State Senator Wright enters plea on indictment

September 16, 2010 By 1 Comment


State Senator Roderick Wright (D-Inglewood) appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court Thursday morning to plead not guilty to charges of voter fraud and perjury. Prosecutors charge that Wright lives in Baldwin Hills, which is not in the 25th District that he represents. The 25th District includes Inglewood, Compton, Gardena, Hawthorn, Long Beach, San Pedro, Watts and Westchester. Wright claims he lives on Glenway Drive in Inglewood.

Wright was indicted September 13, 2010 on five counts of voter fraud, two counts of perjury and one count of filing a false declaration of candidacy. Wright was elected to the State Senate in November 2008. The investigation began a month earlier when prosecutors say they received a complaint that he lived outside the 25th District. Investigators determined that Wright has lived in a home in Baldwin Hills, in the 26th state Senate district, since 2000. Before he was elected to the senate, Wright served three terms in the California State Assembly representing the 48th Assembly District.

Wright’s attorney, Winston Kevin McKesson, said he expects the state senator to be “full exonerated.”

If convicted, Wright faces up to eight years and four months in prison, and he would be banned from every holding public office again. He will be back in court on October 8.

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New jobs at Inglewood City Hall despite hiring freeze

March 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment


Since calling for a hiring freeze in early February to help close a $10 million budget gap, the Inglewood City Council has approved the hiring of 21 new employees at a cost of nearly $2 million.

The new hires include four in the planning department, two in the city clerk’s office, four in the police department, nine in the parks and recreation department and two in residential sound institution.

The salaries and benefits for the new hires will add a cost of nearly $2 million to the city’s $324 million budget. Three of the positions are described as part-time, and seven are temporary.

During the hiring freeze, each new position must be approved by the city council, an additional step in the hiring process.

Councilwoman Judy Dunlap said each hire is examined closely and that all of the hires the council has approved since the freeze went into effect are crucial to providing key city services.

“We are looking at tremendous cuts and expenditures,” said Dunlap. “We strongly consider these things when we’re looking at hirings.”

The jobs deemed most crucial after the council approved the freeze were those in the city clerk’s office, which have been filled.

In her request for the city council’s approval of new hires for her office, City Clerk Yvonne Horton anticipated six elections taking place in Inglewood between June 2010 and June 2011, half of them runoff elections. Horton told the council that the positions “will allow the City Clerk’s office to provide excellent service to the community.”

The city budget allots less than $600,000 to the city clerk’s office. The two new hires will cost $161,000 combined.

Ed Maddox, public information officer for Inglewood, said other jobs, such as those needing to be filled in the planning department, are handled on a “case-by-case” basis. Some requests were made before the Feb. 2 hiring freeze gained approval, complicating the approval process.

In the planning department, lack of adequate staffing has delayed plans to convert Hollywood Park into a housing and business development, according to city staff.

Council Member Ralph Franklin said the planning department jobs are a catalyst for future job opportunities.

“By hiring planners, we stimulate the job market with these projects that allow for more jobs to be created,” Franklin said. “The money is recycled back into the city.”

Dunlap said the city council is still in the process of completely providing permission for each department to choose final job candidates. She said the city council should be presented with a new list of prospective planning department employees within the next two weeks.

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Inglewood residents fear an onslaught of special elections

March 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment


Over the next eight months, Inglewood voters may find themselves casting ballots in local elections not once, not twice, but as many as five times.

The voting begins with a special election on June 8 to fill the post vacated by Inglewood Mayor Roosevelt Dorn, who abruptly resigned in January after pleading guilty to a charge of public corruption.

If one candidate does not receive the majority of the votes, a runoff election will be scheduled no more than 70 days later, meaning some time in August, according to the city charter.

Close contests that result in runoffs are not uncommon in Inglewood. The city’s last mayoral election – in 2006 – went to a runoff, as did the election that year for the District 1 council seat.

“When you have a fresh election with new people, yes, [a runoff] is very common,” said Yvonne Horton, city clerk for Inglewood.

If one of the three council members who are vying for the mayoral spot wins, another election may be required to fill their vacated post.

And that’s not it.

Inglewood’s “worst-case scenario” could include an onslaught of special elections, said Elliott Petty, of the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy and the Coalition for a Better Inglewood.

“I very easily see four to five elections in the next eight months, a low turnout, and a lot of money for the city,” Petty said.

Kareem Crayton, an expert on election law and politics at the University of Southern California, called it the “domino effect of election vacancies.” While he said special elections are not uncommon, “the people who design these election rules do not really consider the costs associated with the ‘worst case scenario.’”

The June election alone will divert more than $100,000 from Inglewood’s general fund, Horton said. By consolidating the local election with a statewide race, the city will not have to hire its own poll workers.

But, according to Horton, that doesn’t mean the election is free. “[The state] will give us a quote, and we have to pay them,” she said.

The price tag for each subsequent runoff election would be the same, with the cost shouldered entirely by the city.

Further complicating matters is the fact that the nominating period for the November’s regular mayoral election runs from July 12 to August 6.

“Special elections happen all the time for any unfortunate reason,” said Sherry Mosley, an expert on governmental affairs at the University of Southern California. “But if that ran into a November election, then why are they having a November election?”

Council members are considering consolidating a potential runoff with the November election, said Edward Maddox, the Inglewood public information officer.

“They would need to petition to put something on the ballot that would change the rules,” Maddox said. “There is talk about that but council hasn’t taken any action.”

Residents are worried about what this potential election overload could do to voter turnout.

“I tend to believe after so many elections people get tired and dismayed,” Petty said. “You hear a lot of promises, and you get tired of the promises.”

Recent political events in Inglewood, however, have sparked an increased interest at city council meetings. The first council meeting after Dorn’s resignation drew a standing-room-only crowd.

“I hope these citizens see there’s a change happening,” Raynald Davis, an Inglewood resident, observed at the time. “And we need to take a stand as a city.”

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City of Inglewood lacks funds to donate to Haiti

March 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment


Communities and organizations across South Los Angeles are raising funds and awareness about the devastating earthquake in Haiti, but calls for action by Inglewood officials have amounted to nothing.

City officials attribute the inaction to the city’s current budget woes, as well as the departure in recent months of both the mayor and the city administrator.

“The city itself is not doing anything,” said Toni Williams, executive secretary for the city. “The city just doesn’t have a budget for that type of thing.”

Twice since the disaster, members of the Inglewood City Council have called for a city effort to provide relief.

Former Mayor Roosevelt Dorn proposed an initiative to develop relief in his last city council meeting as mayor on January 26. More than three weeks later, on February 17, Councilman Daniel Tabor reintroduced the same initiative.

The proposal advises the council to “direct the City Administrator to develop a plan for the City of Inglewood and its employees, residents and businesses throughout the city to participate in the Inglewood Haiti Relief & Recovery Collaboration, in order to facilitate the transmittal of humanitarian assistance to the Haitian people.”

Before his abrupt resignation on March 17, City Administrator Timothy Wanamaker said he was working on what he called a “support resolution.” His plan was to provide Inglewood residents and businesses with a list of credible aid agencies and groups for donation. The list did not materialize before Wanamaker left.

In nearby Carson, the city council donated $5,000 to Haiti relief efforts.

As far as Inglewood making a donation, “No, not possible,” Wanamaker said. “Not with our financial condition.”

Tabor decided not to wait for official city action and formed the Inglewood Haitian Recovery Collaboration, which meets once a week and works with churches and schools in Inglewood to bring hygiene kits, shoes, and medical supplies to Haiti.

Meanwhile, the Inglewood Residents Committee teamed up with local churches for a food and clothing drive on January 31.

“We received a lot of clothing, all of which the churches sent directly to Haiti,” said Darius Leevy, Executive Director of the Inglewood Residents Committee.

The committee is forming groups to help with collecting goods, as well as working on long-term relief options.

“It’s about more than just clothes,” Leevy said.

Leevy is planning another fundraiser at the end of March. He is seeking city help with the distribution of information, which could include flyers and letters for residents.

Updated: This story about a Haiti relief fundraiser run by Darius Leevy originally stated that no Inglewood city council members were present at the event. The article should have included information on Inglewood’s First District Councilman Daniel Tabor, who helped facilitate the event and helped load supplies into trucks after the event.

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Voter apathy threatens Inglewood’s special election

March 22, 2010 By 1 Comment


What if there were an election and no one voted? That’s what happened in Inglewood, or nearly so. In the November 3, 2009 countywide election, only 86 Inglewood voters cast ballots– less than one twentieth of one percent of the city’s electorate.

Inglewood’s 0.18 percent turnout took place during L.A. County’s consolidated elections. By comparison, turnout rates in other cities for the same election included 8 percent in Compton, 10 percent in Pasadena, and 11 percent in Lancaster, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar’s Statement of Votes Cast. Ballots consisted mainly of city council and school board races.

The specter of low voter turnout concerns Inglewood leaders and community activists, especially in light of an upcoming special municipal election slated for June 8 to fill the mayoral seat vacated by Roosevelt F. Dorn, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor conflict of interest charge in January.

“Nobody believes in government anymore because there are so many crooks, and people don’t care. There is no care in the government anymore,” said Stacie Williams, a community activist and advocate for youth facilities and housing. “It’s just a lack of professionalism and a lack of care in the city of Inglewood and that needs to stop.”

But the publicity surrounding Dorn’s departure may have the opposite effect, actually increasing voter turnout, said Michael McDonald, a voting expert at George Mason University. “It raises the profile of the election,” he said. “People are talking about it and anything that helps communicate to people that there’s an election will improve the turnout.”

A recent election that was strictly municipal fared somewhat better, by comparison. On June 12, 2007 about 18 percent of the city’s registered voters cast ballots in a runoff for council district 1. The victor, Daniel Tabor, won by 200 votes.

“It [was] a local special election,” McDonald said. “Those are the kind of races that tend to draw the lowest level of turnout.”

Yvonne Horton, Inglewood’s city clerk, said the city’s voter turnout is “no more poor than others.” She said she does plan to do her part to raise awareness about the upcoming election.

“I am going to keep on asking them, every Tuesday [during council meetings] and every time I go out,” Horton said. “We can always try, [but] we can’t make people vote.”

Inglewood voters, like voters everywhere, are far more likely to turn out for a presidential race, said Michael Falkow, Inglewood’s chief information officer. About 84 percent of Inglewood voters cast their ballots in the last presidential race. It was a voting rate that reflected the enthusiasm generated by Barack Obama’s candidacy, which helped push voter turnout nationwide to a 40-year high, according to the Associated Press.

But within the context of national and statewide turnout rates, Inglewood’s voting rate in that election was about average. “The president is the most visible political symbol of America,” said Curtis Gans, an expert in citizen political participation in the U.S at the American University in Washington. “We have an eroded community; therefore fewer and fewer people are participating in local government and the people that do participate tend to be the same people.”

Falkow said that city leaders are hopeful that increased community attendance at city council meetings in the wake of Dorn’s departure will translate into ballots cast in June. But he is skeptical.

“I highly doubt that they’re all coming out just because the Mayor resigned,” Falkow said. “I would think that they’re coming out because they are finding out a lot of things about what’s going on that maybe they didn’t know.”

In the case of Inglewood resident Raynald Davis, that is exactly what happened.

“I want the city council to be transparent and let us know what is happening,” Davis said. “Tell us what we need to know, not what we want to hear.”

According to Gans, it is up to the city to restore the confidence of its residents in local government and inform them of what they stand to lose if they don’t cast their votes.

“They need to improve education, promote civic values, reduce the negative impact of media, strengthen unions, and change the way candidates conduct their campaign,” Gans said.

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Hollywood Park racetrack faces redevelopment

March 22, 2010 By 2 Comments


imageHollywood Park prepares to host what could be its last season of races this month.

Developers of Hollywood Park Tomorrow are working their way through the raft of city, state and federal licenses and permits required to tear down Inglewood’s famous horse racing track and replace it with a massive development featuring residential, retail and office space.

If all goes according to plan, developers may be ready to close down the track within a year.

“Once we have permission to go from all authorities, then we will look at that point at shutting the race track down,” said Gerard McCallum, the project manager for the development group Wilson Meany Sullivan. “That will require at the very minimum six months notice with the horse racing board.”

The developers have guaranteed that there will be racing at Hollywood Park for the entire 2010 season. The California Horse Racing Board approved 100 racing dates, starting with opening day on April 21.

“We’ve been told to operate as if we’ll be here indefinitely,” said Mike Mooney, the director of publicity for Hollywood Park.

McCallum said that construction might begin by the end of 2011.

“That’s the best case scenario, everything’s moving, everything’s approved,” he said. “All that of course is contingent on what the economy looks like as well.”

Wilson Meany Sullivan, along with San Francisco real estate group Stockbridge Real Estate Funds, bought Hollywood Park from Churchill Downs in 2005 for $260 million.

imageThe Hollywood Park Tomorrow project, which was approved by the Inglewood City Council in July of 2009, would transform the 238-acre site at the corner of Prairie Avenue and Century Boulevard into a complex of offices, shops and nearly 3,000 homes.

The plan also calls for a 300-room hotel, 25 acres of park space and a renovation to the Hollywood Park Casino.

“I think it will be good for the city, good for the families,” said Antonio Romero, an Inglewood resident who visits Hollywood Park weekly to bet on the horse races. “Even if I have to drive a little bit farther [to go to a different track], that’s okay.”

McCallum said the new development will benefit the city financially, increasing tax revenue for Inglewood and creating an estimated 19,000 jobs. About 3,000 of those jobs will be permanent retail positions, with the rest being short-term construction work.

“The city did a fiscal impact study and found that because of declining revenue and declining attendance at the track, the taxes that were taken by the city were dramatically declining,” McCallum said. “So the city was already looking for alternative uses for the land.”

The city of Inglewood did not have a copy of the fiscal impact study on hand but the developers’ presentation to the Inglewood City Council in January of 2008 projected the city’s tax revenue from the Hollywood Park site would nearly triple from 2007 to 2016, the projected completion date for the development.

According to the report, the city grossed over $7.8 million in tax revenue from the property in 2008. The developers project that number to swell to $20.9 million in 2016.

Mooney acknowledged that track attendance is declining but said that the handle, or total money bet, continues to increase. The track averaged 6,111 people per day in 2009, a modest number for the track that drew a record average of 34,516 people in 1965. The handle, though, peaked in 2008 at an average of over $11.8 million before falling back to nearly $10.5 million in 2009.

“Since the legislation of inter-city, inter-track betting and the expansion to internet betting, we don’t get the same people at our track but our handle has grown over all those years,” Mooney said. “I would say racing is a game in transition and coupled with the tough economy, it’s a difficult period right now.”

While the total amount bet may be higher, Hollywood Park’s revenue is down because the race track gets a lower percentage of off track bets than on track. Of the nearly $10.5 million per day bet at Hollywood Park in 2009, less than 14 percent came from on track betting.

imageMooney and McCallum both said the Hollywood Park Casino would continue to offer off-track betting opportunities to their patrons.

“It’s a sign of the times,” said Bobby Slatin, who frequents Hollywood Park. “Horseracing is a dying sport and Hollywood Park has gone way down. This will be a nice place to have some memories.”

Hollywood Park began racing in 1938, when Jack L. Warner of Warner Bros. was the chairman of the Hollywood Turf Club. Many Hollywood actors and directors were original shareholders of the track, including Walt Disney and Bing Crosby.

In 1938, the legendary horse Seabiscuit won the inaugural running of the Hollywood Gold Cup, the track’s signature race.

Throughout its history, Hollywood Park has been a pioneer of the horse racing industry, inventing the exacta bet (picking the first and second place horses) in 1971, being the first track to average a $4 million daily handle in 1997 and hosting the inaugural Breeders Cup—which was watched by an estimated 50 million viewers—in 1984.

“This has been here for so long,” said Troy Montgomery, a regular at the racetrack. “It’s gonna feel like something’s missing.”

Photo credit: Creative Commons, Save Hollywood Park, Smart Destinations

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City loan program proves to be Inglewood Mayor’s downfall

March 21, 2010 By 2 Comments


In January, Inglewood Mayor Roosevelt Dorn pleaded guilty to a charge of public corruption and was barred from holding public office. Yet, his resignation prompts a look at the patterns of dishonesty and fraud in the history of Inglewood’s city government.

Dorn was involved in the Residence Incentive Program (RIP), a city loan program adopted in Inglewood in 1992. The program provided executive non-elected employees of the city with low-interest mortgages to encourage them to buy homes in Inglewood. Interest rates for these mortgage loans were substantially lower than commercially available rates.

In 2004, Dorn attempted to convince Mark Weinberg, the former city administrator, that the program applied to the mayor as an “executive officer” and that the city should issue him a loan.

Weinberg raised concerns over the legality of the mayor’s request, prompting Dorn to propose a resolution before the city council.

One of Weinberg’s reservations was a lack of public purpose for issuing the loan, given that the Inglewood city charter already required elected officials to live within city limits.

Despite Weinberg’s concerns, the Inglewood City Council, including Dorn, approved the resolution, which was signed into law on June 29, 2004. The resolution expanded the RIP to include “officers of the city as defined in the Inglewood City Charter.” In effect, Dorn created, voted, and approved a law that would give himself a loan.

Five months later, Dorn received a $500,000 loan through the program at an interest rate of 2.39 percent. The loan provisions also stipulated that the rate would never exceed 4.39 percent.

Dorn told the financial officer who prepared his loan that the money would be used to purchase a home for his daughter in Inglewood. Dorn also used the loan to pay off his own mortgage and to open a seven-month, $300,000 Certificate of Deposit that earned him 4.25 percent interest.

This loan, however, became public knowledge when Dorn ran for reelection.

To prevent the appearance of a conflict of interest, Dorn repaid $491,317.05 and led the city council to rescind the resolution.

The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Public Integrity Division began an investigation of Dorn’s activities in 2006, finding him in violation of county code by making a contract in which he had a personal financial interest.

Dorn’s mere involvement with preliminary planning and discussions extending the loan program put him in legal trouble, the District Attorney found.

At the time the RIP was enacted, Weinberg had complete control over who received loans. The idea that Dorn could so easily convince the city council to accommodate his requests called into question the whole system in place at Inglewood City Hall.

Current director of finance in Inglewood, Jeff Muir, consulted with Deputy District attorneys Max Huntsman and Juliet Schmidt on the case. Muir indicated that steps are being taken to ensure a corruption-free financial future for the city. For starters, the elusive credit card program to which Dorn was accustomed for personal expenses has been abolished.

“No elected officials have credit cards currently,” Muir said. “There used to be a reimbursement program for officials after each quarter, but we don’t do that anymore. We now roll any amount like that into compensation for the individual’s services, and it’s not individually done any more.”

To address public concerns, the city is creating an Investment Oversight Committee made up of interested citizens. The committee will meet on a quarterly basis and discuss the treasurer reports for the city, the Inglewood Redevelopment Agency, Inglewood Public Finance Authority, and Housing Authority.

While city council members and elected officials are no longer eligible for the RIP, non-executive employees outside of the city may still apply for a loan.

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Meet the candidates for Inglewood mayor

March 16, 2010 By 12 Comments


Nine Inglewood residents are vying to be the city’s next mayor.

The election was called after former Mayor Roosevelt Dorn pleaded guilty to a conflict of interest charge in January and was forced to resign.

It will be consolidated with the general statewide election to meet the guidelines dictated by the city charter.

The filing period for the mayoral election lasts from Feb. 16 to March 12, and seven people had filed as of Feb. 26.

In order to be placed on the ballot, a candidate must collect 40 signatures from Inglewood residents.

To win the election, a candidate must receive more than 50 percent of the votes, so the likelihood of multiple run-off elections is high, said Ed Maddox, Inglewood’s public information officer.

Until the election, city council members will serve as Mayor Pro Tempore in a monthly rotation.

Meet the candidates:

Ralph Franklin has been a council member since 2003. Over the past seven years, he has advocated for the development of Century Boulevard and the Hollywood Racetrack.
Franklin mounted, however, a successful opposition to Dorn’s effort to bring a Wal-Mart into Inglewood in 2004.

imageFranklin has been a member of the Crenshaw Christian Center for more than 40 years.

“I seek your support to take care of the King’s business by having someone in office that is a child of God and a yielding vessel to do his work as Mayor for the City of Inglewood,” Franklin said in a note to the public.

The main components of Franklin’s platform are improving infrastructure and alleys, working on the water and sewer lines, and bringing the deficit balance budget back into the black. He plans to stimulate jobs, enhance public transportation, and hold the police force accountable.

“I am that man that has the ability, fortitude, and tenacity to make it a reality,” Franklin said.

In 2003, after serving 12 years as the chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission, Franklin was elected to the city council seat previously held by Lorraine Johnson.

Johnson had served as the 4th District councilmember from November 2002 until April 2003, at which point the seat came up for a four-year term, and failed to make the ballot. Franklin won a run-off election against community activist Mike Stevens for the seat, but Johnson sued, claiming Stevens had not lived in the district at filing time.

According to a Los Angeles Times article, a Los Angeles Superior Court overturned the election.

Franklin eventually won a court-ordered election and criticized Johnson for causing “considerable and unnecessary” expense to the city and aggravating voters. Johnson told the Los Angeles Times that she simply wanted the voters to get an honest election and aimed to discourage candidates from lying about their residency.

According to campaign finance records in 2002, Johnson raised $45,000 for the election, while Franklin raised nearly $112,000.

Lorraine Johnson told the Los Angeles Wave that she could “offer a new direction and new vision to the city.” She cites the 4th district development and early proposals for the development on Century Boulevard as some of her successes.

Johnson is a revenue administrator for an investment banking company and has a degree in business administration. She has served as the vice president of both the Inglewood Leadership Council and the Youth and Education Committee, according to her candidate profile.

“I think I have more to offer and feel I could do a better job than those who are likely to be running,” Johnson said. “I think we need to do away with the old and bring in the new.”

Wanda Brown has served as the city treasurer for 23 years. She claims to have earned the city $63 million in interest and said she has “never lost a penny, not even half a penny.”

imageBrown has an M.B.A. and Ph.D. in accounting and has taught finance classes at the UCLA extension and to the youth of Inglewood.

She has been criticized for receiving a $235,000 city loan from the same housing incentive program that toppled Dorn.

Brown was cleared of any misconduct because, unlike Dorn, she did not have the power to vote on the loan program.

This issue has brought her into contention with former Councilman Daniel Tabor, who directed Brown to pay back the loan. During his tenure as mayor, Dorn often came to her defense.

“There isn’t any question Ms. Brown received these funds legally, even though the contract was fraught with deceit. Ms. Brown has a strong case against the city, and they have no chance of making her pay off this loan immediately,” Dorn told the Los Angeles Wave.

Brown did not return calls to comment.

Daniel Tabor served on the city council 20 years ago but was unseated in 1993.

imageHe was reelected in 2007 and, in recent years, has worked on protecting residents from airplane noise, redeveloping areas like Hollywood Park, and fighting for families facing foreclosures.

Tabor said he will probably spend $150,000 to $200,000 on the campaign.

“I’ll probably end up running four times instead of just once because of the run-offs, so I need to take into account the cost of mailing and getting the message out there,” Tabor said.

Tabor has faced criticism for his financial problems, particularly from Brown. A search of Los Angeles court records showed Tabor has two small claims cases and a collections case on his record.

Tabor has run for mayor twice, most recently in 2007, when he was endorsed by Councilman Morales, the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters, and District Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. Tabor said he does not expect Morales to endorse him again.

Larry Springs is an Inglewood real estate broker with Century 21. Springs filed candidacy but is unsure whether he will run a formal campaign.

“I haven’t made a complete decision,” he said. “There are a few more people I need to talk to.”

Springs said he would like to see affordable housing, a city walk, and a golf course developed in Inglewood.

Velma Anderson has been attending council meetings since 2000 and has spoken out against issues such as airport noise, according to council minutes.

In 2002, Anderson ran for the 4th District council seat but lost to Johnson, who won with 44 percent of the votes. Anderson also ran for City Clerk but did not receive any votes.

Audrey Lehman is a court reporter in Inglewood, and Solomon Muez is a contractor. Neither was available for comment.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Horton expects the locations will be announced in late March. Residents interested in becoming a poll worker can get an application at lavote.net.

The deadline for voter registration is March 24. Registration forms can be found at city hall, fire stations, libraries, and post offices.

Photo Credit: City of Inglewood Website

What does the future hold for the city of Inglewood? In-depth coverage of the city’s political transition:

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Inglewood treasurer throws hat into mayoral race

March 15, 2010 By 5 Comments


Although disgraced Inglewood Mayor Roosevelt F. Dorn has resigned, his legacy may find new life in the mayor’s office.

Wanda Brown, the city’s treasurer for nearly a quarter century and a staunch Dorn ally, has declared her intention to run for the vacated mayoral post in June’s special election.
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Brown said that as mayor one of her primary concerns would be redevelopment initiatives, such as the $2 billion Hollywood Park renovation project.

“Revenues are needed for the city,” Brown said. “We have to appear to be business-friendly to attract investors.”

Brown intends to revive a proposed senior center that was “put in permanent limbo” after the old center was torn down.

Brown said her accomplishments as city treasurer demonstrate her qualifications for the city’s highest elective office.

First elected in 1987, Wanda Brown has served as Inglewood’s treasurer for the past 23 years. Her first foray into Inglewood city politics came in 1983, when she ran for city treasurer and lost badly to incumbent Stan Jones.

In 1985, Brown, backed by then-mayor Ed Vincent, ran for school board on the platform of firing then-Superintendent Rex Fortune. She was defeated by a 3-1 margin after admitting she sent her two children to public schools in Westchester instead of Inglewood.

Not giving up and supported again by Vincent, Brown defeated Jones for city treasurer in June of 1987. Brown has been re-elected five times and has served 24 years as Inglewood’s treasurer – her current term expires in 2011.

But her tenure hasn’t been without controversy.

She created a stir in March 1993 when she proposed a 16-fold increase in her own salary, from less than $4,000 annually to just under $70,000 per year.

The proposal came during a financially difficult time for the city, angering city council members who were under pressure to reduce the budget.

“She is completely out of line,” then-councilman Tony Scardenzan told the Daily Breeze in 1993. “At a time when everyone else is looking at pay cuts she wants a pay increase that is out of orbit.”

Brown disagreed, saying the raise would allow her to spend more time on the job and thereby increase the city’s profits from financial investments. The increase was tabled by the city council until 1996, when her salary was upped to just over $40,000 per year on a 3-2 vote.

Brown said she has invested as much as $600 million on behalf of the city, earning it more than $72 million, though supporting data was not available to substantiate the claim.

“To have never lost a single dollar,” Brown said. “I consider that an achievement.”

Brown also touted her extensive education. She holds both an M.B.A. and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles.

“I have the best education of anyone in government,” she said. “Better than anyone on the council.”

Brown, 65, said she felt compelled to run to represent “outraged” citizens who are upset with the actions of the current council members since Dorn’s departure, including a call by Councilwoman Judy Dunlap for more oversight of the treasurer.

When asked why some members of the council are seeking stricter control over her office, Brown blamed her alliance with Dorn.

“Well, basically I’m the last person on the council that was supportive of our former mayor,” Brown said.

The tension came to a head during a recent city council meeting, when Dunlap said the city treasurer has too much power and not enough accountability.

“We did not give her the authority to make these decisions,” Dunlap said at the meeting. “We currently have over $100 million invested that we are getting zero percent interest on. She has no oversight.”

Brown accused the council members of unfairly attacking her. “This is nothing more than a witch hunt,” Brown said.

Brown and Dunlap exchanged personal insults, pointing out mistakes in each other’s private financial dealings. “Not once have I received a compliment from her,” Brown said.

Dunlap is considering running for mayor in the June election as well.

Councilman Daniel Tabor proposed a plan to create a financial oversight committee but said Brown had done nothing wrong and that her job was not in jeopardy.

“She hasn’t lost a penny, not one half-cent,” Tabor said during the meeting. “But with a different investment strategy, the city could have made more money.”

During the meeting, Dunlap brought up Inglewood’s Residential Incentive Policy program, which was created by the city council in 1992 to offer low-interest loans to potential city executive employees so that they could live in the city.

At the prodding of then-mayor Dorn, the council modified the program in 2004 to extend the loans to current council members, the city clerk and city treasurer.

Dorn and Brown both took out low interest loans, which were later found to be against the law.

Dorn was set to go to court in January before pleading guilty of public corruption and agreeing to never serve in public office again. Brown, who took out a $235,000 loan, says she did nothing wrong and the district attorney agreed—no charges were filed against her.

“Wanda Brown’s circumstances were substantially different than Mayor Dorn’s,” said Jennifer Lentz Snyder, the assistant head deputy of the public integrity division of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and one of the prosecutors that investigated Dorn and Brown.

Snyder said that the reason Dorn’s act was illegal was the fact that he voted for a program that benefitted himself financially. Brown, as the city treasurer, did not have a vote in creating the program.

Dunlap said that city administrators have sent letters to Brown asking that the loan be repaid immediately. Brown has refused to do so.

Snyder said the attorney’s office is no longer investigating Brown and the issue of repaying the loan did not impact their investigation.

“In the absence of any additional information, there is nothing forthcoming in the case,” Snyder said.

But Councilman Ralph Franklin said the city plans to pursue legal action if the funds are not paid soon. “We just want our money,” Franklin said.

While Brown is confident that she represents the best candidate for mayor, some Inglewood residents do not agree.

Diane Sambrano, president of the Historical Society of Centinela Valley and a citizen activist for 14 years, fears that Brown will be unable to accomplish policy goals without being hindered by opposition from city council members.

“It takes three Council members to make anything happen,” Sambrano said. “Wanda hasn’t won the hearts of any other two members of the council.”

Other residents say Brown should be given a chance.

“She has a cloud over her right now,” said Raynald Davis, a resident of Inglewood for 25 years. “But she is irreproachable in honesty and integrity.”

Photo Credit: City of Inglewood Website

What does the future hold for the city of Inglewood? In-depth coverage of the city’s political transition:

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Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: , , , ,

Missing paperwork saves loan company from closure

March 12, 2010 By 1 Comment


imageA payday advance business operating in Inglewood for nearly a decade without a permit faced closure for the violation – until the city was unable to find its own copy of the company’s business license.

The business, Cash ‘N Run, which is located less than half a mile from City Hall, had operated without the permit for almost ten years when a city employee eating at a restaurant next door went in and asked to see the permit.

Owner Bob Altieri said he pays for his business license every year but he didn’t know that he needed a special use permit to operate a payday advance business.

The Inglewood Planning Committee denied Altieri’s request for the permit, but the City Council overturned that decision in late February after the city staff was unable to find their copy of the company’s business license.

Without their copy of the original business license, city council members said they couldn’t do anything but side with the owner.

“This is not a good sign about how we find documents,” Councilman Eloy Morales said. “It would be unfair if we were to say we messed up so we’ll go back and take [Cash ‘N Run] out.”

Councilman Ralph Franklin wondered during the meeting how the city didn’t know until now that Cash ‘N Run didn’t have the correct permit.

“This is the same business that has renewed its license for ten years,” Franklin said.

Altieri was visibly relieved after his appeal was granted. “I would have gone and got it back then,” Altieri said. “Nothing was done intentionally.”

In order to operate a payday advance business in Inglewood, the city requires the owner to buy, and be approved for, a special use permit. Although Morales said he and his colleagues on the city council “are not fans” of the payday advances, Inglewood has approved 15 special use permits for these type of businesses since 1998.

Altieri, who owns similar businesses in Santa Monica, Torrance and Los Angeles, said he purchased a permit for a onetime fee of $1180 after the city council approved his appeal.

“It’s not a real tight ship here,” Altieri said about the Inglewood city government. “They don’t even know what businesses are in the community.”

The appeal at the city council meeting spurred talk among the council members and citizens about whether the payday advances are good for the city of Inglewood.

California allows payday advance businesses but imposes restrictions on how much they can loan to borrowers.

Altieri loans a maximum of $255 to customers and then collects $300 two weeks later – an interest rate of more than 17 percent.

“If their check comes the 15th and their tire blows on the 10th, what are they going to do?” Altieri asked. “I provide a service to the community.”

Some Inglewood residents attending the council meeting disagreed, saying the payday advances only create debt that the borrowers can’t pay back.

“It is nothing more than a vicious cycle that preys on the poor citizens,” said LeRoy Fisher. “They put families in a terrible position with the cycle that they can never get out of paying.”

Another resident said the blame lies with the borrowers themselves.

“If there was no demand for these businesses, they wouldn’t be here,” said Ray Davis, who regularly attends council meetings. “We’ve become addicted to debt and we spend more than we make.”

Further reading: The Los Angeles Times: Payday lenders may avoid U.S. oversight

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: , , , , ,
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