirement Payout
Orchestrated by Former
Bell Mayor George Cole

Bell in $1.8 million
Deficit
Bloomberg News:
"Bell’s general fund
revenue declined 4.6
percent to $14.1 million
for the fiscal year that
ended June 30, 2009,
according to the city’s
financial statement. The
city’s expenses rose 2.3
percent to $15.9 million
in same period." (Chris
Palmeri, Bloomberg
News, 7-20-10)

Reuters:
"A municipal manager in
California who makes
nearly $800,000 a year
working for a small, poor
city could draw pension
payments exceeding $30
million in retirement,
according to an activist
who has been calling for
an overhaul of the state's
public pension system.

"This guy will be our first
seven-figure retiree," said
Fritz, whose group has
played a leading role in
publicizing the issue of
California 's public
pension liabilities." (Jim
Christie, Reuters, San
Francisco, 7-21-10)

Wed, July 21, 2010
D.A.'s office NOT
investigating Bell, only
"Reviewing"

Jerry Brown's State
Attorney General's office
asleep at the wheel on Bell

Whitman may take
advantage of Bell's large-
scale looting of city
treasury to gain edge on
campaign against AG
Brown for Governor's race

Tuesday, July 20, 2010
- Former Bell councilman
Victor Bello, director of
Bell Food Bank is paid
$100,000 from re-directed
public funds

- George Cole Reports in
740 Form receiving
$10,000 from Corona
Elementary School, an
LAUSD school in Bell;
school principal denies
paying George Cole any
fee; where did such funds
come from? Laundering re-
directed public funds?

- George Cole created the
Food Bank when he was
in Bell City Council

- George Cole is Director
of Southeast Cities
Schools Coalition
Foundation leading effort
to breakaway from
LAUSD, and partners
with LAUSD Options
Schools awarded to
Charter school operators

- George Cole and
Huntington Park mayor
John Noguez trying to
grab $250,000 from tax
funds slated for LAUSD

- Maywood's Finances
directed by Bell's
Financial Director; Will
Spaccia also cook
Maywood's books and
redirect public funds?

_____________________

Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Editor, WatchOurCity.com
Nestor
Valencia,
The H eart &
Soul of Be ll

California Attorney General Jerry
Brown asks his deputy Susan Leach
to speak with city of Bell resident
Nestor Valencia after a news
conference where he announced his
office has issued subpoenas to Bell
officials on Monday. City has 48
hours from Monda to hand over all
documents going back to 2004.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Editor, WatchOurCity.com
California AG Jerry
B rown Accepts
Valencia's 12-Point
Plan for Clean
Governance in Bell
(click to see)

U.S. Attorney General's office disbanded
Anti-Corruption unit back in March 2008.
WatchOurCity.com reported timing to
disband Anti-corruption unit could not have
been at a worse time, just when things were
getting interesting in the southeast cities such
as Bell, Maywood, and Huntington Park.

___________________________

Special Encore Presentation
(Editor's note: Encore posting of this
December 2005 report sets historical
context to today's report)
Honor Among Thieves
Depriving The Public of Honest
Services. George Cole's fingers
in Huntington Park cookie jar of
politics, city contracts, and
LAUSD

___________________________

LINKS

Huffington Post.com
L.A. Eastside.com
L.A. Observed Blog
Latino Politics Blog
Politico
Think Progress
TPM Muckcracker

Thursday, July 29, 2010, 8:30 pm
L.A. Times 7-29-10 7:02 pm
Downey Avoids Stench of Corruption
Downey Officials Dismiss
City Attorney Ed Lee, Who is
Also Bell's Attorney
Bell's Pedro Carrillo Hires
Spaccia as Maywood's Finance
Director at $10,000 month
Bell's Interim City Manager Pedro Carrillo
continues Rizzo's criminal enterprise in the
face of Bell's massive corruption probes that
are deep, broad and unprecedented. Pedro
Carrillo perpetuates Rizzo's brazenly
egregious Fiduciary fail by hiring Bell's
disgraced assistant manager Spaccia as
Maywood's city manager. It's as if his back is
covered by someone up high.

Friday, July 30, 2010, 5:00 pm
The Editor, WatchOurCity.com
S paccia Resigns
First Bell, Now Maywood
Maywood City Manager Spaccia quits
after only 24 Hours of her
appointment by Bell's Pedro Carrillo,
Interim City Manager, confirms
Maywood spokeswoman.
Angela Spaccia, disgraced Assistant City
Manager under Rizzo who was the third
highest paid official in Bell; After resigning
from Bell, Pedro Carrillo appoints her City
Manager in Maywood. Rizzo, Adams and
Spaccia took home combined salaries totaling
$2,100,000 a year. This shows that Carrillo
is both incompetent and corrupt as well.