Shame on Baldwin Park For Lying Again About Not Having Records (Again and Again and Again)

Our crooked Mayor of Baldwin Park:
Manuel Lozano

The City Officials lie once again about not having records in response to where money went for all the million dollars worth of undocumented cars they towed. After two and half years of pursuing trial against the City of Baldwin Park for records, the City stated that it didn't have records. The court said that's fine; the City's done all it can. The Public Record Act demands no more.

These records reflect on how much Baldwin Park stole from the undocumented. The scandal worked like this. The police department would target drivers who were unlicensed. Then tow their cars for 30 days. Because the towing fees amassed to over $2,000, drivers couldn't pay for their vehicle. The car would sell at auction. The money would go back into the hands of the tow company and the city. The City would claim that it was all about public safety, though, because unlicensed drivers were dangerous to the public.

Well, I requested the bank statements for the Baldwin Park Franchise Fund. How does that fit into Baldwin Park's scandal?

Well, after getting a court order in the first Casas' case, the City after two and a half years released towing records.

Get this. In a four and a half year period, the tow company, Royal Coaches, made $11.6 million off of stealing the cars of the undocumented. The City of Baldwin Park made $2.3 million.

In summary, Baldwin Park towed in that period, about 277 cars per week. The worst city for the towing scandal, before Baldwin Park was exposed, was the City of Maywood, which towed 238 cars per month. Maywood lost its Police Department for operating such a scandal. Why does Baldwin Park's Police still stand? And if it's not the police's fault, which part of it is, someone needs to be accountable for such theft. Remember, it's the police's purpose to protect and serve us, not leave us vulnerable and steal from us.

Here's the main catch, though. The $2.3 million wasn't deposited in the city's main bank account called the General Fund. It was deposited in a fund called the Baldwin Park Franchise Fund.

(Here's a side note. Did any of them pay their taxes? I don't think so. Someone needs to report these crooks to the feds and IRS.)

So, why didn't it go through the general fund? Generally, Baldwin Park uses different funds when they need to launder that money back to themselves, which I strongly suspect is the case here.

So, I requested the bank statements from the Franchise Fund. Then, the Law Office of Tafoya and Garcia said the City did a search and couldn't find any records.

I responded back to the City Clerk, Kristi Russell and said, "I have the cancelled checks. Do I need to present that to you?" Some of them may even have the bank account number on it too.

She said they'll check again.

I mean, it's now come to the point where I have to give the City their own bank account number to get records. How am I supposed to find out the bank account number in the first place?

Because the court won't enforce the public records act, I guess that's the new flavor of defense for Cities: Just to say you don't have incriminating records, when asked for. Then wait for the member of the public to find them. Then when the City is caught they just say, "Oh, we made a mistake or didn't search hard enough."

Like Aleksander Solzehnitzyn, Nobel Laureate once said, "In our country, the lie has not just become a moral category but the pillar of the state."

[Update on Aug. 1, 2015, the City has just stated that the Baldwin Park Franchise Fund and the General Fund are one fund. I don't know if I believe it.]