Huntington Park Councilmember Blasts Democratic Party Corruption

Valentin Amezquita has been the lone voice of reason on the Huntington Park, CA City Council.

He opposed the appointment of two illegal aliens to city commissions.

He has criticized the appointment of his colleagues' friends and relatives to city commissions, as well. While the other candidates had campaigned on a platform to lower taxes and bring in  more businesses to the city, the majority ended up raising the water rates, and are poised to bring in more expensive parking meters, while hitting with residents with higher costs.

Councilmember Amezquita has been a registered Democrat for a great part of his political career, and yet with the rising, rampant corruption exploding throughout the Southeaster Los Angeles County region, he could not hold back his contempt for the party leadership.

Here is the letter he sent to the Democratic Party officials following their endorsement of "more of the same" corruption:

From: Valentin Amezquita [mailto:v-----------.net]

Sent: Monday, February 11, 2013 12:20 AM

To: 'Miguel Martinez'

Subject: RE: LACDP Endorsement Meeting Recommendation --

Miguel,

Thank you and your panel for the time to come to our city for subject endorsement interviews.

As you can surmise, I’m not happy with the results. Accordingly, it would be useful to know what was the criteria used to make the selection. The recent and current team of Huntington Park council members have given a bad name not just to our city but to the whole Southeast region with the complicit participation of the Democratic party constantly endorsing and supporting false and corrupt leaders in our communities. By extension, your selections have also given a bad name to the Democratic party as well.

With all due respect to Valentin, the Democratic Party has gotten a bad name from the very man who occupies the White House at this time. Obama ruined the Democratic brand when he invited more government into our lives through Obamacare, Dodd-Frank, and then his reckless, unconstitutional executive actions on immigration, finance, and gun control.

I don’t know if you talk to other folks outside the area but when they hear of this region, they know it’s a bunch of “ …corrupt Democratic party Hispanics doing what is in in their culture to do…” etc. You don’t see a lot of this behavior in the Beach Cities or in OC do you? As I see it, it is the responsibility of the Democratic party to vet out and endorse the real leaders who have the interest for the common good not the benefit of the few contractors thanks to these folks who you endorse.  I got interested in politics and registered as a Democrat early on because I identified with the ideals and its goals but now I am not so sure I made the right choice of party. But I think it’s just the “decision-makers” who don’t have the wherewithal to make the brave, independent decisions.

The reason why much of "this behavior" does not occur in the Beach Cities or in OC is that Republicans sit on many of the city council seats and even represent the regions at the state and federal level.

By your actions and those you endorse, you are allowing the 1% of the city contractors continue to abuse and obtain inflated contracts from these same politicians you are endorsing at the expense of the fixed income mothers and their children as wells as seniors who make up the 99% -- so the question is on whose side are you on and the consequences of your decisions? Now let’s look at the facts:  The residents of the City of Huntington Park pay more property taxes, more for water, more for trash, etc., than Downey. Yet they are more affluent than HP residents, be they property owners or tenants. The reason is due to these political, incestuous relationships where not the best, most honest, but those with most strings get the endorsements. The current city council has placed union employees in jeopardy and they have expressed a preference to farm out more jobs to contractors who do a bad job and just take the money with no loyalty to the city. Be honest, were your aware of these facts? If not you should have been as part of vetting candidates and if you were aware of these facts and still didn’t endorse me or the other candidate, Karina Macias, who I know has the best interest of the community in mind, then shame on you; these actions lead to damaging activies that is propagating this behavior and misleading the Democratic voters in HP to unwittingly vote against their interests. To not provide a 2nd endorsement, even it if wasn’t me, that makes no sense. It makes my stomach sick.

Councilmember Valentin Amezquita

This is just awful. Poor people are getting hit with more taxes and fees, and receive less for all their confiscated wealth than other neighboring towns. If anyone is declaring war on the poor, look no further than the Democratic Party political machine in Southeast Los Angeles County. It amazes me and others as I learn that Huntington Park residents are getting taken advantage of in such a serious, heinous fashion. When will the residents in the city demand more accountability and real service from their elected officials?

You are not following the ideals of the Democratic party of fairness and opportunity to all the residents and constituents. By your lack of research in endorsing public officials whose priorities are compromised by special interests as opposed to the residents, many of whom are on fixed income and can’t afford high taxes.

Thank you again Valentin for speaking up for your residents and your constituents. I am honored to work with an elected official who is dedicated to the public interest as opposed to special interests.

I’m enclosing some information that sheds a light on the conditions that have been brought about by the folks the Democratic party in this region has made a pervasive reality or nightmare – from Fabian Nunez and a bunch of other Democrats endorsing Noguez and his team and presto, you got the South Gates, Cudahys, Bells, Bell Gardens, and now HPs of the region – all with the imprimatur for the most part of the Democratic party or put another way, how many of these cities are run by Republican communities or leaders in city council? Probably zilch, nada.

I cannot stress this enough - much of the corruption eating up the cities of Bell, South Gate, Maywood, etc, all stem from Democratic Party operatives. Voters in those regions need to start elceting Republicans and civic minded conservatives to their councils and boards. Downey has an all Republican city council, and the Los Angeles Times has called Downey: "The Brown Beverly Hills." Good governance requires good principles and good character. Democratic operatives working with John Noguez and Fabian Nunez have done more harm than good in the region, having neither good ideas or morals.

Finally, you are more than free to share this email with your fellow panel members. The truth hurts and I am not shy about pointing it out. As Kant said if I recall correctly, “Truth is beauty, and beauty is truth…” One thing the  Nazi Germany experience taught us is that we should not tolerate injustice for an injustice to one is an injustice to all as MLK articulated. Men and women of conscience and conviction can’t and should stand idle especially when they see this abuse every day, every year . Sorry for my rant but again, I think the Democratic party is part of the problem. We shouldn’t have to defer for the punitive legal system has the responsibility to clean house but it should be done internally consistent with ideals of the Democratic party and not condoned by it. They should be gatekeepers not parties to the fleecing of defenseless fixed income people.

For the record, Martin Luther King -- MLK -- was a Republican. Furthermore, truth is beauty and beauty is truth. Right now, Huntington Park residents have complained about how chunti their city has become.

Why has the Huntington Park City council gotten so corrupt? Democratic machine chicanery has hurt Huntington Park residents, and Councilmember Amezquita called them out on it.

The state of California, and their Hispanic residents and representatives in particular, need more lawmakers and elected officials like Amezquita, confronting and resisting corruption at the local level.

Contact Councilmember Amezquita, and show him your support:

6550 Miles Ave. 
Huntington Park, CA 90255 
(323) 584-6221
vamezquita@hpca.gov