Public Works Director, Daniel Wall Resigns, Only One Management Team Member Left From the Garcia Regime

Daniel Wall, Public Works Director

A few days ago, Daniel Wall, public works director of Baldwin Park, resigned. The reasons are currently not being released.

He is the second director to voluntarily resign within several months. The pregnant Human Resource Manager, Shama Curian, also resigned recently, forfeiting all her health benefits.

Daniel Wall was one of the two directors hired during the Marlene Garcia regime. Now that he's gone, the last director from that regime left is Manuel Carrillo Jr. - Parks and Recreation Director.

So within about two and a half years, seven members of the management team have left by firing, forced resignation, or voluntary resignation. That means, within two and a half years, every member of the original management team is gone, except Manuel Carrillo.

Between December 2013 and January 2014, the City Council fired Human Resource Manager, Leticia Lara; Chief of Police, Lili Hadsell; City Attorney, Joseph Pannone; and City Manager Vijay Singhal. Then, around May of 2015, the City forced the Finance Director Craig Graves to resign. Several months ago, the Human Resource Manager Shama Curian resigned. Now, Daniel Wall resigns.

What does this all mean? Well, generally people don't leave a job that pays $150,000 to $200,000 a year, especially when one only has to work four days a week for it. Assuming people are generally self-interested, meaning they think of themselves first, that means whatever that money was worth, isn't worth it to them anymore because the risk of getting caught and paying for it, costs more.

Take for instance, what happened in the City of Bell. After the City Manager, Robert Rizzo was caught making $800,000, him and several other directors resigned, hoping they'd escape prosecution. Is the same thing happening in Baldwin Park?

Personally, I always found Mr. Wall to be courteous and competent in his work and his management. Thus, it's a shame to lose him.

But he's not without his faults. (I saw his signature once on a document - that was titled City Manager - instead of Public Works Director. Now, that's fishy.) It may also be that he left because he was tired of being forced into such unethical choices by his bosses.

The resignation also raises one last question. Why is Carrillo still around and getting a raise? I'm rather certain, it's because he's either the culprit behind a lot of the foul play in Baldwin Park or he knows where the evidence behind that foul play is, or both.

In response to Wall's resignation, the City has put a hiring freeze on all jobs. After spending millions of dollars in attorney's fees, giving hefty raises to themselves, and signing million dollar contracts for redevelopment projects, the City's finally coming to the conclusion - it may not have enough money to run a city.

The question for us is the same now, as it was before, where is all this money really going?

PS: If you have information leading to any foul play by the City people, please contact me. Your identity will be protected.

[Updated on June 18, 2016 - A source has told me that Dan Wall's salary wasn't included in next year's budget, which indicates the City Council may have planned to fire him regardless.]