Corruption: Huntington Park Fires Finance Manager for Helping Resident

A resident in Huntington Park informed me that he was seeking information on exemptions on city taxes.

Measure L is a street lighting, landscaping, and parks fund tax that was passed in 2004. The ordinance allows for exemptions for low-income voters and senior citizens.

This resident asked for a form, because the ordinance permitted these exempted residents to fill out a form.

The city clerk, Donna Schwartz, is one of the most frustrating, obstructionist civil servants in recent memory. She routinely forbids her deputies from acting on her behalf. Residents and outside citizenry are forced to return two or three times in order to turn in necessary documents. What a joke.

Annie Perez told teh resident to write a letter asking for what he wanted, and she would submit it.

A week passed, and nothing happened.

The resident went back to the Finance Department, and he was informed that she was gone.

What gives?

Then he spoke to the Finance Director, and she said that writing a letter was all wrong.

But what is funny, though, is that within a week of getting directions from the Finance Manager to seek the exemptions, she gets let go!

Of course, the city council and hall cannot talk about the reason for staff removals. Keep in mind, however, that at the time the city was trying to balance their 2017-2018 budget.

Quite a coincidence, don't you think?

The city pushed a parcel tax increase in 2004, and yet to this day they have not provided the necessary exemption form, let alone informed residents in the city that they can opt out whenever they please. The city clerk is playing games with residents, with stakeholders in the city, too.

I have experienced this myself, when she scuttled an attempt to repeal the city's utility user tax last year. The corruption is shocking in the city. This is the city of Bell, folks, but at a level yet unseen. City Clerk Donna Schwartz should bear in mind that the Bell City Council and the Clerk were all pigs who got fat, then they became hogs who got slaughtered.

The city clerk had it worst, since she ended up spending the most time in jail, to my recollection. No one should forget that.

When will the insanity in the Southeastern LA County region stop?