Health Care Group Reaches Out To Local Businesses

Leaders from local business groups and nonprofit organizations gathered on Tuesday afternoon as representatives for a coalition of the nation’s top pharmaceutical and research companies outlined a platform aimed to increase access to healthcare. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) is in the midst of a national campaign to build grassroots support for its platform. As part of that effort, a focus group was set up between PhRMA representatives and 14 members of the local business and nonprofit community.

Vannarith T. Tamom, a senior associate with SK Impact, led the presentation on behalf of PhRMA. He said part of the grassroots campaign was to counter the image of the pharmaceutical companies as “the big bad wolf.” He began his address by saying that he felt “personally invested” in his efforts because of the challenges he faced as a child growing up with asthma. Half Cambodian, Tamom said it is important that minority and other underrepresented communities have access to quality healthcare.

The PhARMA plan focuses on the expansion of private health insurance plans. Tamon said the goal is to utilize and expand on existing healthcare programs instead of developing a completely new health care system; which would produce immediate results. Part of that effort is to increase enrollment of those who are eligible for existing programs such as Medicare and SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Plan). The plan also calls for an extensive outreach campaign to address the growing problem of obesity, similar to the one used to combat smoking.

As he provided an overview of the plan, members of the audience offered their frustrations with past efforts to work with government programs and insurance companies on issues of health coverage. Tamon said PhRMA supports the expansion of employment health care through tax credits for small business owners to purchase private health insurance as well as new pooling arrangements that would allow small business owners to buy health insurance as a group. Such an option is currently not available.

Tanis, a small business owner in the northeast L.A. community of Eagle Rock, said she was part of such a group that an insurance company turned away. Tanis said she was in a serious ski accident only two days after her health insurance company cancelled her policy in 2007. Tanis, an Eagle Rock Chamber of Commerce board member, said eligibility is the main issue for numerous small business owners in the northeast area.

David C. Lizarraga, chair of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said that local business leaders should form groups to form one concept for health care coverage. The group would better be able to communicate with members of Congress and track the development of its health care needs. He expressed frustrations that the United States ranked so low in providing health coverage to its citizens.

The World Health Organization placed the United States 37th in its World Health Report 2000. The Cato Institute released a study in February 2008 that questioned that study’s validity.

As the meeting concluded, Gloriamalia Perez, a partner with RMP Strategies, Inc asked what Tomam planned to do with the feedback provided by the guest. He told the group that a report that compiles all the feedback would be completed and submitted to PhRMA’s Washington D.C. headquarters. He added that as various outreach teams from across the nation submit similar reports, PhRMA would review its platform to ensure that it is consistent with the common themes that the meetings produce.

Dia de los Reyes Magos With a Punch!!

East LA Cityhood Study Gets Underway

“It’s a very patriotic day for East Los Angeles,” Senator Gloria Romero told EGP on Wednesday about the Local Area Formation Commission (LAFCO) notification that the signatures submitted by the East Los Angeles Residents Association last month are “sufficient.”

The County of Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk on Monday verified sufficient signatures were collected to require LAFCO to conduct a comprehensive fiscal analysis to determine if East Los Angeles has enough of a tax base to sustain itself as an independent city. The County’s report to LAFCO triggered the start of the study, which got underway Wednesday.

“Overwhelmingly, the people of East Los Angeles wish to move forward with a comprehensive fiscal analysis to determine if cityhood is viable for East LA,” said Romero, an active supporter of the cityhood campaign.

“I have represented East Los Angeles for 10 years,” said Romero. “I know we are viable. We can be so much more than we are,” she said.

According to the LAFCO approval notification letter obtained by EGP, of the 16,259 signatures submitted, 11,340 were found to be sufficient. Of the remaining signatures determined to be invalid, 1,094 signatures were found to be duplicates.

Signatures of 25 percent of the 34,403 registered voters living in the area proposed for incorporation were required. The verified signatures accounted for 33 percent of registered voters, according to the LAFCO letter.

Referring to the one third of ELA voter signatures verified, Romero said a LAFCO representative she spoke with said they had “never seen anything like this before.”

“It’s a tremendous outpouring by the people of East Los Angeles. We’re ready,” she said.
On Dec. 12, the East Los Angeles Residents Association (ELARA) delivered four boxes of petitions to LAFCO. The delivery marked the conclusion of a five-month signature gathering campaign to request the fiscal analysis be done.

If LAFCO’s comprehensive fiscal analysis determines that East Los Angeles has enough of a local tax base to operate as an independent city, the next step will be to place a cityhood initiative on the ballot and allow residents to decide whether they want to breakaway from the County and incorporate.

LAFCO Executive Director Sandor Wingor told EGP the study could take 5 to 8 months to complete, and would analyze information from the 2008-2009 Fiscal Year.

An official press conference is planned for Friday, said a jubilant Romero.
“At the end of the day the analysis will find if we have viability… We want to know.., It’s about hope. It’s about time, it’s past time.”

Bell Gardens Council Scrambles In Wake Of Councilman’s Conviction

When EGP went to print last week it was still 2008; Mario Beltran was still a well-liked and respected member of the Bell Gardens City Council despite a 2007 misdemeanor conviction of filing a false police report and an investigation into his involvement in a $5 million towing contract and charges that a fellow council member had been threatened.
But just two days into the New Year, Beltran agreed to a plea bargain on campaign fund embezzlement charges, once again marring his reputation and that of the city of Bell Gardens.

During his hearing last Friday, Beltran pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor charges of failure to report campaign contributions and one misdemeanor charge of failure to deposit campaign contributions as required by law.

He originally faced 13 charges, including seven felony grand theft charges, and a possible 20 years in jail. By taking the plea bargain, Beltran now faces the humiliation of having to resign his Bell Gardens Council seat, being barred for the next four years from holding elected or appointed office, lobbying, and being on probation.

During the hearing, at which EGP was present, Deputy District Attorney Max Huntsman of the Public Integrity Division told Beltran that it would be a felony for him to hold an elected or appointed office or act as a lobbyist.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge George G. Lomeli asked Huntsman if he was requesting hours of community service for Beltran, Huntsman said no.

“Removing him from office is appropriate [punishment],” Huntsman said.

Huntsman told EGP that Beltran’s conviction is not a life sentence barring him from holding public office or politics, and added that Beltran could choose to run for office again after his probation ends. However, he will have to first convince voters that he is a changed man, said Huntsman.

Mayor Jennifer Rodriguez told EGP she was surprised by the outcome and said that while some may use the conviction for political gain, she believes Bell Gardens has made significant progress and “Mario has participated in that progress.”

She told EGP it is a difficult time for the council and because of the Brown Act, which prohibits a majority of elected officials from meeting privately; they have not discussed Beltran’s resignation or made any plans for replacing him.

Councilwoman Priscilla Flores said the council has several options but their next step has not yet been decided.

“We need to sit down…and talk to the city attorney and go from there,” Flores said, adding that Beltran’s replacement could be appointed or chosen through a special election.

The councilwoman, who was Beltran’s running mate in 2007, also expressed sympathy for Beltran, and said he had always been an advocate and very involved.

“I wish Mario the best of luck, no hard feelings. He will recover, he’s a strong individual.”
Councilmember Daniel Crespo told EGP he wasn’t surprised by the news.

“Everyone knew that was going to happen,” said Crespo. “But I’m a little surprised that [he was accused of] so many felonies.”

Crespo also said he had assumed Beltran would never again be able run for office, “now he’s eligible in 2013.”

City Manager Steve Simonian says the council will not take any action until Beltran resigns in February. He says a special election would be expensive and not necessarily faster than waiting for the November election.

“Of course, they can appoint someone to fill his position,” said Simonian. “That’s the most expedient and best way to go in light of the budget restraints.”

It’s up to the city council to decide whether to hold a special election or to appoint, Simonian said.

Whether the city council will fine Beltran $10,000 for not filing or depositing his campaign contributions on time remains to be seen.

Beltran was accused of using his campaign funds to pay for his defense during a previous separate trial. In that case, Beltran was found guilty in March 2007 of filing a false police report about his missing councilman’s badge. At the time, he told police he had lost the badge and other personal items when he was robbed late one night while in downtown LA, a story witnesses told a jury were untrue. During the trial, prosecutors told the jury Beltran was actually involved in an altercation with a woman at a hotel frequented by prostitutes, and lost his badge and other personal items during the incident. He was convicted of filing a false police report.

According to Huntsman, Beltran must resign his city council seat by Feb. 12 when he is due back in court for sentencing.

Because Beltran is currently serving three years probation for the 2007 conviction, if the judge who sentenced him previously decides the current accusations are a violation of his probation, Beltran may be able to withdraw his plea bargain and go to trial. But Huntsman says that is unlikely.

Beltran’s Regrets

Following a hearing on Jan. 2 at which he agreed to plead guilty to four misdemeanor charges as part of a plea deal, Bell Gardens Councilman Mario Beltran traveled to San Diego to visit family. He told EGP he’s received numerous phone calls of encouragement following the decision that will force him out of public office, at least for the next four years.

“We were part of the decision, it was not a surprise for us,” said Beltran about the plea bargain and having to resign from the Bell Gardens City Council as part of the agreement.

Beltran said he plans to attend all three of the city council meetings scheduled to take place before his sentencing on Feb. 12, the same date by which he must resign.

The councilman pleaded to four misdemeanor counts including failing to file campaign disclosure forms and failing to deposit cash contributions, all violations of the Political Reform Act.

He was also accused of using the funds to pay for a cell phone under another person’s name and failing to report it, according to Deputy District Attorney Max Huntsman.

When asked if he regrets not having “done things differently,” Beltran said: “Sure. I wish I would have filed my campaign contributions and deposited them on time. Those are the only things I pled guilty to.”

Regarding his 2007 conviction of filing a false police report, Beltran said he has no regrets.

“I did the right thing, I didn’t file a false police report,” he said insisting on his innocence, but refusing to comment on a possible appeal in that case.

Beltran said his short-term plans are to graduate in the spring from Cal State L.A. where he’s studying political science and public administration, continue doing community work and continuing his daytime job as a field representative for state Sen. Gil Cedillo.

“The city council is just one portion of what I do,” Beltran told EGP on Tuesday. In regards to running for office again in the future: “It’s just a matter of waiting to see what I want to do in four years,” Beltran said.

According to Cedillo spokesperson Christy Wolfe, Beltran still has their support.

“The senator continues to support Mario’s work within the community and efforts to take responsibility and atone for an error in judgment,” Wolfe told EGP.

Beltran’s deal bans him from holding any elected or appointed public office for the four years he will be on probation. Beltran said he is waiting for more specifics from his lawyer explaining in what political activities he can or cannot participate. He says he understands he cannot participate in paid lobbying, but believes he can help run or participate in a political campaign.

The soon-to-be-gone councilman said he hopes the Bell Gardens City Council will continue funding the Mobile Home Rehabilitation Pilot Program and ensure that resources are spread out equally to benefit all residents.

“It’s been an honor to serve on the city council – obviously [we’ve] done a lot of good things so it’s been a pleasure,” said Beltran about leaving.

New Commerce Leadership Votes Out Attorney

Less than a month after the results of the recall election in Commerce was confirmed, the city council fired its attorney and appointed an interim city attorney to take his place. But one council member says the new attorney is worse than the old one.

The council voted to terminate a contract with Attorney Eduardo Olivo’s firm Olivo & Plascencia in a special meeting on Dec 18, 2008. The action was initiated by Councilwoman Rosalina Lopez. The vote was three to one in favor of firing Olivo’s firm.

Olivo is required to stay on the job for 30 days to help the interim attorney transition in and to close a land deal with Costco that is nearing completion, according to City Administrator Jorge Rifá.

Olivo’s appointment early last year helped spark a recall election during which recall campaigners alleged that not only did two members of the council use public funds in a self-serving way, they also hired an attorney with a questionable past.

Olivo’s past association with a former public official convicted of corruption meant that he could not be trusted, recallers said. Lilia Leon, who ran to replace then-Mayor Tina Baca Del Rio, presented this as one of the reasons Del Rio and Councilman Robert Fierro needed to be recalled. Fierro survived the recall, but Del Rio lost her seat.

While Olivo did work with the now-jailed former public official Albert Robles who was accused of trying to take over the city of Vernon, he himself was never convicted of corruption by the court, both Del Rio and Fierro have pointed out.

After the election, Leon was appointed Mayor Pro Tem, with then-councilman Hugo Argumedo becoming Mayor. They both voted with Councilwoman Lopez to fire Olivo and to bring in Attorney W. Anthony Willoughby as the interim city attorney. Fierro gave the dissenting vote, while Councilman Joe Aguilar was absent because he was out of the country on city business.

Lopez declined to comment on why she moved to fire Olivo and to hire a new attorney.
Mayor Hugo Argumedo, who voted with Lopez, says that after the election, most of the council members were against Olivo staying on. “There was a new council majority. I believe there were members of the city council majority who did not have confidence in the former city attorney and a change was initiated… we went ahead and made appointments of interim city attorneys,” he said.

The city will finalize an interim agreement the new attorney with at the next city council meeting.

Willoughby, who will be handling municipal law duties, also tapped Attorney Nick Pacheco to handle legal duties relating to the city’s redevelopment projects. Willoughby says Pacheco’s experience on the redevelopment committee while he was a Los Angeles city councilman makes him perfect for the job.

Willoughby, may face resistance from at least one council member in Commerce. Fierro voted against hiring Willoughby, saying that the attorney seems to have very little municipal experience and focuses mostly on criminal law.

He also takes issue with Willoughby’s history, especially after checking on him a few months ago when his name was being floated around. Fierro told Eastern Group Publications that news articles published in the South Los Angeles newspaper the Los Angeles Sentinel contained revealing information about Willoughby’s time working in Lynwood, where the revelation of a California State Bar reproval on the attorney’s license record seemed to have been the cause of a recall election there.

Details about the reproval, which was issued in 1995, could not be obtained from the State Bar by press time. According to the news articles that Fierro pointed to, Willoughby was being looked at by the State Bar for possibly writing checks for money belonging to his clients.

“Basically his state bar issue is a big red flag for me,” Fierro says.

However, Willoughby says the reproval was a result of a procedural mistake in which his secretary wrote the check for the wrong account during a period when he was out of town, making it appear as though the money was his clients’, rather than his own.

He says he let the record of the reproval sit because such things were not so easily looked up when not published on the Internet. Had he know the record would create such controversy, he would have fought it, he said.

Willoughby says he was never given a penalty for the reproval and that his law practice was not interrupted because of it.

Leon says she is aware of Willoughby’s record and believes that he will do a good job as the city’s interim attorney. She was impressed by the breadth of his resume, which includes experience in both municipal and criminal law.

If anyone questions Willoughby’s record, he or she should speak to him directly, she says. “That council member should direct that question to Mr. Willoughby. Obviously nobody came forth. It should be dealt with one to one,” she says.

Fierro says there is a difference between his questions about Willoughby’s past and the questions that were asked about Olivo during the recall.

“If you look at their backgrounds, both seem to have the same kind of background. At the end of the day Mr. Willoughby was looked at by the state bar of California. Mr. Olivo was cleared. We went from a good attorney to a worse attorney,” Fierro says.

He thinks that Willoughby may be part of a larger scheme by the council majority. “It comes down to a power play by the majority. You’re going to see the same types of strategy. You’re going to see the same type of literature. They have bio-diesel money behind them. They’re going to come out in full force,” he says.

‘Time Capsule’ Saves Memories of East Los Angeles

A bit of history will be preserved for future generations as part of the East Los Angeles Community Youth Center (ELACYC) Time Capsule Dedication Ceremony taking place this morning at 10 a.m. near the East Los Angeles Civic Center and the Gold Line Metro Station. The time capsule vault will entomb more than 35 shoebox-sized, sealed containers filled with items that will someday show what life was like in 2009 East L.A.

“This is the first time capsule on the eastside—it’s never been done before,” Angela Rodriguez, participant and director of the Laugh Angeles Foundation, told EGP.

The time capsule has been registered at the International Time Capsule Society (ITCS) located at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, according to Rodriguez.

Dan Schulist, chairman of the East Los Angeles Community Youth Center Board, said the time capsule idea arose out of The 2008 Angel Awards and ELACYC wanting to do something to honor their generous sponsors. He said the time capsule was the idea of Barrio Planners Inc.’s Frank Villalobos, who also serves as the youth center’s Secretary Treasurer.

“Actually I just borrowed the idea from a ‘science group’ project about time and space they were doing at the youth center,” Villalobos told EGP.

He says the children and their advisors at ELACYC aspire to be greener and save the planet.

Villalobos says the Gold Line Eastside Extension that is scheduled to open this summer, relates to the idea of time. Barrio Planners has been working the Metro rail designs since 2001.

Villalobos wrote the mission statement for the time capsule, it reads: “We civic and environmentally minded citizens of the City of Los Angeles herby deposit our artifacts as part of the history of our community to be opened in 2059, as a memorial & testimony of our sincere deepest hope for an enduring healthy environment.”

Villalobos’ son Alex, along with Luis Vazquez designed the monument that will remind residents to open the time capsule in 2059.

Mike Aparicio, of Eastside LRT Constructors—the company building the Goldline Extension—says progress in rail transportation is a significant part of ELA history and the area’s transformation.

“In 50 years, Boyle Heights will be one of the premier neighborhoods in LA…the growth spurt will be east, not west, and the extension will be the skeleton for that to grow on,” predicts Aparicio, whose family has roots in City Terrace.

Next week, EGP will report in more detail about the time capsule ceremony and l the items that will be preserved for future generations.

Montebello Woman Pleads ‘No Contest’

A woman who bilked clients out of hundreds of thousands of dollars through a large-scale immigration fraud ring pleaded no contest Wednesday to eight grand theft charges.

Montebello resident Romina Aida Zadorian, 39, is facing a 10-year state prison term when she is sentenced Feb. 3 by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kathleen A. Kennedy, said Deputy District Attorney Dana Aratani of the Consumer Protection Division.

Zadorian also is expected to be ordered to pay just over $870,000 in restitution to the 101 victims named in the criminal complaint, according to the prosecutor.

She was arrested last April by the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation on allegations that she falsely told clients that she could help them get U.S. residency, citizenship and work permits.

Zadorian was initially charged with 51 felony counts, and an additional 55 charges were added against her last June.

As a result of Zadorian’s plea, the remaining 98 counts against her are expected to be dismissed at sentencing.

District Attorney Steve Cooley said people with immigration issues “would be well-advised to deal only with attorneys licensed to practice law in California or those recognized as immigration lawyers.’”

Commerce Buses Keep the Young and Old in Aguascalientes Rolling

Homeboy’s Fundraising Goals Reached As It Braces for Cuts

As government funds continue to slow down or in some cases stop altogether, community-based organizations (CBOs) across the State have become more reliant on the donations gathered from business leaders and private donors to continue services. Such is the case for the Los Angeles-based Homeboy Industries. A thermometer on the nonprofit’s Web site showed that its recent fundraising campaign was close to its goal of $25,000. Kaile Shilling, associate director of development for Homeboy Industries, said the launch of the current campaign, which ended yesterday, came after the unexpected success of an initial drive during the holiday season.

“We didn’t expect to meet the challenge so quickly,” she said.

In early December, an anonymous donor gave Homeboy a three-week deadline to match a gift of $25,000. The funds were raised two and half days before the deadline. Shilling said the donor was so inspired by the community’s efforts that a second drive was quickly set up. The Los Angeles Host Lions Club increased the match-goal to $28,000 with a $3,000 donation on Dec. 19.

The influx of donations comes at a critical time for Homeboy, as traditional government funds become unstable due to the current economic recession. In March 2008, Homeboy was awarded with a $400,000 grant from the California Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention initiative, (CalGRIP). So far, Homeboy has received its full payments as scheduled, but Shilling said the CalGRIP funding could be lost as the State looks to reduce a bloated budget. She said Homeboy could lose up to $100,000 for the current fiscal year, 2008-2009 and the entire $200,000 award for next fiscal year, 2009-2010. In addition, funding from other government sources, such as the Mayor’s gang reduction program are also at risk.

For over 20 years, Homeboy has served the Los Angles area as a source of employment and professional assistance for the many at-risk and formally gang-involved youth in the area. The organization offers free support through mental health counseling, education, job training and job placement. Homeboy also provides voluntary tattoo removal along with various other programs to assist its participant’s transition into a new future.

With the shortfalls in funds, Homeboy has initiated a full-scale hiring freeze at a time when more people have visited the organization’s downtown headquarters looking for assistance.

“The lobby is always more crowded than it used to be,” Shilling said.

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