Baldwin Park Mayor Lozano Cheats LA County of $10,000 of property tax and refuses to pay $25,000 back to the City

Mayor Manuel Lozano being sued
for filing a malicious prosecution claim against activist.

For the last two and a half years, Baldwin Park's Mayor Manuel Lozano is currently cheating both Los Angeles County and the City of Baldwin Park by shorting the County approximately $10,000 or $3,900 a year. He's also not paying back a $25,000 loan his father borrowed from the City. This is how Lozano's scam works.

Lozano's father, Guadalupe R. Lozano has title to a house on 14509 Hallwood Drive, Baldwin Park, CA 91706. At the time the property was purchased on March 18, 2004 - the property was valued at $99,290.

On August 23, 2005 - Guadalupe received a WHEN PROPERTY IS SOLD OR TITLE TRANSFERS." $25,000 loan from the City. Lozano was mayor then. The City approved the "Residential Rehabilitation Loan Program" application for $25,000 at 1% interest a year. Although others have a monthly loan schedule, the City made an exception for Lozano's father - and never required a payment schedule of him. Instead, Guadalupe's contract states that he doesn't have to pay back the loan "

14509 Hallwood Dr. / Baldwin Park, CA 91706
Note: the 9 cars parked in the yard and driveway

Here's the catch. Guadalupe Lozano died on January 3, 2016. What Mayor Lozano doesn't want you to know is that he's defrauding the City and LA County and all the taxpayers by pretending that his father is still alive; so, he doesn't have to pay increased property taxes and the loan and interest back to the City. At the time of Guadalupe's death, the assets should've been transferred in probate, and the Hallwood property should have a new title with new owners. So, Lozano's committing a big scam.

Terms of Lozano's $25,000 contract of 1% loan,
and no monthly payments
requirements

How much is he saving? Good question. Redfin estimates the value of the house at $490,353. Hence, he should be paying a 1% property tax of $4,903. But he's only paying about $1,000 of property taxes, since the house was valued at about $100,000 at the time his father held property.. Hence, every year, Lozano is cheating the county of $3,903.

Since Lozano has been committing this fraud, since January 3, 2016 - for about two and a half years, Lozano has cheated Los Angeles County of an estimated amount of nearly $10,000. Some of the services LA County provides are library services, transportation, public safety, and social services.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could all save $10,000 by scamming the County as the Mayor does?

Lozano's position as to why he shouldn't pay the City loan back, which has now become a conflict of interest, because he's the de facto beneficiary of the property, is because the property hasn't been transferred or sold yet. But that's only because he's illegally not doing it. He's father is death. Therefore by law, this should have been done almost two and a half years ago. Hence, he cheats the City of the money it's owed.

Also, wouldn't it be nice if we could all get $25,000 loans for our mortgages we don't have to pay back?

Incidentally, the Chief Financial Officer of Hawthorne was fired for borrowing a secret $25,000 loan from the City of Hawthorne. (Now he's the CFO at West Valley Water Board, where Taylor, Pacheco, and Tafoya work.)

Mayor Lozano has been Mayor of Baldwin Park for 20 years. No wonder it's been said that "Diapers and politicians should be changed often. Both for the same reason."

Should Unqualified Sergeant Johnny Patino be Promoted as Chief of Police? Special Council Meeting to Decide.

Council Member Ricardo Pacheco, Sergeant Johnny Patino,
and Mayor Manuel Lozano (top row - from left to right).

Baldwin Park City Council appointed an unqualified Sergeant - Johnny Patino to be the temporary police chief after the former and Police Chief Michael Taylor was fired for the second time. Today, the Baldwin Park City Council will decide by special meeting whether he should permanently be appointed to the position. Even the temporary appointment is controversial, because the police rank and file consider Patino to be incompetent, as he can't even pass the standardized lieutenant test.

Furthermore, officers point to Patino's lack of experience to become chief. This is because chiefs are usually promoted from captains, who respectively are promoted from lieutenants.

Generally, minimum requirements for the chief job requires at least three years of experience in administration. Patino has almost none.

Hence, the City Council leapfrogged Patino two positions to make him chief. This is not a surprise, given Baldwin Park's scandalous and tumultuous history with its chief of police hirings and firings.

These corrupt practices can be traced to at least 1999. In 1999, Chief Lili Hadsell was promoted from lieutenant to chief. She never held the role of captain. Around October 15, 2013 - concerned residents questioned Hadsell's leadership when her 19-year old daughter was caught with a 23-year old man with illegally possessing narcotics outside of a Motel 6 in the City of Chino.

Shortly after this incident, a new elected city council fired Hadsell around December of 2013. She held her position for approximately 14 years.

Hadsell sued the City of Baldwin Park and on March 26, 2019 - the court and jury awarded her a $7 million judgment against the City for sexual harassment and gender discrimination. After attorney's fees, the City is now on the hook for $9 million. This is the largest judgment attached against the City in its history. Hadsell's case is currently pending appeal.

Then, there was Michael Taylor, who was fired twice. The first time, Taylor was fired for being a racist.

After his second hiring, the LA Times reported on his controversial contract, which stated that Taylor could only be fired for being convicted of felony, such as murder, rape, or robbery. Taylor increased his pay in his contract to make himself an extra million in retirement.

Taylor was also caught accepting drug money to run for public office. Some even question whether Taylor was a pederast.

Employee witnesses allege that Taylor showed up to work drunk and worked less than 30 hours a week, for which he was paid over $234,000 a year.

Also in between Taylor's tenure, there was the hiring of Inglewood's Lieutenant David Salcedo. Notice again how the City choose a lieutenant over a captain.

Salcedo appeared to be a problem employee in the City of Inglewood. Although he was a Captain, he was demoted to Lieutenant in December of 2017.

Baldwin Park's rank and file allege that he appeared to have anger mental health issues and would repetitively snap a rubber band against his wrist to keep in control. Thankfully, Salcedo was hired for only 49 days, before he was fired around September 20, 2017.

The LA Times reports that Salcedo alleges that Council Member Ricardo Pacheco ordered him to retaliate against citizens who were criticizing Pacheco with signs and banners characterizing him as a jackass. Salcedo, like Hadsell, filed a lawsuit against the City of Baldwin Park and Ricardo Pacheco for $10 million. The lawsuit is pending.

Patino's temporarily hiring has impacted Baldwin Park's Police Department. Since Patino has been chief, a number of Baldwin Park officers have left the force to other cities. Rank and file allege that Mayor Lozano prefers hiring hispanic brass over anglo managers - who can pass their exams.

Currently, California state controller's office is auditing the City. It's routine for audits to look at hiring and performance evaluation practices of public agencies.

Perhaps, its findings will confirm a quote by Daniel Alarcón: “Nepotism is the lowest and least imaginative form of corruption.”

Taxpayer Money Pays for Mayor Lozano, Council Member Pacheco, and Parks and Recreation Manuel Carrillo to get Drunk

Mayor Manuel Lozano (far left).

On October 12, 2019 - at Baldwin Park's Annual Senior Prom, Mayor Manuel Lozano, Council Member Pacheco, and Parks and Recreation Director Manuel Carrillo, got drunk at the open bar, which was paid by the taxpayer. According to sources, the Marriott serviced the open bar.

Manuel Carrillo with Ricardo Pacheco, both drunk.

These kind of illegal expenditures, approved by Lozano and Pacheco, have drawn the scrutiny from California's State Controller's office, who is now auditing Baldwin Park's books, which the Finance Director Rose Tam has cooked. Already, the State Controller's Office has criticized Council Member Ricardo Pacheco for using a government credit card for strip club expenses at his other job at the West Valley Water under-qualified for the job of assistant general manager - which he was paid approximately $200,000 a year for.

The Parks and Recreation Director, Manuel Carrillo, was also seen drunk on the job, while he was working. Reports are coming in that the audit is scrutinizing the separate accounts he is running.

Already, Carrillo has been caught accepting questionable money; filtering it through his nonprofit corporation, the Baldwin Park Community Center Corporation (BPCCC); and laundering that money into Walmart gift cards. Although the BPCCC was shutdown for its illegal operation, Carrillo started a new nonprofit called the Baldwin Park Charitable Relief Fund.

Manuel Lozano happy and drunk
on taxpayer money.

Carrillo has been a controversial figure, as he's received outrageous raises, while offering other employees a raise of 40 cents an hour after working for 20 years. After researching other directors' salaries, it appears that Carrillo is the highest paid municipal Parks and Recreation
Director in California.

Citizens are eager to see the findings regarding the audit against the City of Baldwin Park.

City of Baldwin Park Audited After Seven Years of Corruption Reporting

by Banksy
Modified by me

California's State Controller's Office is auditing California's books, after seven years of reporting, which started in July of 2013 with Parks and Recreation Director Manuel Carrillo Jr. According to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune - the Controller's Office was auditing the City for the following reasons:

• Increasing operating deficits 
• Deficit fund balances reported in the city’s financial statements 
• Expenditures in excess of what is budgeted in the city’s general fund and other funds 
• Lack of physical inventory of capital assets performed 

“In light of the conditions above, we will conduct an investigation to validate the information that is required to be filed with our office,” wrote Efren Loste, bureau chief for the Local Government Audits Bureau. He said the investigation would include a review and evaluation of the city’s internal control system, focusing on the 2016-17 and 2017-18 fiscal years.

In August of 2018, Legal Lens exposed how the Finance Director, Rose Tam, was cooking the books.

The Tribune asks the question whether this is related to West Valley Water Board's audit, which is a separate agency in Riverside County. Linkage exists because three of the City of Baldwin Park's brass also works or has worked at West Valley Water. These players are fired Baldwin Park's Police Chief and current water board Member - Michael Taylor; Baldwin Park's City Attorney and West Valley Water's General Counsel, Robert Tafoya; and Baldwin Park Council Member Ricardo Pacheco - who allegedly has been fired from his position as assistant general manager at West Valley Water.

Another way of asking the Tribune's question is asking whether Tafoya, Taylor, and Pacheco learned how to skim taxpayer money from Baldwin Park and then play the same tricks at another agency, in this case, West Valley Water. I would think so. Zebras never change their stripes.

More reporting to come later.

In the meantime, here's the Tribune article - State controller auditing Baldwin Park for budget deficits, excessive spending.

Manuel Carrillo Jr.,
Parks and Recreation Director, also
money launderer of nonprofit corporation
Baldwin Park Community Center Corporation

Ricardo Pacheco,
Baldwin Park City Council Member and
former assistant general manager of West Valley Water Board

Robert Nacionales-Tafoya, 
counsel for City of Baldwin Park and West Valley Water Board

Michael Taylor,
Twice fired Baldwin Park Police Chief,
and West Valley Water Board Member.