Mario Beltran: The Eminence Grise of Huntington Park

A concerned resident  - and active citizen - in Huntington Park handed me numerous documents about one political figure lurking in the background in the Southeastern Los Angeles region: Mario Beltran.

The documents included newspapers copies and clippings, along with arrest reports, and connections to the current city councilmembers in Huntington Park.

Mario Beltran

LA Weekly wrote some staggering and disturbing accounts of this operative, a former Bell Gardens official who plead guilty of embezzling campaign funds "The picture of Beltran coming into focus, however, is of a young, aggressive LA County politico who straddles a thin line between politics and the street, with questionable regard for the law."

"Questionable regard for the law. . ." Sounds like the current Huntington Park, CA City Council, too. LA Weekly published that columnn in 2007, by the way, following up on previous reports, arrests, and convictions from years before that.

The Los Angeles Times reported in 2009:

A Bell Gardens Councilman accused of embezzling campaign funds pleaded guilty today to multiple counts, prosecutors announced.

Mario Beltran, 31, 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., Deputy Dist. Atty. Max Hunstman said in a press release.

The charges stem from the defendant’s failure to report to authorities how he was spending campaign funds entrusted to him and his failure to deposit and account for cash given to him, according to the press release.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge George G. Lomeli ordered Beltran back for sentencing on Feb. 12. The defendant must resign from office before sentencing. Beltran is expected to receive four years of probation during which time he may not hold elected or appointed office and may not seek elected office or lobby.

Seven counts of grand theft, one count of perjury and one count of failing to deposit cash will be dismissed at sentencing as part of a negotiated plea agreement. In a previous prosecution in 2007, the defendant was convicted by a Downey jury of a misdemeanor charge of filing a false police report.

In 2010, the Bell scandal erupted, taking down the entire city council and the city manager. Sources have informed this writer that Beltran is connected with that series of corruption, as well as the John Noguez fallout.

Beltran still works as a political consultant, and worked for some of the current Huntington Park City Council members.

What is it with this town? Does every person who runs for office feel compelled to break the law in order to get elected?

Mario Beltran has  not made any appearances at the Huntington Park CA City Council, and for that reason, he is more of an eminence grise [Grey Eminence], or more commonly "the power behind the throne."

The term originated with Cardinal Richelieu, who operated and directed the Kingdom of France during the reign of the relatively weak Louis XIII. No one directly connected the corrupting governance of the cardinal to the problems plaguing the French state at the time, but the Cardinal's influence was keenly felt throughout the kingdom.

The same could be said for Mario Beltran in Huntingotn Park. The Southeastern Los Angeles corridor needs new, honest, transparent, and accountable leadership, and must rid itself of these dirty politicians looking to get rich at the expense of everyone else.