Thursday, May 29, 2008

Angeles Fields Lawsuit Against City Resumes

Lynwood, CA - Local newspaper reports that the lawsuit between the City of Lynwood, and Angeles Fields will resume on Monday, June 2, 2008.

Read story here.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Lynwood Watch, you should post this ridiculous story about Martinez:


City manager: A year in review
Part one: Road to Redlands
Jesse B. Gill, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 05/31/2008 09:05:24 PM PDT

REDLANDS - It's been little more than a year since N. Enrique Martinez took over as Redlands' city manager.

This three-part series looks at how he came to Redlands and what he has accomplished over the past year.

Davidson's replacement

Martinez was hired from a pool of 44 applicants to replace former city manager John Davidson, who resigned in 2007 after 7 years at Redlands to become city manager at Hemet.

When Davidson left in Oct. 2007, Redlands was in a state of financial crisis. The city was in its fifth year of deficit spending.

Retired Highland city manager Sam Racadio served as Redlands' interim city manager until April 2007.

In March 2007, the council held interviews. Martinez was chosen as the top candidate of the five final candidates.

Career history

Martinez's career as a city manager has taken him across the continent, including several California cities.

Laid off from the city of San Jose in 1993 due to budget cuts, Martinez worked in the cities of Colton and Bell Gardens before moving 2,600 miles to manage Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. in January 2000.

As reported in a Daily Facts story published on March 21, 2007, Martinez ran into trouble nine months after his stint in Palm Beach Gardens, when council members questioned whether he was a good fit for their city.

Public documents showed Martinez's defenders within the city and in the community,
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including two council members, said he "professionalized" Palm Beach Gardens. The change in leadership was bound to result in a certain level of attrition, they said.

In letters and public statements, his detractors called him profane and abusive and complained about reorganization efforts such as reassigning employees, changing job descriptions and appointing an assistant police chief as "interim human resources director."

The council initially voted for an independent investigation into Martinez's management practices. Soon after, with a contentious 3-2 vote, the council decided to fire Martinez instead and did not conduct the investigation.

Martinez, who called the proceedings "high-tech lynching," received $73,000 in severance from Palm Beach Gardens in October 2000.

Martinez returned to California, and was hired as assistant city manager of operations in Pasadena in 2001. He left Pasadena for Lynwood in April 2005 and was hired as Redlands' city manager in April 2007.

Lynwood controversy

APRIL 2007 - Martinez arrived in Redlands shadowed by controversy from his old job as the city manager of Lynwood.

Martinez was accused of violating a city nepotism policy with regard to an undisclosed marriage to the assistant city manager of finance he had hired in October 2005.

Martinez married Marianna Marysheva in February 2006 and the marriage was disclosed four months later.

When he was hired by Redlands, Martinez explained that he and Marysheva had fallen in love and made every effort to handle the situation ethically.

Redlands city leadership made it clear that they were not concerned with Martinez's past in Lynwood.

Martinez said the City Council had no problem with his relationship with Marysheva at the time of their wedding.

"They threw a celebration for us in the council chambers," he said.

In a story published by the Daily Facts on March 21, 2007, Lynwood Mayor Maria Santillan told a reporter that the Lynwood City Council wanted to celebrate the union of Martinez and Marysheva when they learned of it.

A March 20, 2006, letter written and signed by Marysheva announced her resignation as Lynwood's assistant city manager of finance. The resignation would have been effective July 30, 2006.

A request for Marysheva to stay on as the assistant city manager of finance came by way of a letter written by then Mayor Pro Tem Alfreddie Johnson, dated July 6, 2006. In the letter, Johnson asked Marysheva to continue her employment in Lynwood until a suitable replacement could be found.

In fall 2006, Martinez said Johnson and a developer, John McDonald of Imperial Partners LLC, had a proposal to remove 300 homes and a new high school to make room for a stadium to be used in the National Football League.

According to a Lynwood City Council agenda, the proposal was officially acknowledged by the Lynwood City Council during its Sept. 19, 2006 meeting.

Martinez said the project was not a good fit for the city of Lynwood.

"The NFL is not interested in Lynwood," Martinez said. "This developer was just trying to assemble the land and then flip it (for a profit). And we were going to have these social, economic and environmental issues to deal with."

Martinez said he required McDonald to put up $500,000 toward the development of the area, which McDonald initially agreed to, but later balked at. Martinez said McDonald had trouble raising the agreed-upon amount.

Martinez said when McDonald began to have difficulty coming up with the $500,00, he started applying pressure to the Lynwood City Council to replace him as city manager.

"He started sending his surrogates," Martinez said.

Martinez said McDonald was joined by Mayor Pro Tem Johnson and then-Mayor Louis Byrd in public appearances at city council meetings.

During the Jan. 16, 2007, Lynwood City Council meeting, Martinez was placed on administrative leave. According to a letter to Martinez written and signed by Byrd dated Jan. 22, 2007, Martinez was put on administrative leave with pay effective Jan. 17, 2007, pending a performance evaluation by the City Council.

Martinez said he was not given a reason why.

"I was constructively terminated by Lynwood as a result of whistle-blowing and my refusal to follow council members' wishes that I break the law," Martinez said.

He said he was placed under investigation by the Lynwood City Council, using a private investigator.

Martinez said shortly after the investigation, in January 2007, the council took issue with his marriage to Marysheva, for which they had held the previously- mentioned celebration in June 2005.

Marysheva no longer works for the city of Lynwood and is still married to Martinez.

Five former Lynwood City Council members are now on trial for unrelated allegations that they were fraudulently paid to attend city committee meetings and that they allegedly charged personal expenses to city credit cards. The investigations into the former politicians were launched in 2003 after former Lynwood city manager Faustino Gonzales provided a tip to the Los Angeles County district attorney.

According to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office, all five former council members, Louis Byrd, Fernando Pedroza, Arturo Reyes, Ricardo Sanchez and Armando Rea, pleaded not guilty and are due back in court on June 23 for pretrial conferences. If convicted, the former council members face up to six years in state prison, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.

See Part Two of this story in Monday's Daily Facts.

E-mail Staff Writer Jesse B. Gill at jgill@redlandsdailyfacts.com
http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/news/ci_9442071

Anonymous said...

Some of the facts are incorrect, regarding former City Council members on trial. Rea and Sanchez charges were dropped.

Anonymous said...

thats not the only reason enrique left to redlands. lets not forget how martha wanted enrique for herself.enrique of course, didnt settle for less like alfredo and other males i wont mention. enrique is the only MAN who wasent pursuaded by a sexual transmitted disease in a skirt.

Anonymous said...

Who cares? Short stit's gone from our city for good!!!

Anonymous said...

Where are all the fatty women at City Hall hiding?

Anonymous said...

City Manager should consider stepping out of his office and checking up on people more. Otherwise once the ball starts rolling, they will gun for him next

Anonymous said...

Where are the fattys? It seems that the fattys at City Hall are hiding and not comming out and settling to be couch potatoes. Some of these fattys are getting old, what a shame.

Anonymous said...

School uniforms and your rights
California Educational Code Section 35183

Parents must be givin a 6 month notice before a uniform policy can be implemented

Low income Parents must be able to get help paying for uniforms

The school District must have a policy that allows parent to choose not to have their child wear the uniform

Students can not be punished academically or diciplined in any other way because they do not wear the uniform, if their parent /legal guardian has choosen to "OPT OUT" of the uniform dress.

The students at Lynwood High are organizing a walk out the first day of school. A teacher at Lynwood high gave my daughter this flyer with the section code number attached.

I did some research, and our neighboring cities allow the high school students uniform free.

My daughter tells me that if a student made it to high school,than the student deserves and has earned the privledge of "FREE DRESS".

I agree, the road to high school is a rough road.

Anonymous said...

Surprise, surprise, look who's begging for $4000 again. It's LAX again! Let see if Aide comes through with her promises to LAX. I hear she's the one who put it on the agenda. Isn't that conflict? Given the fact that she is on LAX's board. Not to mention the pics eugene took with her to hopefully get the black vote. Aide is paying back everyone except for the people she REALLY OWES!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Political Mudslinging in Lynwood; Crooked Campaigns

LYNWOOD, Calif. – Political action committees in Lynwood pulled out all the stops in the past two elections, rummaging through candidates’ pasts and publishing campaign material in order to sway voters. The methods were effective, but the committees don’t always play by the rules.

During the November 2007 election, a committee called Voters Against Corruption used a doctored photograph to accuse candidate Jim Morton of encouraging prostitution at his Long Beach Boulevard motel. According to Silvia Ortiz, who claims to have “provided the people” to pose as prostitutes for the photograph, Morton’s political rival Aide Castro helped the committee develop the anti-Morton campaign.

“Sometimes you get caught up with wanting to win so bad that the human side comes out,” said Ortiz. Ortiz confessed to her role in staging the photographs during the public comment section of a City Council meeting in February. She said she warned Castro that she would be making the confession and told her to “do the right thing” and make amends for her role in tarnishing Morton’s reputation.

“Maybe in a few years she’ll see that I did her a favor,” said Ortiz, who helps market Lynwood’s campaigns by going door-to-door and distributing campaign material. Ortiz said she is no longer on speaking terms with Castro.

The rules of the Fair Political Practices Commission state that candidates can only be involved with committees if the involvement is clear in the committee’s name. Castro spearheaded her own committee during the November election, called the Committee to Elect Aide Castro, and claims to have had no involvement with Voters Against Corruption, other than their support.

When asked to provide the names of Voters Against Corruption committee members, Castro refused. “They wouldn’t appreciate me disclosing that information,” she said. “They would be very upset with me.”

The committee was established by Christopher Robles, a former Montebello City Council candidate who donated frequently to past political-action committees at state and local government level, including the Los Angeles County Democratic Central Committee. Robles could not be contacted for comment as his phone line has been disconnected and he has moved from Montebello.

The deadline to file campaign finance statements was Jan. 31, and Voters Against Corruption have yet to submit their consolidated campaign disclosure form. Robles could be subject to a $5,000 penalty for breaking the regulations of the Political Reform Act of 1974, according to Roman Porter of the Fair Political Practices Commission.

Political action committees are easy to establish and can be quickly dissolved. It only takes one person to form a committee, and the identities of the members are protected until documents have been completed and Public Information Act requests can be made.

A campaign piece produced during the recall election in September 2007 accusing Castro of drug smuggling was attributed to a committee that denied any connection to the piece and claimed a separate party had unlawfully used their name. According to Ortiz, Fernando Pedroza was responsible for the piece. Pedroza was one of the council members being recalled and Castro’s cousin.

“We’re supposed to be doing this the democratic way,” said Ortiz, who claims that Lynwood’s elections are convoluted by the propaganda produced by political-action committees. “It’s not what voters want; it’s whose got the money to sway the vote.” And so long as committees continue to side-step campaign laws, it will be difficult to pin-point who is doing the swaying.

Anonymous said...

Don't forget they have been on the warrent run the past months getting money. They are always begging for money.

Anonymous said...

Aide is not on any LAX board you retard!!! She owes no one but the city of Lynwood you dumbass, and has paid through responsible, accountable city government.

Anonymous said...

Jonathan Colin is not qualified to be director of anything!

Anonymous said...

That's funny about the uniforms. Its the low income folks that raises the idiot gang members.

Anonymous said...

Aide may not be on the LACS board anymore but her kids still participate there. How can she promise to give LACS this money knowing that the City is in dire straights financially and then turn around and ask us residents to support the utility tax. Aide is from the same mold as her cousin Pedroza giving out money to her cronies then saying that the City needs money.

Anonymous said...

Sylvia, i thought you could do better. If the only person you can get to follow you is joaqin you have issues. Get over it and leave Aide alone!

Anonymous said...

To the person who continues to copy and paste news articles, just give us the link. (June 17, 2008 2:49PM article.) Is Sylvia admitting that she doctored a photo or even had someone pose for a photo? Why do you people listen to hear? “If you will lie for me, you will lie against me” Benjamin Franklin. If Sylvia really did this, then produce the person. There’s still copy’s of the mailer to verify if you’re lying. You talk a big game, now prove it or shut up! Beware your sins will find you out.
The Pen.

Anonymous said...

Aide is a professional hussler. She hussles the city to give money to her cronies, she hussles Jose to pay her bills and take care of HER kids, she hussled the city out of money for a new house, she hussled MCI through a fake lawsuit, she is hussling the city for money, money and more money. She hussles Billy Martinez oh by the way, i heard her mother is pi#%ed off after getting the pictures of Aide and Billy in the mail.

Anonymous said...

Councilmember Rodriguez needs to re-appoint someone else to the Planning Commission. Alex is a big mistake.

He is trying to persuade the rest of the commissioners into approving a "rehab" or "transitional living" facility.

Anonymous said...

now i know you're bull shitting. she has no law suit with mci. and if her mother got pictures with her and billie we would have found out by now. believe me, my aunt doesn't play. you must really envy her. jose was put through school by aide, so he's not being hussled at all. like the prior blogger stated, put up or shut up. if you are going to try to start rumors, do better.

Anonymous said...

La Verdad Aide! By the way you did not put Jose through school he got financial aid remember. It's ok no one is mad at you. Keep getting your hussle on girl and I will take some tips from you!

Anonymous said...

Blog master, too busy to update us?

The City of Lynwood won the case!

Anonymous said...

DON'T WORRY, Someone has submitted a huge package to the FPPC office. As well to the DA's office. The investigations are in the works. Cleansing of the sole feels soooooo gooood! No one will be spared this time.

Anonymous said...

Don't forget to include yourself when you clense your soul.To clean one's soul, you must start with yourself. You'll find out yours was the dirtiest.

Anonymous said...

No council is afraid of Sylvia. She can't do another recall. Let's not forget she was not responsible for the last one. She was hired help that's it. Aide's got all the right $$$ people behind her. They won't give a penny for a recall. The current council just throws her crumbs when they feel like it.

Anonymous said...

Can anyone say "City Budget"? Whats up with the blog master? No new important topics. Boring,Boring,Boring!

Anonymous said...

Lynwood Residents:
READ Attentively
Don't you want the city of Lynwood to be "hooked up"? Ask yourselves why don't we get "real" businesses to come into our city? Almost every project or "plaza" popping up has the same mom & pop feel to it, the same mom & pop shops. The person who wrote on July 29 is right!!!! Why can't we have some cool businesses come to our city?
Imagine what a Target would do for the city. Imagine what a Costco would do for it. Imagine if something as simple as the streets (Pavement) could be repaired (I've passed by Alemeda, and its awful along MLK Blvd going towards Alemeda)
Or Imagine this... What if we could make PLAZA MEXICO look like the Irvine Spectrum or City Walk in Studio City? The PLAZA has so much potential, but why can't the PLAZA house "real" businesses like Ross, Bestbuy, or Kohls? Maybe because the owners don't want to. Maybe the residnets of Lynwood don't deserve it. And if that is the case, residents should voice these desires to elected officials.

And while we are on the topic of elected officials... Is it me or doesn't it seem that you have to be in a suit and tie to be heard (and respected) by our elected officials (The CITY COUNCIL and the SCHOOL DISTRICT) I've heard stories of parents going to their child's school and being looked down upon, but when a person is walking around with a suitcase, tie, and/or suit, wow they get the "star" treatment. "Do you need any help" or "how can we assist you sir/mam?" I've even heard some officials say that some of our schools (which means our children) need a military style principal! WHAT!? Thats how bad it is, that the school district, with all their Phd's, can't come up with a better plan other than "strict military style". What did you study in your PhD program, and did the program teach you some sociology to understand the issues faced in urban neighborhoods? Or was that not part of the curriculum. Some elementary schools don't even have a formal LIBRARY, like LINCOLN ELEMENTARY. What message are they sending our kids? Oh, study and do good in school, but a site where reading, a foundation to learning, is reinforced is not "that" important.

And not to mention the fact that many school employees drive "very" nice vehicles (BMW's, Mercedes, LEXUS)to their school that don't have a speck of "GREEN" grass. And what do they say? Oh, well parents should volunteer to clean-up the schools and put grass if they want to. WHAT!!! Aren't there city employees that do that?! Can't teachers pitch in to get someone to plant the grass, or is that "TOO" much $. I know it's not too much $ for principals. Or are the kids of Lynwood just not worth it?

And as for the "employees" in our school district (top dogs and teachers alike), LYNWOOD RESIDENTS should require a survey to be conducted asking the employees questions like: Are you just counting down to retirement? Do you consider yourself too be passionate about your work? Are there any changes you would like to see at your school? I've heard that the jungle gym at Lincoln Elementary has been there for over 15 years, and that the gate surrounding the school has been there for more than 20 years! WOW! But, the city built the behemoth junior high school on MLK; couldn't some cash have gone to the little school?
Lynwood is a great place, and it could get better. This blog is cool because we can voice our opinions and ideas, and share them with other concerned residents.

Residents Remember: Tell the "elected officials":
1. What kinds of businesses would improve our city.
2. City Council and School District officials, employees, etc need to work together, not independently, too arrive at ways to improve our schools (including some of our NEGLECTED schools, like Lincoln Elem.) Improve our schools to help our children improve. Some may say that a Library is not that important, but how can a place where students learn the fundamentals not be important?

I LOVE LYNWOOD. It really is a good city, and with proper attention, can be a GREAT city and a model for others.

Lynwood Residents please read this message twice, or thrice, and include your opinions. There are residents who want to hook-up Lynwood, and if we work together we can accomplish great things for future generations to enjoy and be proud of.

Anonymous said...

Don't ever under estimate me,you will regret it. If you don't know me by now,you never will.