Huntington Park Rejects Mr. C’s Towing Contract Renewal Amid Allegations of Car Theft (Guest Post by Marilyn Angel)

On October 13, 2026, the City of Huntington Park denied Mr. C’s Towing (“Mr. C’s”) from its new police towing renewal contract. The denial was based on Mr. C’s growing monopolistic and questionable practices across Southeast Los Angeles County. Council members are concerned the company is using their money to influence their votes. Other issues include customer allegations that Mr. C’s stole their cars and their court losses over disputed tows.

During council discussions, Council Member Nancy Martiz questioned the company's reputation among residents, citing its low ratings on Google and Yelp. Although she couldn’t confirm each accusation, she argued these complaints raise genuine concerns.

Council Member Jonathan A. Sanabria also found it problematic and was alarmed by their monopolistic neighboring contracts in Southeast LA. "Are we allowing for a monopoly to exist within our community, of towing, if we go with Mr. C’s as well?" Sanabria asked. 

In an exclusive statement to The Legal Lens, Sanabria understood the financial burden and wants fair tow charges. "At the end of the day, our responsibility is to do what's best for Huntington Park residents. Under the previous arrangement, residents could be charged $270 just for the tow, plus $77 for every day their vehicle remained in storage. For working families, those costs add up quickly."

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Huntington Park’s income per resident averages just $1,739 a month. A weekend tow could cost about $500. That's more than a week’s worth of income. That’s a major setback for residents, made worse by having to pay a company allegedly stealing their cars.

Meanwhile, Lynwood is discussing whether to continue contracting with Mr. C’s, which continued city-ordered tows after its written agreement expired in August 2024. An upcoming article will examine Lynwood’s decision.

Judge Judy Calls Mr. C's Towing Manager an Idiot

Mr. C's Towing thought there clip on Judge Judy was gone forever, until Marilyn Angel started digging. Watch the clip to see how they lie through court, steal people's cars, sell property that doesn't belong to them, and then deny all responsibility. No wonder why Judge Judy called the general manager, Mark A. Mathis an idiot. More to come on Legal Lens about Mark Mathis's sketchy past.

Mr. C’s Towing arrasa con vehículos en una redada masiva de remolques (Artículo de invitada por Marilyn Angel)

El 17 de octubre de 2026, Mari P., residente de Lynwood con problemas de movilidad, comenzó su sábado por la mañana presenciando un operativo masivo de remolque de vehículos cerca de Norton Street. Observó vehículos del Departamento del Sheriff circulando junto a agentes de control de estacionamiento de Lynwood, revisando las placas para identificar automóviles con registros vencidos. Luego, Mr. C's Towing remolcaba estos vehículos de la vía pública.

Mari siguió a las grúas hasta el estacionamiento detrás del Centro Cívico de Lynwood, donde observó cómo los conductores de Mr. C's llevaban y estacionaban los vehículos. Después, los agentes de seguridad pública de Lynwood completaban la documentación y colocaban las multas en los automóviles antes de que Mr. C's los trasladara a su depósito. Mari contó aproximadamente 16 vehículos, y siguieron llegando más después de que ella se marchara.

Según Mari, estos operativos masivos de remolque ocurren repetidamente y sin previo aviso en el vecindario. Los residentes suelen alertarse unos a otros a través de Facebook cuando las grúas comienzan a llevarse los vehículos.

The Legal Lens descubrió que el [contrato de Mr. C's Towing con la Ciudad de Lynwood venció el 8 de agosto de 2024](http://alchemistcook.blogspot.com/2026/10/city-of-lynwood-profits-from-towing.html). Según la propia ordenanza municipal, todos los remolques requieren autorización del Concejo Municipal. The Legal Lens también descubrió que [Mr. C's Towing se aprovecha de los conductores de bajos ingresos y de las personas con discapacidades](http://alchemistcook.blogspot.com/2026/09/city-contracted-tow-company-mr-cs.html).

Lynwood cobra $150 para liberar un vehículo remolcado, mientras que Mr. C's establece una tarifa de $190 por el remolque y $60 por el almacenamiento. Esto suma $400 por vehículo. Por los 16 vehículos que contó Mari, la ciudad podría recaudar $2,400 y Mr. C's otros $4,000, para un total de $6,400, si todos fueran recuperados pagando esas tarifas. Estas cifras son estimaciones, no pagos confirmados.

Es probable que estos operativos de remolque se realicen durante los fines de semana porque la Ciudad podría no estar en condiciones de emitir las autorizaciones para liberar los vehículos hasta el lunes, lo que obliga a los propietarios a dejar sus vehículos en el depósito durante dos días adicionales. Esta demora puede generar cargos adicionales de hasta $800 por el almacenamiento de los vehículos.

Quedan preguntas sin respuesta sobre en qué cuenta bancaria de la Ciudad de Lynwood se depositan estos ingresos y, más importante aún, adónde termina yendo el dinero y quién se beneficia de él.

Lynwood es una comunidad predominantemente hispana y de clase trabajadora, con una importante población inmigrante. Limita con la Ciudad de Bell, una comunidad con características socioeconómicas y demográficas similares y con un historial tristemente célebre de corrupción municipal.

"Es triste ver que tantas personas de nuestra comunidad pierdan su medio de transporte", dijo Mari, expresando su frustración porque Lynwood parece estar más interesada en recaudar dinero de los residentes que en atender los problemas que los afectan. "Es injusto porque aquí estamos luchando para salir adelante".

Mr. C's Towing Swoops in with Mass Car Sweep, Targeting Low Income Residents (Guest Post by Marilyn Angel)

On October 17, 2026, Mari P., a Lynwood resident with mobility issues, started her Saturday morning witnessing a large towing sweep near Norton Street. She saw sheriff's vehicles driving alongside Lynwood parking enforcement officers, checking license plates to see which cars had expired registrations. Then, Mr. C's Towing would tow these cars off the public street.

Mari followed the tow trucks to the parking lot behind the Lynwood Citizen Center, where she watched Mr. C's Towing drivers tow in and park the vehicles. Lynwood public safety officers then completed paperwork and placed citations on the cars before the tow truck impounded the cars. Mari counted about 16 vehicles, with more arriving after she left. 

She said these large-scale towing sweeps occur repeatedly and without warning in the neighborhood, with residents regularly alerting one another through Facebook when tow trucks begin removing vehicles.

The Legal Lens discovered that the Mr. C's Towing contract expired with the City on August 8, 2024. All tows require City Council authorization under its own ordinance. The Legal Lens also discovered that Mr. C's Towing preys on low income and disabled motorists.

Lynwood charges $150 to release a towed vehicle, while Mr. C's lists a $190 towing fee and $60 for storage. That's $400 per car. For the 16 vehicles Mari counted, the city could collect $2,400 and Mr. C's Towing $4,000, totaling $6,400, if all were released at those rates. These are estimates, not confirmed payments.

These towing sweeps likely occur on weekends because the City may be unable to issue vehicle releases until Monday, forcing owners to leave their vehicles in impound for an additional two days. This delay can result in additional impound fees of up to $800.

Questions remain about which City of Lynwood bank account receives these proceeds and, more importantly, where the money ultimately goes and who benefits from it.

Lynwood is a predominantly Hispanic, working-class community with a substantial immigrant population. It borders the City of Bell, a community with a similar socioeconomic and demographic profile and a notorious history of municipal corruption.

"It's sad to see a lot of people in our community lose their transportation," Mari said, expressing frustration that Lynwood appears more focused on collecting money from residents than on issues affecting them. "It's unfair because we're over here struggling.” 

La ciudad de Lynwood se beneficia de una empresa de grúas acusada de robar vehículos

El 20 de octubre de 2024, Marilyn Angel, una estudiante universitaria de primera generación en Cerritos College, estaba trabajando en una tarea de oratoria cuando perdió la noción del tiempo y dejó su automóvil estacionado varias horas más allá del límite de tiempo permitido. Recuperar su vehículo le costó $445: $150 pagados directamente a la ciudad de Lynwood y otros $295 a Mr. C’s Towing, la empresa de grúas. Lo que ella no sabía era que Mr. C’s Towing podría haberse llevado su automóvil ilegalmente, ya que su contrato con la ciudad había vencido el 8 de agosto de 2024, más de dos meses antes, y nunca había sido prorrogado.

Cuando se le preguntó sobre el contrato vencido, la administradora municipal de Lynwood, Suja Lowenthal, respondió: «Puedo confirmar que el contrato de la Ciudad con Mr. C's Towing venció en 2024. [...] Autoricé un acuerdo a corto plazo con Mr. C's Towing para que los servicios de remolque continuaran sin interrupciones hasta que se presente un nuevo contrato ante el Concejo Municipal».

Este acuerdo parece violar el Código Municipal de Lynwood, que establece que únicamente el Concejo Municipal tiene la autoridad para aprobar una prórroga contractual. Además, Lowenthal no comenzó a trabajar para la Ciudad sino hasta el 9 de enero de 2026, más de un año después de que el vehículo de Angel fuera remolcado.

Además de la falta de un contrato válido, Legal Lens descubrió otros problemas con este sistema de remolques. En primer lugar, no hay señales que adviertan a los conductores que sus vehículos pueden ser remolcados por exceder el tiempo permitido de estacionamiento. En segundo lugar, la legislación municipal parece exigir que un automóvil permanezca estacionado ilegalmente durante 30 horas antes de que pueda ser remolcado. (Código Municipal de Lynwood, § 7-21.10).

Mr. C’s Towing también parece recurrir a declaraciones falsas ante los tribunales para quedarse con el dinero. Los registros judiciales revelan que, durante la última década, se han presentado 105 demandas ante el tribunal de reclamos menores contra Mr. C’s Towing. En estos casos, la empresa ha afirmado repetidamente que el propietario del inmueble o la ciudad solicitaron el remolque. En varios casos, los tribunales han determinado que esas afirmaciones eran falsas.

El 8 de enero de 2025, Angel intentó exigir responsabilidades a Mr. C’s Towing presentando una demanda contra la empresa ante el tribunal de reclamos menores. Sin embargo, al hacerlo, Angel se encontró con las mismas declaraciones falsas que habían enfrentado otros demandantes. (En ese momento, Angel desconocía que esto formaba parte de la estrategia de la empresa de grúas). Una vez más, Mr. C’s Towing le dijo a la jueza que la ciudad había llamado para solicitar el remolque. La empresa también afirmó que no podía ser demandada porque actuaba como empleada municipal.

Angel obtuvo documentos que demostraban que, en el momento del remolque, nadie de la ciudad de Lynwood había llamado a Mr. C’s Towing. Además, la empresa de grúas es una contratista independiente, no una empleada municipal. No obstante, la jueza del Tribunal Superior Elizabeth L. Bradley desestimó el caso sin perjuicio, lo que permite volver a presentar la demanda.

Persisten interrogantes sobre cuánto dinero ha recaudado la ciudad mediante estos remolques presuntamente ilegales. Además, una vez que el dinero se deposita en la cuenta bancaria de la ciudad, ¿adónde va y quién lo recibe finalmente? El 14 de octubre de 2026, Legal Lens presentó una solicitud de acceso a registros públicos conforme a la Ley de Registros Públicos de California para averiguarlo.

El 1 de octubre de 2026, después de descubrir estos nuevos hechos, Angel decidió volver a presentar su demanda contra Mr. C’s Towing ante el tribunal de reclamos menores. Cuando se le preguntó por qué, respondió: «Es triste ver a las personas indefensas a las que Mr. C’s Towing ha perjudicado. Quiero que la ciudad y Mr. C’s Towing rindan cuentas por esto y que se hagan las cosas bien para sus ciudadanos».

City of Lynwood Profits From Towing Company Allegedly Stealing Cars

On October 20, 2024, Marilyn Angel, a first-generation college student at Cerritos College, was working on a public speaking assignment when she lost track of time and left her car parked several hours beyond the posted parking limit. To reclaim her car, it cost her $445: $150 paid directly to the City of Lynwood and another $295 to Mr. C’s Towing, the towing company. What she didn’t know was that Mr. C’s Towing may have illegally taken her car because its contract with the City had expired on August 8, 2024, more than two months earlier, and had never been extended.

When asked about the expired contract, Lynwood City Manager Suja Lowenthal responded: "I can confirm that the City's agreement with Mr. C's Towing expired in 2024. . . . I authorized a short-term agreement with Mr. C's Towing so that towing services would continue without disruption until a new agreement is brought to the Council."

This arrangement appears to violate Lynwood’s municipal code, which states that only the City Council could approve a contractual extension. Moreover, Lowenthal did not begin working for the City until January9, 2026, more than a year after Angel’s car was towed.

Besides not having a valid contract, Legal Lens discovered other problems with this towing scheme. First, no signs warn drivers that their cars may be towed for exceeding the parking time limit. Second, City law appears to require 30 hours of illegal parking before a car can be towed. (Lynwood Municipal Code § 7-21.10.)

Mr. C’s Towing also appears to lie its way through court to keep its money. Court records reveal that 105 small claims lawsuits have been filed against Mr. C’s Towing over the past decade. In these cases, the company has repeatedly claimed that the property owner or the City requested the tow. Courts have ruled that those claims were false in several cases.

On January 8, 2025, Angel attempted to hold Mr. C’s Towing accountable by suing the company in small claims court. But when she did, Angel encountered the same set of misrepresentations that other claimants faced. (At the time, Angel didn’t know this was part of the tow company’s strategy.) Once again, Mr. C’s Towing told the judge that the City had called to request the tow. The towing company also said that it couldn’t be sued because it was acting as a city employee.

Angel received records showing that, at the time of the tow, nobody from the City of Lynwood had called Mr. C’s Towing; furthermore, the towing company is a contractor, not a city employee. Nonetheless, Superior Court Judge Elizabeth L. Bradley dismissed the case without prejudice.

Questions remain about how much money the City has collected from these allegedly illegal tows. Moreover, once the money is deposited into the City’s bank account, where does it go, and who ultimately receives it? On October 14, 2026 Angel has filed a California Public Records Act request to find out.

On October 1, 2026, after Angel discovered these new facts, she decided to refile her small claims lawsuit against Mr. C’s Towing. When asked why, she said: “It's sad to see the defenseless people Mr. C's Towing has hurt. I want the City and Mr. C's Towing to be held accountable for this and for things to be made right with its citizens.”

Empresa de remolque contratada por la ciudad, Mr. C's Towing, acusada de aprovecharse de conductores de bajos ingresos y con discapacidades (Artículo invitado de Marilyn Angel)

Victor Lopez todavía se estaba recuperando de un derrame cerebral cuando, un día de agosto de 2025, salió en Huntington Park y descubrió que su automóvil había desaparecido. En ese momento, Lopez no podía caminar. Dentro del vehículo se encontraban el asiento de seguridad de su bebé y la tarjeta de estacionamiento para personas con discapacidad que había estado utilizando desde que sufrió el derrame cerebral.

Lopez pensó que alguien le había robado el automóvil. Comenzó a presentar una denuncia ante la policía por el robo del vehículo cuando, aproximadamente una hora después de su desaparición, según relató, recibió la noticia de que había sido localizado.

No había sido robado. Mr. C’s Towing se lo había llevado.

Lopez dijo que su tarjeta de estacionamiento para personas con discapacidad estaba parcialmente cubierta por un parasol en el parabrisas, pero seguía siendo visible desde los costados. Cuando recuperó el automóvil, les mostró la tarjeta a los empleados y cuestionó el remolque. Según Lopez, un gerente se negó a reunirse con él.

Mr. C’s le cobró a Lopez más de $400 para recuperar su automóvil. Como todavía se estaba recuperando del derrame cerebral, decidió no pelear. “No estaba tratando de pelear ni de discutir”, dijo Lopez. “Así que lo dejé pasar”.

Jesus Menchaca describió una experiencia similar.

Menchaca dijo que su camioneta fue llevada a las instalaciones de la compañía en Huntington Park a pesar de que una tarjeta de estacionamiento para personas con discapacidad colgaba del espejo retrovisor. Cuando preguntó quién había autorizado el remolque, dijo que los empleados le dieron distintas respuestas: la administración de la propiedad, un camión que patrullaba el área y, finalmente, simplemente “patrulla”. Solo pudo recuperar su camioneta después de pagar el cargo correspondiente.

Muchos conductores cuestionan un remolque sin llevar el asunto ante los tribunales. El Better Business Bureau registra 52 quejas contra Mr. C’s durante los últimos tres años y le otorga a la compañía una calificación de F. La mayoría de esas quejas quedaron sin respuesta por parte de la empresa.

Otros llevaron a Mr. C’s ante los tribunales y ganaron. Los registros del Tribunal Superior del Condado de Los Ángeles muestran que la compañía ha enfrentado 105 demandas de reclamos menores en el condado durante los últimos 10 años, 53 de ellas en los últimos cinco.

En varios de esos casos surgen las mismas preguntas: ¿Quién ordenó el remolque? ¿Qué autoridad tenía Mr. C’s para llevarse el automóvil? ¿Y coincidían sus documentos con lo que realmente ocurrió?

En 2017, Celeste Selena Godoy, de 19 años, impugnó a Mr. C’s después de que la compañía remolcara su automóvil del Guadalajara Meat Market en South Gate. Mr. C’s afirmó que un empleado del mercado había autorizado el remolque, pero su formulario de autorización no identificaba al mercado ni proporcionaba el cargo o la dirección del empleado. El tribunal determinó que el remolque había sido ilegal y Godoy finalmente recibió $720.

En 2026, Jesus Ola ganó $3,933.40 después de que Mr. C’s remolcara su automóvil dos veces de su espacio de estacionamiento asignado en su complejo de apartamentos. Aunque el permiso de estacionamiento de Ola había vencido, el tribunal determinó que no existían pruebas de que alguien hubiera solicitado específicamente los remolques. Los formularios de autorización de la compañía también carecían de información exigida por la ley de California.

Dos meses después, Miguel Angel Magana impugnó un remolque realizado en el estacionamiento de un Ralph’s, donde los clientes disponían de dos horas de estacionamiento gratuito. Los documentos de Mr. C’s indicaban que su automóvil se encontraba allí a las 2:30 p. m. Magana presentó pruebas no refutadas de que el vehículo no estaba allí a esa hora y de que él se encontraba haciendo compras a las 3:40 p. m. El juez determinó que el remolque había sido ilegal y le otorgó $654.50.

Mr. C’s remolca vehículos de propiedades privadas, calles laterales y estacionamientos públicos en todo el sureste de Los Ángeles, una región predominantemente latina donde muchas familias viven con bajos ingresos. Los registros públicos documentan relaciones municipales de servicios de remolque con Lynwood, South Gate, Huntington Park, Vernon, Montebello, Downey y Bell.

Su alcance continúa creciendo. En septiembre de 2026, South Gate aprobó un proyecto que permite a Mr. C’s ampliar sus operaciones de remolque y depósito de vehículos en una propiedad de 2.29 acres ubicada a lo largo de las avenidas Rayo y Atlantic.

Una infracción de estacionamiento, por sí sola, no necesariamente autoriza el remolque de un vehículo. Sin embargo, es posible que los conductores desconozcan la diferencia. Para los residentes trabajadores de bajos ingresos y los conductores con discapacidades, pagar cientos de dólares puede representar una carga considerable, y pagar puede resultar más fácil que luchar contra el remolque. Esto deja especialmente vulnerables a quienes tienen menos posibilidades de impugnarlo, particularmente cuando las víctimas parecen ser principalmente hispanas.

Las quejas, las demandas y las determinaciones judiciales justifican un escrutinio que vaya más allá de aquellos conductores que están dispuestos a defenderse. Las ciudades que otorgan autoridad de remolque a Mr. C’s deberían auditar de manera independiente sus registros, investigar las quejas contra la compañía y hacer públicos los resultados de esas investigaciones.

Lee Kuan Yew, ex primer ministro de Singapur, dijo una vez: “La prueba decisiva de cualquier sistema jurídico no es la grandeza o magnificencia de sus conceptos ideales, sino si, en la práctica, es capaz de producir orden y justicia en las relaciones entre las personas y entre las personas y el Estado”.

City-Contracted Tow Company, Mr. C's Towing, Accused of Preying on Low-Income and Disabled Motorists (Guest Post by Marilyn Angel)

Victor Lopez was still recovering from a stroke when he stepped outside in Huntington Park one day in August 2025 and found his car gone. Lopez could not walk at the time. His baby’s car seat was inside, along with the disabled parking placard he had been using since his stroke.

Lopez thought someone had stolen it. He began filing a stolen-vehicle report with police when about an hour after the car disappeared, he said, word came that it had been found.

It hadn’t been stolen. Mr. C’s Towing had taken it.

Lopez said his disabled placard was partially covered by a windshield shade but remained visible from the sides. When he retrieved the car, he showed employees the placard and questioned the tow. He said a manager refused to meet with him.

Mr. C’s charged Lopez more than $400 to get his car back. Still recovering from his stroke, he decided not to fight. “I wasn’t trying to fight or argue,” Lopez said. “So I let it go.”

Jesus Menchaca described a similar experience.

Menchaca said his truck was taken to the company’s Huntington Park facility despite a disabled parking placard hanging from its rearview mirror. When he asked who authorized the tow, he said employees gave him different answers: property management, a truck patrolling the area, then simply “patrol.” He only got his truck back after paying the release fee.

Many motorists question a tow without taking it to court. The Better Business Bureau lists 52 complaints against Mr. C’s in the past three years and gives the company an F rating, with the majority of those complaints left unanswered by the company.

Others took Mr. C’s to court, and won. Los Angeles County Superior Court records show the company has faced 105 small-claims lawsuits in the county over the past 10 years, 53 of them in the past five.

Across several cases, the same questions surface: Who ordered the tow? What gave Mr. C’s the authority to take the car? And did its paperwork match what really happened?

In 2017, 19-year-old Celeste Selena Godoy challenged Mr. C’s after the company towed her car from Guadalajara Meat Market in South Gate. Mr. C’s said a market employee had authorized the tow, but its authorization form did not identify the market or provide the employee’s job title or address. The court found the tow illegal, and Godoy ultimately received $720.

In 2026, Jesus Ola won $3,933.40 after Mr. C’s towed his car twice from his designated apartment parking space. Although Ola’s parking permit had expired, the court found no proof that anyone specifically requested the tows. The company’s authorization forms were also missing information required under California law.

Two months later, Miguel Angel Magana challenged a tow from a Ralph’s lot where customers had two hours of free parking. Mr. C’s paperwork placed his car there at 2:30 p.m. Magana presented unrebutted evidence that it was not there at that time and that he was shopping at 3:40 p.m. The judge found the tow illegal and awarded him $654.50.

Mr. C’s tows cars from private property, side streets and public parking areas across Southeast Los Angeles, a predominantly Latino region where many families live on lower incomes. Public records document municipal towing relationships with Lynwood, South Gate, Huntington Park, Vernon, Montebello, Downey and Bell.

Its reach is growing. In September 2026, South Gate approved a project allowing Mr. C’s to expand its towing and impound operations across a 2.29-acre property along Rayo and Atlantic avenues.

A parking violation alone does not necessarily authorize a tow. But motorists may not know the difference. For low-income working-class residents and disabled motorists, hundreds of dollars can hurt, and paying may be easier than fighting. That leaves those least able to challenge a tow especially vulnerable, especially when the victims appear to be primarily Hispanic.

The complaints, lawsuits and court findings warrant scrutiny beyond the motorists willing to fight back. Cities that give Mr. C’s towing authority should independently audit its records, investigate complaints against the company and make their findings public.

Lee Kuan Yew, former prime minister of Singapore once said, "The acid test of any legal system is not the greatness or grandeur of its ideal concepts, but whether in fact it is able to produce order and justice in the relationships between man and man and between man and the State."

City of Los Angeles Nearly Tripled My Fine; LA Times Publishes My Story

Paul Cook wasn't about to fold — not with Mohandas Gandhi's words ringing in his ears.

Never mind that the issue at the center of the David-versus-Goliath fight was a parking ticket that he could afford to pay. Never mind that if he was the David, then the Goliath was the Los Angeles Department of Transportation's parking division, notoriously difficult to challenge. Never mind that even his friends told him fighting would be a waste of time.

"People are just, like, 'You can't win against them,'" Cook said. "For me, it's just — it's wrong."

So drawing on Gandhi's teachings about the unwavering power of righteous "soul strength" to overcome the greatest obstacles, Cook set forth on a journey through L.A.'s byzantine parking dispute process that would last some 16 months.

Cook's story starts on Dec. 19, 2024, in Chinatown, when he returned to his car to find a yellow envelope tucked under his windshield wiper. Recalling the day in a recent interview with The Times, Cook quickly turns indignant about the bureaucratic odyssey that yellow slip launched. He's mad not just because he feels his time was wasted, but also because he knows that many others without his legal background, perseverance or media savvy would simply pay the fine.

"The city of Los Angeles is unreasonable," Cook told The Times. "You get a parking ticket, they want their pound of flesh."

. . .

Read more here.

Gordon and Eliza Allen Save Their Neighbor's Life During the Eaton Fire

 

Gordon and Eliza Allen, who lost their home in the Eaton Fire, risk their lives to save their neighbor. Watch video here:

https://test-mobile-feeds.cbsnews.com/losangeles/video/a-neighborly-rescue-for-sports-central-producer/

2026 - the Year of the Fire Horse - the Year of Velocity

2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse, which translates into the Year of Velocity. On the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, I fasted without drinking water or eating food for an entire day. During that time, I was reading the Holy Scripture, and I felt like the Lord told me to proclaim this verse:

“But the LORD is still in the city; he does what is right and never what is wrong. Every morning without fail, he brings justice to his people. And yet the unrighteous people there keep on doing wrong and are not ashamed.” (Zephaniah 3:5.)

Horses represent movement, power, work, loyalty, and kindness. In Revelation, horses are agents of divine judgment. The red one, in particular, represents war. Given the verse I was given, I believe this is the year that God will act and grant judgment accordingly and swiftly.

* * *

The Year of the Snake, 2025, as predicted, was a difficult year. It started with a crisis. My father’s nursing home burned down; thankfully, he lived. It entered with attempting to resolve a crisis, where it appears that fraudsters dangerously staged a car crash - where the car spun out and hit the freeway rails. The aftermath was ugly.

Then, in the middle of 2025, I had great difficulty in one of my cases. Finally, the last season of the year, from Fall into Winter, ended with a personal crisis, which finally resolved on Christmas Day.

* * *

This year, I exposed a car crash that appears to have been an orchestrated fraud ring. Unfortunately, even after exposing them, this seems to have made little impact on the suspects.

I made a lot of progress on my main quiet title action case, which I will be writing more about this year.

The stepmother in my family’s life filed a conservatorship to try to take my father away from me, even though we had a three-year elder abuse restraining order against her. I was able to defeat the conservatorship in August of this year.

 * * *

Last year, I did my best to bring “the utter darkness into the light.”

In 2026, I’ll be writing more on my father’s case and the evils of elder abuse in our Los Angeles community. I just need some time. Sorry, I haven’t written as much in 2025. 

As you can see, 2025 was the year of getting repeatedly and venomously bitten. But on the flip side, it was also the year that grace and the antidote to these problems surfaced and purified.

2025 came with the Eaton Fires, the Pasadena car crash and its aftermath, the summary judgment erroneously granted in my father’s case, and a personal crisis, all of which were challenging. But I persevered.

How? I can’t even tell you, and I didn’t even know I had that in me. I believe my faith lit the path during the darkest times of 2025.

The Year of the Snake has ended. Thank God. I welcome the Year of the Horse, which in my life has been a prosperous symbol. I predict both velocity and justice for this year.

OpEd – Air New Zealand’s Plummeting Share Prices Spotlights its Problems with Customer Service

 

On November 30, 2020 – Air New Zealand was trading at $1.16 USD per share. About five years later, it’s at $0.585. It’s lost almost half its value.  No wonder; recently, Forsyth Barr analysts downgraded their profit forecasts for the national airline and now says the company is either loss-making, or at best, made a 'small' profit in the second half of the 2025 financial year.

Even in April of this year, Air NZ tried to downplay its losses by stating that the price “is down 33% over five years [more like 50%], but the total shareholder return is 30% once you include the dividend. That's better than the market which returned 24% over the same time.” In other words: better you lost only half your money, instead of all your money.

In stark contrast, during November of 2020, Singapore Air sold at $6.82 per share. Now, it’s at $10.21 a share, an almost 50% return in the black. What’s happening?

The exiting CEO of Air NZ, Greg Foran, wants to blame its technology and machines. On April 17, 2025 – Foran told Aviation A2Z, “A major factor in the reduced earnings forecast is ongoing engine reliability issues.” This tells you how off the mark he is.

Just as the company fudged the numbers about its stock losses, nothing could be further from the truth regarding Air NZ’s main problem: its terrible customer service.

In March and April of this year, I had the pleasure of flying on Singapore Airlines. I could not find an airline ticket. I contacted the executive office, who worked tirelessly, called me back three times, and found me the flight I needed.

Knowing the importance of the trip, Singapore Air gave me the best service on the airline. And when I departed from Singapore to Auckland, an employee from Singapore Air fixed a glitch in my e-visa issue by calling New Zealand Immigration and working it out with them for over 20 minutes.

Then came my experience with Air New Zealand. Although I had enough miles on a partner airline, Air New Zealand was not releasing any mileage tickets. When I contacted the executive office, they ignored my request. I had to complain to its mileage network program called Star Alliance. Even then, Air NZ said they couldn’t help me to find any mileage tickets, since it wouldn’t be fair to other customers. (In Air NZ’s mind everything is fair, when everyone gets bad customer service.)

Eventually, I was lucky to find a mileage ticket, but was then overcharged for my luggage from Wellington to Auckland. When I complained to the executive office again, not only did I get a sarcastic response from the executive assistant, I was told by the Chair of the Board that there was nothing they could do to fix the problem. They were being fair (again).

In December of 2024, native Kiwi, Grant Evans experienced similar types of problems. In short, saving “nickels and dimes”, instead of keeping their word to their customers. I thanked the chair and knew this company was not worth investing in. When I checked the sinking stock price, it only confirmed what my heart already knew. Air NZ was a dying business.

To be fair, Air NZ is blessed with hardworking and hospitable staff. The problem is with its leadership, its business objective of nickeling and diming customers, bait switching, and its broken trust with its customers. Like Gulf Air, who hired Singaporean CEO, Dr. Jeffrey Goh (a non native to Bahrain) it’s time for Air NZ to find new and more diverse and global leadership, who understand that businesses make money by serving their customers, not treating them like EFTPOS cards.

Biometric Evidence Key to Understanding CHP-Facilitated Auto Insurance Fraud

Biometric evidence that Raymundo Mendietamorante (“Raymundo”), accused professional car crasher and insurance fraudster, has facial features amazingly similar to those of Captain Mariano Santiago (“Santiago”) of the California Highway Patrol, Altadena Station. An international biometric expert, who wishes to remain anonymous, suggests that Raymundo is most likely the father of Santiago. In fact, after further investigation, it appears that at least one of Raymundo’s grandsons, may be Santiago’s son, suggesting that this this is one family auto insurance fraud ring.

On September 26, 2024 – Raymundo rear ended Arambula’s car and then smashed into the passenger side of Arambula’s car. The second impact caused Arambula’s red Toyota Prius to spin out and hit the freeway guardrail. At the time of the crash - Raymundo stated he was a Lyft Driver. His passenger Aldrin Garcia stated that he was a nurse, taking a paid ride to see his client.

Around 10 minutes after the crash, a bandit tow company picked up Arambula's car and charged him $1,700 for four days of towing. Officer Eric Voss appeared to know the driver of the tow truck and instructed the driver to tow both crashed cars.

Suspecting all was not right, the Legal Lens conducted an investigation. It found that a former employee, Vinny Smith, said that Raymundo works for Cyrus Towing, to "call" in cars. 

Also, this was not Raymundo's first car spin out. Another witness named Elias Hernandez stated that after making a lane change, that Raymundo collided into his car, spinning it out in similar manner to Arambula's.  Cyrus Towing then towed and impounded his car, later holding it for ransom.

Also, after examining the driver's license of both Garcia and Raymundo - Arambula discovered that both parties lived in the same unit in a trailer park located in Huntington Beach, discrediting that Garcia was a passenger for a Lyft ride. Furthermore, Arambula gathered evidence that Raymundo rear ended Arambula and that it was not a sideswipe.

On or around the October 14, 2024, Arambula met with Eric Voss and Sargeant Xavier Bejar and presented the new evidence. Initially, Bejar stated that a collision expert would be present at the meeting. No collision expert was present.

Arambula showed that the crack on Raymundo’s headlight is almost identical to the indentation left on Arambula’s rear bumper. 

Nonetheless, on or around Dec. 3, 2024 - the reviewing officer, Officer R. Bivins affirmed the result without making any changes. Shortly thereafter, Arambula requested another review of the report from Captain Santiago and requested a collision expert to investigate the matter. Santiago denied both requests.

Now, with the at fault report, both Aldrin Garcia and Raymundo hired attorneys. In June of 2025, Raymundo was paid out $20,000 and Garcia, $10,000. 

In February of 2025, the Legal Lens discovered that Cyrus Towing was preying on wildfire victims in Altadena. In fact, on February 18, 2025 - California's Department of Insurance released a press release, in which a clerk named Rosa Isela Santistevan was passing on collision reports to a Andre Angelo Reyes. Reyes would then facilitate phone calls "pretending to be from their insurance company and coordinate having [victims'] vehicle towed to a repair center that they misrepresented as approved by the insurance company.”

Then around May of 2025, Paul Cook of the Legal Lens noticed the facial resemblance of Raymundo with Captain Santiago and Aldrin Garcia. Cook also noticed the similarities amongst other defendants who have been accused of auto insurance fraud. Cook also noticed the Filipino linkage in the fraud ring.

Cook further discovered that Reyes may be an aspiring actor and that Garcia is professional skateboarder. This reveals a motive, as both professions are expensive to fund, until one breaks through.

Cook's international biometric expert confirmed that Raymundo's facial features strongly suggest that he is the father of Captain Santiago.

It appears that Raymundo is the father of Santiago, and the grandfather of Reyes and Garcia. Furthermore, the Legal Lens suspects that Santiago is the father of Reyes, and Santistevan is his mother. Diagram provided below.

If this is true, it means that this is all one family fraud business, an alliance between criminal defendants and the government. Such a relationship facilitates a coverup of an actual investigation; an honest CHP collision report; and a potential payout for everyone involved, at the harm of the victim, here Arambula.

The Legal Lens believes that Sgt. Bejar needs to be investigated as to whether he’s related to Captain Santiago as well. Arambula has been left with a damaged back; uncompensated; and marked at fault – harming his driving record. 

In today's American government, “the lie has become not just a moral category but a pillar of the State.” – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Noble Laureate.

*All parties are presumed innocent, until otherwise proven.

Baldwin Park City Council Appoints New City Manager With a History of Incompetence and Financial Mismanagement; Manuel Carrillo Suspected of Spiking Pay to Increase His Retirement Pay.

Baldwin Park City Council, after the resignation of its last City Manager, Enrique Zaldivar, appoints Manuel Carrillo, Jr. as new city manager. Carrillo has a history of incompetence and financial mismanagement. 

In May 29, 2015 - the Legal Lens accused Carrillo of laundering money through a sham nonprofit called the Baldwin Park Community Center Corporation ("BPCCC"). At the core of the allegation is that Carrillo has been allegedly laundering money through the BPCCC by running a sham event called the Santa Clothes Program. At that event, over $20,000 of gift cards would be purchased at Walmart. A few children would receive some. And the rest of those gift cards, tens of thousands of dollars worth, cannot be accounted for.

When the Legal Lens asked for him to account for the monies, he provided it a sham list of over 600 children. Many of the names have been confirmed to be non-existent, meaning those kids didn't exist.

As a result of the Legal Lens's reporting, the State of California dissolved the BPCCC. Instead, now, the City started a new nonprofit called the Baldwin Park Charitable Relief Foundation, which appears to be a slush fund for the council members. Carrillo is also a director of this nonprofit.

Also around 2014, staff revolted against Carrillo for paying them minimum wage, while he was the most overpaid parks and recreation director in Southern California. Carrillo gave a boxing coach, who worked there for around 20 years, a 40 cent raise an hour. At this revolt, staff complained that Carrillo was incompetent and uneducated.

The boxing program also protested Carrillo in 2013, which led to the program being open today. Carrillo's intention was to shut down the program and give the equipment for free to his cronies.

Others have complained that Carrillo stole from City funds when the City paid for gas, which was used for personal travel.

More recently, Carrillo has not done enough to protect the boxing program from an accused pedophile.

Cell phone records reveal that Carrillo was talking daily with disgraced Council Member Ricardo Pacheco, who has pled guilty to taking bribes.

Under Carrillo's management, both Barnes Park and Morgan Park have deteriorated. Barnes Park is notable for criminal loitering and drug activity.

Carrillo currently fails to account for where the money goes to from the parks and recreation program. Also, it appears that a lot of the grant money to parks is also accounted for.

It's suspected that Carrillo wants a bigger pay as City Manager, so he can retire at a higher pay, which is calculated by the last three years of one's salary.

In general, the Legal Lens rates Carrillo as an "F" for City Manager.

California State Bar Suspends License of Former City Attorney, Robert Tafoya for Federal Bribery and Tax Evasion Convictions

 

On April 14, 2025 - Office of Chief Trial Counsel for the State Bar of California suspended Robert Nacionales-Tafoya's bar license after receiving his conviction of bribery and tax evasion.

Tafoya pled guilty to bribing current State Senator Susan Rubio with marijuana kickbacks. According to Tafoya, in turn, Rubio would vote to grant those who gave her bribes, a marijuana business license. Rubio apparently amassed around $230,000 in this scheme. Also, in exchange, Tafoya would keep his job as city attorney and receive additional work, if Rubio became State Senator, which happened. Rubio allegedly used her marijuana slush funds to finance her campaign race.

Around 2014, General counsel of Legal Lens, filed a bar complaint against Robert Tafoya when he misrepresented his signature in a court filing, amounting to forgery. It's similar to the same type of forgery that Cristeta Paguirigan-Summers, who was the consultant for marijuana licenses in Baldwin Park, committed and was disbarred for. (Legal Lens suspects that Cristeta was Tafoya's legal mentor.) Despite the clear and convincing evidence, the State Bar dropped the complaint against Tafoya.

The State Bar should make available all complaints that have been filed against Robert Tafoya in light of the Tom Girdardi scandal. Girardi embezzled more than $15 million. Over 40 years, the public filed more than 200 complaints against Girardi, but the bar failed to discipline Girardi over any of them. Had it done so, it's probable that victims would not have been so injured.

Hence, the public should also know how many complaints were filed against Tafoya, and in fact, all attorney complaints should be made available as a public record that could be requested by anyone.

City of Los Angeles Illegally Fines People for Parking for $93; Mayor Karen Bass, Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, and Ken Husting to Blame.

Ken Husting, 
Principal Transportation Engineer for
LADOT's Bureau of Parking Management

 To be heard on June 20th, this year, I filed a challenge to a parking ticket I illegally received for $93 from the City of Los Angeles. The problem with the ticket is that I was fined for parking in a red fire zone, when the curb is painted a dark blue grey and not red. See picture below. 

I complained to Mayor Karen Bass; Council Member Eunisses Hernandez (who is in charge of that district), and Ken Husting, the Principal Transportation Engineer for LADOT's Bureau of Parking Management. I filed two agency challenges to the ticket, but both of them said that the ticket was valid, even though the color of the paint is not red. There are no other parking signs to give notice to motorists this is an illegal area to park in.

On February 3, 2025, Husting emailed, "in my opinion there is enough to see a red curb." Clearly, this is contradicted by the picture below.

According to NBC last month, the city of Los Angeles wants to more aggressively enforce parking citations as a way to raise revenue for the City. By aggressive enforcement, it also intends to cite motorists who are not illegally parked, which is the equivalent of stealing their money.

Crosstown stated that the parking enforcement staff costs are actually costing the City more money than parking citations actually bring in. Ken Husting's salary alone, according to Transparent California, with benefits, is $308, 128.29.

The solution to this is to hold Mayor Karen Bass, who a number of people have claimed in incompetent, because she was partying in Ghana, while Los Angeles burned; along with Hernandez accountable. Currently, to pay for just the gross amount of Husting's salary, the City needs to issue 3313 tickets per year. The City needs to rethink through its parking scheme and enforcement.

A Special Thank you to Singapore Airlines and Goh Choon Phong

 

I had perhaps the best flight in my life on Singapore Airline from Los Angeles to Tokyo, Tokyto to Singapore. The airline didn't have my pajama size, and the cabin crew alerted the new crew in Tokyo to have it ready. That's what I call customer service. Also, when I had an immigration visa issue, the airlines called immigration for me to sort it out immediately.

A special thanks to CEO Goh Choon Phong, for his excellence in customer focus and service.

I look forward to flying with Singapore Airlines again soon.

Critical Bandit Tow Truck Ransoming Altadena Fire Victim's Cars Most Likely Identified

The Legal Lens has most likely identified one of the bandit tow trucks featured in ABC's story, "Officials warn of tow-truck scam targeting Eaton Fire victims". According to ABC, after the devastation of the fires, these tow trucks told victims that they were contracted by Altadena officials to help tow cars. But the cars would be towed to hidden locations and then ransomed for over $3,000. (Disclaimer: Identification of the Altadena bandit tow truck is not conclusive until verified by the government, and all accused are presumed innocent.)

On September 26, 2024 - on the Pasadena Freeway, 210 West - Elder Arambula, college athlete, was involved in a similar scandal. After a serious car crash on the freeway, a similar tow truck featured on the ABC story came literally 5 to 10 minutes later. The driver told him that Toytoa and Allstate partnered together to tow his truck for free because of the collision. The Prius was then stored at Stanton, California. Arambula attempted to pick up his car on the weekend, but the manager of Cyrus Towing, Daniella Sulllivan "Dee Dee" told him not to worry about the fees. 

But four days after the accident, she charged around $1,700. Dee Dee ransomed the car and threatened that she would take title to it, if he didn't pay. Cyrus Towing and Dee Dee appeared interested in Prii and Teslas in particular. Other victims have said their hybrids and electric cars were also targeted.

After an investigation of the incident, Arambula believes that the tow trucker owner hired a professional car crasher to collide into him, and that same professional car crasher then called the tow truck to pick up his Prius. Arambula has suffered with four herniated discs from the crash.

Arambula took a photo of the tow truck, and the Legal Lens team has matched it to the photo of the tow truck featured in the ABC story.

The owner and driver behind the tow truck that allegedly defrauded Arambula is Amir Eftekhari, an Iranian national. Eftekhari's preying ground appears to be the Pasadena and Altadena vicinity. He lives in Monrovia. Eftekhari has been sued around 60 times and has recently came out of bankruptcy to discharge a majority of his debts. Eftekhari has also expunged his criminal conviction of driving a commercial vehicle without a proper license.

Former employee of Cyrus Towing, Vinny Smith, on the record, has identified the car crasher as an employee of Cyrus Towing. Smith said that  Espiridion Mendietamorante goes by the monkider of "Delta". Smith recalled that at least one car he picked up was crashed in a similar manner to Arambula's.

Smith also alleges that the Iranian national has a long history of problems with Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE"). This is relevant to the story, in so far as the fact that terrorist and organized crime expert, Loretta Napoleoni states that money from such operations go back to the government state. Hence, in this case, the fraud money may be going back to the State of Iran.

It appears that Arambula's car crash and evidence has triggered a probe with the Department of Insurance and California Highway Patrol. According to Google Reviews and Yelp, it appears that Cyrus Towing is no longer in business. The Department of Transportation states that Eftekhari's tow truck is only licensed for private tows.

That doesn't mean, however, that Eftekahri is still not targeting and preying on the property of vulnerable victims. Another concerning aspect to this story, is that the circumstantial evidence and a recent expert opinion suggests that the Altadena CHP station may be receiving a kickback for these tows. According to video evidence of Dee Dee, the Altadena CHP call Eftekhari regarding which cars have crashed. According to Smith, for every car successfully impounded, Smith alleges that the officer and other spotters receives a $500 kickback. 

The Legal Lens has obtained more evidence today, article to come, that strongly suggests the Altadena CHP is working with these bandit tow truck owners to facilitate these predatory tow-and-impound scams.

Nonetheless, the clearest identifying unique factor that matches both the ABC's photo and Arambuala's photo of the bandit tow truck is the cruelty behind the predatory scheme. Eftekhari, Sullivan, and Mendietamorante would fit the match for that level of reprehensibility.

When asked to comment about Eftekhari, Arambula stated, "We need him [Eftekahri] to face justice against every innocent human being that he harmed and pay his time."