Albright, Yee & Schmit; Cristeta Paguirigan-Summers; and the Jade Effect.
At the center of these hidden lawyers is the law firm of Albright, Yee, & Schmit. Tafoya contracted out this law firm on behalf of the City in 2017. The Tafoya-Albright deal brought the Albright law firm around $206,458.20 for that year, which is also the year that Rubio received her contributions from the Albright firm.
The three relevant lawyers in this firm are Clifton Albright, Lucian A. Schmit III, and Cristeta Paguirigan (“Cristeta”). Cristeta is a disbarred attorney, who perjured documents, in representing a defendant, in a criminal case.
Besides billing the City for defending free speech and public records act lawsuit, Cristeta is also the principal of a consulting firm called the Jade Effect, which represents marijuana businesses, in obtaining licenses from the City of Baldwin Park.
The law firm donated to Rubio the maximum campaign contribution of $4,400 (in two separate payments.) Cristeta donated $3,500; Partner, Lucien A. Schmit III $2,500; Partner, Albright, $500; and the Jade Effect, LLC $2,500.
Expectedly, the Jade Effect was successful in obtaining city cannabis licenses for RD Baldwin Park; Cloud Control, Inc.; and Medical Grade Farms BP.
(Albright, Yee, & Schmit also donated $8,000 to Monica Garcia, a former Baldwin Park City Council Member, who also voted in favor of the Jade Effect businesses.)
The California Latino PAC, Women’s Political Committee and Stephen J. Kaufman.
The California Latino PAC gave Rubio $8,800. The PAC paid Rubio twice $4,400. This appears to be above the legal campaign contribution limit.
The PAC’s mission statement says, “The California Latino PAC is a political action committee representing the interests of California’s Latino Community.” According to the Secretary of State website, the PAC’s phone number is (213) 452-6565. That phone number is traced to the Kaufman Legal Group. The main partner of the group is Stephen J. Kaufman.
Kaufman’s profile says that he is “A recognized authority in the field of campaign finance and election law[.] Mr. Kaufman advises and represents elected officials, candidates, PACs, . . . non-profit organizations . . . political parties, major donors, lobbyists and government agencies on a wide variety of campaign finance, election and governmental ethics matters.”
The Fair Political Practice Commission (FPPC) has previously appointed Stephen as chair. Conveniently, the FPPC has the discretion to fine or not fine politicians for violating campaign contribution law.
The Latino PAC has also given money to Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara; Governor Gavin Newsom; former California State Senator, Ed Hernandez; former Los Angeles Mayor, Antonia, Villaraigosa; former Secretary of State and current Senator, Alex Padilla; former California Attorney General, Xavier Becerra; California State Assembly Woman, Blanca Rubio; and others. In 2017-2018, the PAC gave $36,500 to the California Democratic Party.
The Woman’s Committee also gave $4,400 to Rubio. That PAC’s phone number is also traced to the Kaufman Legal Group.
The Legal Lens believes that Stephen and Martin Kaufman are brothers. Martin is a personal injury attorney. Tafoya hired Martin as a contracted attorney, when Tafoya was general counsel at West Valley Water District.
Tafoya’s appointment as counsel at West Valley Water was also a pay-for-play deal. The details of this story could be read about in Tafoya; Baldwin Park’s former Chief, Michael Taylor, and former Council Member Ricardo Pacheco’s coup in overtaking West Valley Water District, also all funded by marijuana money.
Incidentally, Page Valley News has accused a Stephen Kaufman and his wife of engaging in healthcare insurance fraud in the amount of $808,000 in Luray, Virginia. The Legal Lens obtained a photo of the accused Kaufman, and one of the photos appears to resemble Martin.
Currently, Martin is seeking victims for the Edison Wildfire to sue Southern California Edison. Given that Rubio has taken money from insurance lobbyists and from Stephen Kaufman’s PACs, the public will have to see whether Rubio endorses new laws to sue insurance companies, regarding the wildfires, or, whether she will side with the insurance companies, which would disproportionately harm the residents of California.
Susan Rubio Reappointed as California’s Chair of Insurance
Senate Pro Tem Mike McGuire recently reappointed Rubio as chair of the committee that oversees insurance-related legislation. The LA Times has exposed issues about the re-appointment of the insurance chair, especially in light of Rubio’s state and federal probes and the Southern California wildfires.
As chair, Rubio would have the power, directly or indirectly, to influence the settlement payouts of wildfire victims, justify insurance rate increases for consumers, justify denial of coverage for those victims, justify insurance companies dropping consumers, and foster insurance fraud by declining to prosecute insurance scammers.
Although McGuire and Rubio maintain that Rubio hasn’t been found guilty yet, Rubio’s critics have stated, “Where there’s smoke, there’s also fire.”
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