Copyright © 2008 WatchOurCity.com
WatchOurCity
In The Public Interest .com
Francisco Leal
Rosario
Marin
Marin
A Hot Latina
Republican
Republican
John Noguez
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Public Contracts Watch -
Huntington Park & Carson:
Francisco Leal: A Political Corruption
Hot-Potato in Carson City Hall
"Carson Council Feuds Over City Attorney"
Editor's note: The city attorney for the cities of Maywood and Huntington Park is the topic of hot
discussion by Carson council members with charges of corruption and coverups. What nobody sees is
that Francisco Leal became city attorney in Maywood and Huntington Park on precisely the same
charges he's publicly accused of in Carson. Except that in Huntington Park, Leal had help from Rosario
Marin who now heads the Consumer Affairs Division, a California State agency. Leal was appointed city
attorney by Rosario Marin's protege slate, led by HP's councilman John Noguez, who Leal showered with
thousands of dollars in campaign contributions. Exactly what happened in Carson is what
WatchOurCity.com has been reporting on for the last 4 years here in Huntington Park and Maywood.
They thought nobody would be watching.
By Gene Maddaus Staff Writer, Torrance Daily Breeze
Article Launched: 04/02/2008 10:26:39 PM PDT
In their most contentious meeting in more than a year, the Carson City Council this week feuded about the
city attorney's contract, trading charges of corruption and lawbreaking and shouting each other down for
control of the floor.
Mayor Jim Dear did most of the shouting Tuesday, as he accused the council majority of engaging in a
backroom deal with attorney Francisco Leal.
Dear's allegations were based on a Daily Breeze article published March 23 that reported Leal's associates
had made $3,800 in contributions to Councilman Mike Gipson's campaign for the Assembly. In return, a
source said that Gipson agreed to put the city attorney's contract out to bid.
"One of the reasons the people elected me was to be a watchdog," Dear said, as the other council members
yelled at him.
"It makes no sense for the city of Carson to blemish our own reputation with the behavior of three council
members."
The majority, led by Councilwoman Lula Davis-Holmes, argued that it was Dear who had engaged in a
backroom deal in 2003, when he and three other council members voted to hire the current city attorney firm,
Aleshire & Wynder, in a closed session.
Gipson also defended himself from Dear's accusations, and said he had called Leal's firm the day the Daily
Breeze story appeared and encouraged Leal to proceed with the bid.
"I told that firm they should compete anyway," Gipson said, "because I stand on my word and my integrity.
I have not done anything wrong and will not compromise my position on this City Council."
Leal did not take Gipson's advice, and dropped out of the running for the city attorney contract on March 24.
Gipson said he took "great exception" to the Breeze story, and argued that his Assembly campaign "had
nothing to do with my role and my responsibility here in the city of Carson."
"I have done everything aboveboard," he said.
"The reason money was located, or in fact, identified, was because that money was reported."
In fact, the money appeared to have been reported in such a way as to obscure its true source. Leal himself
did not appear as a contributor. The listed contributors were Arturo Fierro, an attorney in Leal's firm; Maria
Fierro, his wife; Ruth Castro, a former Alhambra school board member who once voted to hire Leal; and
Johnny Leal, who was listed as a courier with Leal Courier Services.
After two hours of bitter debate, the council voted Tuesday night to open up the selection process by holding
a meeting in May, at which time the finalists for the attorney's contract could make public presentations.
The council also voted 5-0 to release the bids to the public, in response to records requests from the Daily
Breeze and council-watcher Rita Boggs.
Boggs acknowledged before the vote that she had already received a leaked copy of the bids. That
disclosure prompted Dear to launch an inquiry from the mayor's chair, in which he attempted to determine
who had given the documents to Boggs.
"There's been a very serious breach of ethics and the law," Dear said.
Boggs declined to identify her source, but said she received a call and was told where to pick up the
documents.
Davis-Holmes and Gipson said they had not released the documents.
Both said that their copies of the bids were still sealed and were sitting in the trunks of their cars.
That dispute also exposed a rift between City Clerk Helen Kawagoe and City Manager Jerry Groomes.
Kawagoe initially refused to provide Groomes a copy of the proposals. Groomes insisted and ultimately
Kawagoe relented, after Dear told her she should give them to the city manager.
Groomes said that neither he nor his staff had released the documents.
The Daily Breeze also received a copy of the bid proposals before the council voted to make them public. In
Wednesday's newspaper, the Breeze reported that another contender for the attorney's contract, William D.
Johnson, had acknowledged in his proposal that he had contributed to Gipson and Councilman Elito
Santarina.
After he was questioned about that on Friday, Johnson sent a letter to the city on Tuesday withdrawing his
proposal from consideration.
gene.maddaus@dailybreeze.com
Public Contracts Watch -
Huntington Park & Carson:
Francisco Leal: A Political Corruption
Hot-Potato in Carson City Hall
"Carson Council Feuds Over City Attorney"
Editor's note: The city attorney for the cities of Maywood and Huntington Park is the topic of hot
discussion by Carson council members with charges of corruption and coverups. What nobody sees is
that Francisco Leal became city attorney in Maywood and Huntington Park on precisely the same
charges he's publicly accused of in Carson. Except that in Huntington Park, Leal had help from Rosario
Marin who now heads the Consumer Affairs Division, a California State agency. Leal was appointed city
attorney by Rosario Marin's protege slate, led by HP's councilman John Noguez, who Leal showered with
thousands of dollars in campaign contributions. Exactly what happened in Carson is what
WatchOurCity.com has been reporting on for the last 4 years here in Huntington Park and Maywood.
They thought nobody would be watching.
By Gene Maddaus Staff Writer, Torrance Daily Breeze
Article Launched: 04/02/2008 10:26:39 PM PDT
In their most contentious meeting in more than a year, the Carson City Council this week feuded about the
city attorney's contract, trading charges of corruption and lawbreaking and shouting each other down for
control of the floor.
Mayor Jim Dear did most of the shouting Tuesday, as he accused the council majority of engaging in a
backroom deal with attorney Francisco Leal.
Dear's allegations were based on a Daily Breeze article published March 23 that reported Leal's associates
had made $3,800 in contributions to Councilman Mike Gipson's campaign for the Assembly. In return, a
source said that Gipson agreed to put the city attorney's contract out to bid.
"One of the reasons the people elected me was to be a watchdog," Dear said, as the other council members
yelled at him.
"It makes no sense for the city of Carson to blemish our own reputation with the behavior of three council
members."
The majority, led by Councilwoman Lula Davis-Holmes, argued that it was Dear who had engaged in a
backroom deal in 2003, when he and three other council members voted to hire the current city attorney firm,
Aleshire & Wynder, in a closed session.
Gipson also defended himself from Dear's accusations, and said he had called Leal's firm the day the Daily
Breeze story appeared and encouraged Leal to proceed with the bid.
"I told that firm they should compete anyway," Gipson said, "because I stand on my word and my integrity.
I have not done anything wrong and will not compromise my position on this City Council."
Leal did not take Gipson's advice, and dropped out of the running for the city attorney contract on March 24.
Gipson said he took "great exception" to the Breeze story, and argued that his Assembly campaign "had
nothing to do with my role and my responsibility here in the city of Carson."
"I have done everything aboveboard," he said.
"The reason money was located, or in fact, identified, was because that money was reported."
In fact, the money appeared to have been reported in such a way as to obscure its true source. Leal himself
did not appear as a contributor. The listed contributors were Arturo Fierro, an attorney in Leal's firm; Maria
Fierro, his wife; Ruth Castro, a former Alhambra school board member who once voted to hire Leal; and
Johnny Leal, who was listed as a courier with Leal Courier Services.
After two hours of bitter debate, the council voted Tuesday night to open up the selection process by holding
a meeting in May, at which time the finalists for the attorney's contract could make public presentations.
The council also voted 5-0 to release the bids to the public, in response to records requests from the Daily
Breeze and council-watcher Rita Boggs.
Boggs acknowledged before the vote that she had already received a leaked copy of the bids. That
disclosure prompted Dear to launch an inquiry from the mayor's chair, in which he attempted to determine
who had given the documents to Boggs.
"There's been a very serious breach of ethics and the law," Dear said.
Boggs declined to identify her source, but said she received a call and was told where to pick up the
documents.
Davis-Holmes and Gipson said they had not released the documents.
Both said that their copies of the bids were still sealed and were sitting in the trunks of their cars.
That dispute also exposed a rift between City Clerk Helen Kawagoe and City Manager Jerry Groomes.
Kawagoe initially refused to provide Groomes a copy of the proposals. Groomes insisted and ultimately
Kawagoe relented, after Dear told her she should give them to the city manager.
Groomes said that neither he nor his staff had released the documents.
The Daily Breeze also received a copy of the bid proposals before the council voted to make them public. In
Wednesday's newspaper, the Breeze reported that another contender for the attorney's contract, William D.
Johnson, had acknowledged in his proposal that he had contributed to Gipson and Councilman Elito
Santarina.
After he was questioned about that on Friday, Johnson sent a letter to the city on Tuesday withdrawing his
proposal from consideration.
gene.maddaus@dailybreeze.com