Mayor Lozano Lies Again to Us - Hey, Who's Giving Him Money?

Manuel Lozano - Sued for Filing Useless Lawsuits Against Protesters

Mayor Manuel Lozano lies to us again. This time, Lozano refused to file his campaign disclosure forms. He's doing this because he doesn't want to tell us about his finances.

In America, and perhaps other Western Countries, the political theory is that the public should know who elected officials are getting their money from and how their spending it. The public wants to know what players are influencing the decision maker's decisions.

Here's why it's important. Remember, Lance Armstrong? If you don't, he was the American cyclist - who had testicular cancer. His story was one of the American Dream - in which he won the Tour de France, while having this cancer. He told everyone he was the American Dream, but he turned out to be a fraud. He was doping.

Did you know that the prosecutors didn't file charges? It was the Anti-Doping Agency who caught Armstrong. And Armstrong tried to give his agency a quarter of a million dollars - with the unspoken expectations of dropping the investigation. You see? At the end of the day, money talks, and all else walks.

So, it's important for us to know who Mr. Lozano is getting money from - so we see how it influences his crooked voting decisions. Take for instance that almost all of Lozano's votes goes to redevelopment. One only needs to look at the Centinela School District, who followed the same pattern, to know that Lozano is using his voting power to get money back to himself.

So, this year, he decided not to file a disclosure of his finances. In fact, this isn't the first time he's done this. In 2007, the Mayor didn't mention that a Chinese bank gave him a free trip to Shanghai.

Some French guys I met were telling me how corrupt Mexico was. I told him, "Look, it's the same where we live; it's just more covert where we live."

Why give a trip to Shanghai? Because it's too easy to trace cash. So, lucrative gifts are a good substitute. No wonder why Red Flex - the red light camera company - gives free trips across the country to police officers.

So, Lozano got fined a measly $200 for not reporting his Shanghai trip. This certainly isn't enough to deter his future lying. Lozano failed to file again in 2012. And for another $200 fine, he did it again this year!

Another factor I don't get about disclosing campaign forms is that it's all on the honor system. That means, we have to trust our politicians to be honest with the information they put down. Right? Like that's going to happen.

If your'e the Mayor, would you rather pay a $200 fine or risk prosecution for taking bribes from developers? Obviously, you'd lie and pay the $200 fine.

I've concluded the entire system of politics is broken and corrupt in local government. The City of Baldwin Park is built on a lie because everyone running it, lies to themselves, and to us. We need change.