Baldwin Park City Council Wants Tax Hike to Pay for Their Salaries, Which is 400% of Other Cities.

A. Alejandra, D. Damian, M. Garcia, P. Hernandez (from left to right) 

Baldwin Park City Council wants to raise its sales tax from 9.5% to 10.25%, hoping to bring in another $6 million in revenue, at a time when gas and food prices are skyrocketing with its proposed Measure Baldwin Park. Clearly, the City Council and Administrators want to take more of our money to keep up their outrageous salaries and continue with their corruption.

For instance, the City Council and Mayor make $41,295.37. That's for 2 meetings a month. Imagine making $3,441 for working four hours a month! In Alhambra, the City Council makes $11,000.30. The per capita income in Alhambra is $32,589. 

So the people in Baldwin Park make 37% less than Alhambra, and the City Council make 400% more. In short, this is what you call corruption.

Let's look at the following table for 2020 salary comparisons of Baldwin Park and Alhambra.

	Baldwin Park	Alhambra
City Council and Mayor	$41,295.37	$11,000.30
City Manager (Shannon Yauchzee)	$443,459.30	$365,532.35
Finance Director (Hong Fang aka Rose Tam aka Hong Tam)	$321,361.90	$237,871.99
Parks and Recreation Director (Manny Carrillo)	$286,143.24	$211,926.42
Chief of Police (Robert Lopez)	$267,597.90	$378,817.73

Besides the Chief of Police, everyone should be seeing a pattern that Baldwin Park pays outrageous and corrupt salaries to its City Council and administrators. I want to repeat: Why does the Mayor and City Council get paid $1,600 to attend one meeting? They attend two meetings a month, which makes their salaries come out to $41,295.

 The City Council has been putting out propaganda, stating that the tax increase is to beautify the City. But this is far from the truth. The $6 million will be co-mingled with the general fund, which will be used to pay the outrageous salaries of the council and administrators, which right now cannot be sustained. Don't forget that these salaries will be paid out for the lifetime of these people through their pensions.

Also, the City has been engaged a number of lawsuits, because of the corrupt acts that it's been engaged in. This has ranged from unlawful firing of staff to withholding public records. The legal fees have been astronomical, especially for its City Attorney, Robert Tafoya, who is currently being investigated by the FBI. The City Council refuses to fire him, even though he's been a cause of a number of these lawsuits.

But take for instance Lili Hadsell's lawsuit, in which a judgment of over $9 million was levied against the City. Once again, this was the corrupt decision of previous council members; City Attorney, Robert Tafoya; and the former Chief of Police - Michael Taylor.

The current Chief of Police, Robert Lopez, overspent an estimated $1 million. He ordered 15 patrol cars, when there's only 5 patrol officers at a time. Who was enriched by this money?

On top of all this, because of the corrupt practices of the Council and administrators, 5,000 people have left, decreasing the revenue stream of the City.

The solution to fix Baldwin Park's problem is transparency, the cutting of these outrageous salaries and pensions, and honest and fair conduct practices that stop causing lawsuits. Instead, the City Council lies to us. For example, they say that if they don't raise the tax, LA County will. I investigated with a number of Californian tax agencies and LA County. This isn't true.

I'm proposing that the City may even have to file bankruptcy to mitigate it's unsustainable pension liabilities.

Sadly - we have greedy and incompetent people in power in Baldwin Park. We're already suffering enough with rising gas and food prices. The last thing we need is to lose money to these people; so that they live the high life of working 4 hours a month, off our hard work. So vote "NO!" on Measure Baldwin Park at the ballot to the raising of the sales tax. And tell the City Council and administrator that the corruption has to stop.

Former Baldwin Park Police Chief, Michael Taylor, Resigns Only After Five Months in Public Office

Disgraced Police Chief - Michael Taylor

On May 28, 2022 - former Baldwin Park Police Chief, Michael Taylor, resigned as a board member of West Valley Water District, only five months into his new term of being reelected. In November of 2021, another board member, Kyle Crowther also suddenly resigned. On May 19, 2022 - Shamindra “Rickey” Manbahal, also resigned as district general manager. The sudden resignations follows the same pattern as the City of Bell - where the council members and administrators resigned after the LA Times exposed how public servants were stealing millions of dollars of taxpayer money. Those close to Taylor have stated that Taylor has not been seen in months following his resignation. I suspect that Taylor's entered a plea deal with the FBI, which required him to resign from public office. The Department of Justice said it would not comment on whether this is true. 

Taylor has sold his home in Rancho Cucamonga. Sources state he now Rogers, Arkansas. The potential street address is 1122 W Cypress St.

Michael Taylor's been a controversial and corrupt figure in the City of Baldwin Park. Taylor was problematic even as a captain, and several times former Chief, Lili Hadsell had attempted to fire him.

While as Captain, former employees stated that Taylor would work 20 hours a week, while earning about $250,000 a year. Taylor often went  home early to drink at bars and would show up drunk the next day. Taylor was known to be a notorious alcoholic.

Nonetheless, after new council was elected, Taylor plotted to overthrow Lili Hadsell as chief. Taylor succeeded by scheming with Pacheco. Hadsell was fired. The new council appointed him as the new police chief. Council Member Pacheco and Chief Taylor developed a close working relationship, in working together to take as many bribes and taxpayer money as possible by abusing their government authority.

Kyle Crowther, potential son of Taylor

Taylor's most notable scandal was accepting kickbacks for approving marijuana license in Baldwin Park. Imagine a police chief funding his own public office with drug money. After Taylor received this drug money, he laundered that money through a political action committee (PAC), which funded his campaign for a board seat in the West Valley Water District. This was known as TaylorGate.

On September 21, 2016 - the Council fired Taylor without cause. as police chief. Mayor Lozano informally commented that Taylor wasn't pro-Mexican enough.

After winning his board seat, Taylor needed to put in corrupt people that would enable the stealing of public water agency funds. So Taylor fired the human resources manager, finance director, and general counsel, shattering the lives of those who formerly held those positions. And instead, he put in his own finance director; human resource manager; Robert Tafoya (Baldwin Park's City Attorney); and Ricardo Pacheco (Baldwin Park's Council Member).

Shamindra “Rickey” Manbahal

A year later, around December 15, 2017 - Pacheco needed to rehire Taylor as chief. Taylor requested Tafoya draft him an employee contract that stated that as chief of police, he could only be fired if Taylor committed a felony. It appears Pacheco needed Taylor to be in charge of cannabis licensing, so that the cash kickbacks could keep coming. Taylor, in return,was chief again, this time with a bullet proof contract and an even more extraordinary pay.

During Taylor's tenure at West Valley and Baldwin Park - a number of corruption cases began to surface. For instance, the new HR Director and her wife pleads guilty to felony tax evasion. The State Controller's audit finds rampant corruption in West Valley - for example contractors were overcharging the district (presumably also giving kickbacks with that overcharge), and public officials and administrators were buying hotels, cigars, and steak dinners of a public credit card. West Valley's former manager

The General Manager Taylor hired, Manbahal, admitted to stealing money from the City of Hawthorne. He gave himself a $25,000 secret "loan" (which he presumably didn't have to pay back), and kept cooking the books for the City Council. (Rose Tam, the finance director of Baldwin Park, appears to be doing the same in the City.)

And although the years of stealing public funds went on, the beginning of the end finally came for the disgraced police chief, when a sting was set up for Council Member Ricardo Pacheco. Pacheco requested $37,900 in cash to be put in brown paper bags. An informant marked the cash. And feds busted Pacheco. Pacheco agreed to be an informant. Pacheco also agreed to plead guilty to corruption charges. As part of the condition of pleading guilty, Pacheco had to resign from public office. Pacheco's been snitching on Taylor, ever since.

Taylor's sudden resignation from public office follows the same pattern as Pacheco's, indicating that he may have already pled guilty in exchange for a more lenient sentence.

Personally, Taylor is one of the most evil persons I've ever met. Recent sources have confirmed that it was Taylor, who fired the former head boxing coach, who complained that it was wrong to give him a forty cent an hour raise after 20 years. (Contrast that with all the money Taylor's been stealing.) Allegedly, Taylor also ordered the officers to arrest and strip search me for booing a public official. Then, when that didn't work, Taylor allegedly ordered Tafoya to file a restraining order against me, which also failed. Also, Taylor has been accused of pedophilia.

Taylor's arrest makes the corruption scheme clearer. For years, activists and citizens believed that Tafoya was the mastermind behind all the outrageous corruption in Baldwin Park and West Valley. Only recently has one source told the Legal Lens that it was actually Michael Taylor who was teaching everyone how to steal as much as possible and get away with it. (Well, at least Taylor thought he could get away with it.)

8 years later, since Taylor started his looting of public funds, he's finally been popped. Martin Luther King Jr. was right - "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Sometimes, it's very long.

The Real Michael Taylor

Celebrating Jubilee - Reconciliation First.

 

Freedom by Vesna Martinjak

For my friends, family, and myself, it feels like an entire year of celebration. In fact, I just told a judge on Friday that there's too many painful moments we experience, but we need to really seize the beautiful days we have, like today. Friday was a beautiful day. And I spent the afternoon and evening at Santa Monica, enjoying the sun, sea, and sand. It made me think about how this is Jubilee year. Just a few weeks ago began the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

What's Jubilee? The secular definition is a celebration of an anniversary. Hence, the Queen's Platinum Jubilee is the celebration of her 70 years of rule. 

But the Torah gives us a much more specific definition. In Hebrew - Jubilee means "ram's horn" - which was blown to announce the start of the Jubilee year, an awesome year. It's also related to the Hebrew word for "release" and "liberty".  

According to Leviticus, Jubilee was celebrated after seven cycles of a sabbatical year, which occurred once every seven years. A sabbatical year was a commandment by God to rest and to do no work and to let the fields lie fallow. If you think about it, it's pretty radical that God would say stop working for an entire year and not make any money. 

Practicing the Sabbatical and Jubilee was really a practice of obedience and trust in God. It was a declaration that doing what was right, like letting the land rest, or redeeming someone's freedom, or letting the poor eat off your land, was more important than earning a profit. And the Jewish people had to trust God would provide during that year and some time after, for practicing active rest, celebrating, and honoring a good God.

Incidentally, followers of my blog will remember, I actually took a year and 3 months off of a sabbatical. Finances were tough on my return. But looking back, no regrets. Taking a sabbatical was like removing the string of the bow of my mind and restringing to make it sharp again. I was mentally more agile because I took a year off, gave work a rest, and made no money in that year.

Well; Jubilee was even more radical. On the 50th year (49 years for 7 cycles of sabbath), the Hebrew people were commanded to forgive all debts, free all slaves and prisoners, and return all ancient lands to their property owner. It was a year, in which Heaven could be experienced on Earth. Some Rabbi scholars actually argue that Jubilee required two years of rest: the 49th year and the 50th year, meaning that God's people actually had to really have faith that provisions would be made.

In any event, Jubilee was and is a year of celebration, because we're celebrating the fact that all debts have been paid, and we're free. It was also a future foreshadowing of how God would one day reunite his people to him one day by forgiving all sins and clearing the slate free for all of us to bring us back to Him, because as Numbers says (which I've been reading and enjoying thoroughly): "In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now." (Numbers 14:19-21).

One scholar says that the Jews never practiced Jubilee, perhaps because they refused to forgive everyone's debt. (Lester L. Grabbe, A History of the Jews and Judaism in the Second Temple Period, Vol. 1, p. 223; Bloomsbury, 2006). Sadly, that also meant that the people didn't receive the full blessing and benefit of the greatness of debt forgiveness.

In any event, even if we can't fully practice all the regulations of Jubilee this year, I do ask we try to make this year about reconciliation with family and friends. Leviticus clearly commands that if a family member becomes a slave, that the family has to repurchase his freedom back during a Jubilee year. How often is this happening in our society today? Often.

People fall into gambling debt. People fall into drug addictions. Families are split up and broken by greed and seductive but empty affairs. Leviticus never says the person isn't to blame for her poor choices that brought her into bondage. It says despite that person falling into slavery, we who have more and are more fortunate, are commanded to get them out of slavery and reconcile them back to family. God commands us to do this, because He does it for us. And that's at the core of God's heart.

This year, I had to help free two people who were imprisoned into slavery by their bad choices. Both times, I was really upset that I had to do so. I also felt like it was really unfair for me to carry such a heavy burden alone, both financial and emotional.

But I manned up. I owned the responsibility. I told myself my motivation is to do the right thing. And I'm going to do it. Looking back, I can say, there's nothing like having relationships restored.

So - this Jubilee year - I'm asking everyone to make the goal of restoring relationships more important than making a profit. The next one will be 50 years from now. So, let's practice and celebrate an awesome year together.

We're here to set the captive free. Then we can celebrate the freedom we both experience. Not only is the person in bondage free, but letting go of money (and our faith in it) to purchase someone else's freedom also frees those who have wealth and privilege.

I end with the last two verse from the Parable of the Prodigal Son. “‘My son,’ [the more privileged one] the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” (Luke 15:31-2, NIV).

Rembrandt's Prodigal Son.

Be Salt; Be Light

 

I'm sorry I haven't wrote in awhile again. Because again, my family's had health issues. Several weeks ago my father had a fall. While this happened, I was also working on his elder abuse case. His girlfriend and family appear to be the culprits.

Then, after the fall, my father was hospitalized last week and nearly died. He was in a coma and his body was convulsing violently. Very sad to see.There were all sort of complications and details that I won't discuss. I will say it was a very frustrating and painful ordeal. 

In any event, he's recovering and doing much better - though he's not out of the woods yet.

What did I learn from all this? At one point, I felt tired from dealing with all this, especially when these duties weren't assigned to me. Family issues are tough. 

But I asked a former pastor of mine for counsel, and I was encouraged by it. He told me, "I'm glad you're doing everything you're doing. As a Christian - you're duty is to expose and fight evil, and shine a light on it." Those words helped me confirm that I was doing the right thing, even when other family members told me otherwise. (That's family for you, and as the Chinese say: "Matters of the heart are complicated.")

I'm glad I stuck with it, and persevered. I'm blessed to have great counselors, especially older ones who respect fathers. It helps to have a coach in your corner, who has experience with darker people and knows how to sort them out.

After I put my father in a safe place, I saw a strange sign. (From time to time, this happens in my life.) Our cat, "Jeh Pan", (Trial)), killed and brought me several lizards as presents. I told him, "Jeh Pan - the lizards eat the insects. Stop doing that." But he looked at me in a way that told me he wasn't going to listen.

Later that day, Jeh Pan jumped on the house's official chair. From there, he watched all the various fish in the aquarium and made it clear he was now in charge. I smiled and said, "Sah Jah (Lion) - you are way too spoiled for your own good." But we spoil him, because we love him.

The day after, at around 1am, I saw a pack of dogs chase my cat. Taking advantage of the darkness, he ran and hid underneath a car. The dog was still prowling out on the street, but after my run, I found him in a hiding spot and picked him up and took him home. He was happy. Now he acting like the king of the block.

Anyways, last year, I wrote that the verse of the year was  Hebrews 12:14. (GNT): "Try to be at peace with everyone, and try to live a holy life, because no one will see the Lord without it."

Finally - the theme of my year has come to me. “You are salt for the earth. . . . You are light for the world. . . . [L]et your light shine in front of people. Then they will see the good that you do and praise your Father in heaven." Matt. 5:13-16 GNT. Remember; salt and light are not incidental elements; they have the power to destroy disease.

If you're not that into the New Testament, I think that the Jewish Scripture equivalent is as follows. "No, the Lord has told us what is good. What he requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God." Micah 6:8 (GNT).

OpEd Published - Private Criminal Prosecution: Contracting our constitutional due process rights to the ultra-wealthy

My opinion editorial was published yesterday in the Argonaut News - a local paper for Marina del Rey, Venice, and Santa Monica. It hasn't been uploaded on the site yet, but I appreciate them publishing my article. I've copied and pasted it below for you guys. They published it here.

Private Criminal Prosecution: Contracting our constitutional due process rights to the ultra-wealthy

Judge Loretta Preska sentenced environmentalist lawyer, Steven Donziger to 6 months of imprisonment for a criminal contempt misdemeanor for withholding confidential information. Donziger has already served 787 days under house arrest. The UN human rights council declared that the house arrest violated international human rights law. Judge Preska ignored the decree.

Chevron began its campaign to war against Dongizer after he obtained an $18 billion judgment against Chevron for dumping toxic waste in the rivers of the Amazon rainforest. The dumping harmed at least five indigenous communities, whose livelihoods depended on this water.

After the judgment, Chevron filed a racketeering suit (a type of charge generally reserved for mobsters). Without a jury, the court found against Donziger. Then, the New York Bar revoked Donziger's license to practice law. The court ordered confidential communication to be released. For refusing, the court ordered one of the longest house arrests in American history. To find Donziger guilty of criminal charges without a jury trial, the court appointed a private law firm, which previously profited from Chevron, to criminally prosecute Donziger.

Although it appears that numerous legal errors were committed here, the purpose of this opinion is to stress the hidden, illegal and trending unconstitutional practice of contracting out criminal prosecution to contractors. The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments guarantee that the government cannot “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”. As Donziger’s case proves – without due process – a person’s life and reputation can be ruined.

One of the core rights of due process is that a defendant is entitled to have a prosecutor who is fair and neutral, because of the heavy, scarring, and maiming impacts of a criminal conviction. For instance, a criminal record is a bar to a number of employment opportunities.

There are three rights that a defendant is entitled to from a fair and neutral prosecutor. One, a defendant has the right to decide whether the government should spend its resources in filing the case. Two, the defendant has a right to a fair plea bargaining deal. Three, the defendant has a right to a fair sentence by the prosecution.

Prosecutors are paid on salary. Therefore, since profit is not the reason she is making government decisions, neutrality is presumed. But a contractor, who profits off a case, has every reason to prolong a criminal case, or file a frivolous one, or recommend punitive sentences, which a party like Chevron may want.

There are three ways that contractors can profit from the accused. This happens when they get paid by the hour, are paid more for prevailing against the defendant, or execute decisions with an eye for future contracts with the government. Here, the Department of Justice, the government’s default prosecutors, declined to file charges against Donziger. Because Chevron wanted to circumvent the government’s decision, it hired a law firm that profited by all of the above factors.

 In 1987, in Young v. United States ex rel. Vuitton et Fils, 481 U.S. 787 (1987) the U.S. Supreme Court found the practice of private prosecution to be repugnant to due process.  It stated, “That state official has the power to employ the full machinery of the state in scrutinizing any given individual. Even if a defendant is ultimately acquitted, forced immersion in criminal investigation and adjudication is a wrenching disruption of everyday life. [S]uch an [interested] attorney is required by the very standards of the profession to serve two masters.”

But nearly 35 years later, the practice rears its ugly head again to prosecute protesters,  the poor, and civil rights attorneys. In a case I litigated, the City of Baldwin Park contracted a private law firm for $25,000 to charge an 80 year old man for putting up a sign that criticized a politician of being corrupt. The problem was that the City filed charges against the father of the alleged offender and not the person who put up the sign. And get this: the corrupt politician actually and eventually pled guilty to bribery in federal court.

Three years ago and also in California, in “Coachella and Indio, the law firm Silver & Wright has repeatedly filed criminal charges against residents and businesses for public nuisance crimes—like overgrown weeds, a junk-filled yard or selling popsicles without a business license—then billed them thousands of dollars to recoup expenses” reported the Desert Sun. One woman was even charged $6,000 for violating the chicken ordinance.

For all these reasons, private prosecution must clearly be prohibited. Our constitutional rights cannot be decided by corporate interests. Doing so ultimately concentrates powers and rights in the hands of the ultra wealthy, at the expense of the citizen. Having money shouldn't entitle the rich to be able to criminally prosecute people they don't like, just because they have money. For this reason, even Chief Justice Roberts recognized: “A basic step in organizing a civilized society is to take that sword out of private hands and turn it over to an organized government, acting on behalf of all the people.”

 

 

 

On Fasting

 

I've been on a modified fast now for 44 days. It's been tough but rewarding. (By modified, my fast is more like the style the Muslims practice during Ramadan. I eat once a day in the evening.) I decided to fast to lose some weight, but I continued for spiritual reasons.

In general, I practice a dry fast once a year during Yom Kippur. I started this in 2015. For those of you who don't know, Yom Kippur is the holiest Jewish holiday of the year. For about 24 hours, you don't eat or drink or put anything into your mouth. Along with other practices, you repent (or say you're sorry) for all the things that you've done wrong that year. You make peace with all your relationships during that time. And, after it's all over, you're forgiven by God. (Before this, I only fasted once in high school.) Then the New Year begins. Great way to start the New Year on a clean slate.

Of course, it's a tough holiday, not like our American ones of feasting and indulgence. Not only are you not eating or drinking, but you're thinking about all the things you've screwed up during that year. 

So, one year I didn't do it. Why? Too hard. Too inconvenient. And the consequences weren't good. My year really didn't go as well.

Back to my current fast. I probably had two times that were really painful. The first moment came the first three days into it. I had terrible and incredible and sharp hunger pains. It made me realize I was addicted more to food than I realized. But I endured.

The second time came around the third week. The sharp pains left. But I was fatigued often and feeling cold. And I asked why I was doing all this? I also hit a weight loss plateau. I was ready to end the fast.

But I continued during this time, because I thought if the Muslims can do this for 30 days, I can do this too for 30 days. I was impacted by my trip in Istanbul in 2015. I came during Ramadan, and I watched an entire country fast for weeks. I remember the festivities after Ramadan was over.

I was also influenced by my time in Mauritius (an island off the African continent, literally on the other side of the world of Los Angeles) in 2018, when the owner of my apartment fasted for Ramadan. I remember asking him if he was happy the fasting time was over. And he said, "No. I'm sad. It was a reflective time." The response left me somewhat puzzled. I thought he would be happy to eat again and feast. But I understood probably into Day 30 of my own fast, what he meant.

I found fasting important, because it made me realize that I'm more than just my body and that I'm not subjected to my appetites and desires. The New Testament for this reason states, "'Food for the stomach and the stomach for food'--but God will destroy them both." (1 Cor. 6:13). It means that we're more than just flesh and bones and a need to consume food. Hence, we need to subject our appetites and desires to self-control.

Both the Old and New Testament command humbling one's self before God. The Prophet Ezra said, "I proclaimed a fast...that we might humble ourselves before our God" (8:21). Thus, the most practical easiest way to humble one's self before the Lord is to fast. (Incidentally, John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, would disqualify candidates from ministry who didn't fast.) There's so much talk in the Christian church but not enough practice of actually humility in fasting.

Now, I know that I have a lot of atheists and agnostics who read my blog. And if you got this far, then, thank you.

One last hero that fasted often was Gandhi. He led the entire Indian nation in a fast, which helped in destroying the power of the British Empire without ever firing a gun back at them. The power of a national fast against the oppressor awakened the spirit of hope.

During this time - I realized the importance of saying No to the excess we have in the West. Fasting has and continues to teach me the power in conquering myself, who is my own worst enemy often.

For this reason, Saint Augustine once said, "Fasting cleanses the soul, raises the mind, subjects one’s flesh to the spirit, renders the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, quenches the fire of lust, and kindles the true light of chastity."

2022 - Year of the Water Tiger - Following the Rule of 20

 

According to the Chinese calendar, last year was the Year of the Metal Ox. This is the Year of the Water Tiger.

Last year, I stated that the ox represents hard work, and that "I'll make sure to work hard and be loyal to cause of Truth and love in hopes of a great harvest to come.". I think I lived up to this. But I had no idea the work would come in taking care of family. 

I can't tell you how difficult this year has been, but it ended well and victorious. And a harvest did come.

As you probably all have noticed, I haven't been writing as much. Part of it is that the court wasn't too happy that I was blogging about my cases. Another part was that I had a lot of family emergencies this year.

My mother ended up in the emergency room twice in January of 2021 (right when the year started). Then my father ended up in the emergency room in March of 2021. 

Actually, even our cat ended up in the emergency room, right before my mother - which was probably the foreshadowing of everything to come. And while that was happening, I was in heavy litigation against the City of Baldwin Park, West Valley Water District, and the Baldwin Park Unified School District.

Everybody is healthy and well now, even Jeh Pan, our cat. It did take a toll on me though. The stress was incredible. I can't even tell you how I managed everything, still kept a stiff upper lip in litigation, and made sure everyone was healed and restored. I don't know. 

I can only say the Lord was with me to give me the strength and wisdom required and the love to endure. I gained 10 pounds in those 11 months from stress, and in these last two weeks, I've lost 10 pounds. So, it all worked out.

Baldwin Park Unified

We ended up winning this case. The School District was illegally ticketing people outside of its area (or jurisdiction in legalise). They were even ticketing people outside of this City, in West Covina! All in all, the court agreed with us, that this was illegal. It's a shameful school district that's failing the students here, keeping them trapped in poverty by a lack of education. 

In the end, I won an amount of attorney's fees, and I donated it to my non-profit. You can read all about it here. I've heard from a major newspaper that they want to write the story.

The City of Baldwin Park

This case, I lost. This was a public records act case, in which the City never released records. My client and I even had video evidence that they didn't release all the records. Then, right before trial, the City submitted a declaration that they released everything and the trial court agreed.

This was totally false on the City's part, and it's been frustrating dealing with players who make misrepresentations just to win, and those who need to hold them accountable do nothing about it. Take for instance how attorney Maribel Medina and Tam filed a restraining order against me, alleging I rammed into Tam's car, and wrote emails to her that I love her. (There's no evidence of this.) They lost the restraining order part of the case, but do they get disciplined for it? No.

I reported Medina to the bar. And that got dismissed too. I'm not surprised. This was like when the city attorney misrepresented my signature, and I reported him. And nothing happened.

I'm realizing more and more, the government can get away with misconduct we can't - like lying, violence, and stealing. (More on this in a later series.)

Well, if you know anything, the City officials and administrators are under federal investigation. I've been telling you guys for years that they're corrupt - and now - it's being proven. And part of the records the City refuse to release regards how they cashed in and spent revenue from cannabis distribution licenses.

In any event, I have appealed the case. I've received two amici letters in support so far. I hope that things go better in this case for next year.

West Valley Water District

In another records case, in which the City Attorney of Baldwin Park represents, West Valley Water District refuses to release its credit card statements. Like in the Baldwin Park case, they're saying they released everything, when they clearly haven't. So, I went to the Bank and asked for it. That's when I got the kicking and screaming from Robert Tafoya, General Counsel on the case. Part of this case went on appeal too. Everything is pending. Let's see what happens.

Thoughts for next year

2020 and 2021 has been hard for the majority of us. It's been one dark and long winter, in which our country is still semi-locked down, restricted, and in disagreement about vaccine passports. From the information I have, and what I see, I think this entire affair will continue until the summer of 2023. I don't want to focus my writing on a general bleak prediction regarding our economy and Covid. Instead, I wanted to focus on a talk that really made made me think.

The Rule of 20

I was listening to talk by Warren Buffet on investing. If you don't know who he is, look him up, and you'll see that he's one of the richest people alive, and arguably in human history. And he said this, he said that if you only had 20 investment choices in your life - you would be picking stocks differently. 

That made me realize why he's rich. It's because he thinks differently than 99% of everybody

Then it made me realize something else, especially because I was running 7-9 miles a day, and dieting. There were a few days, I could only think about food. I thought about roasted bone marrow on toast and tacos and Italian pizza cooked in a wood fire oven with truffle shavings. And I realized, how I needed to get my thinking under control.

But I asked myself, what if you could only eat 20 dishes? What would you choose? I'll tell you, items in my freezer didn't make the list. So, I started wondering - why did I buy it?

What if you could only have 20 pieces of clothes? What would they be? 

What if you could only have 20 items in total, including your car? How would you treat those items? What would you buy?

What if you could only have 20 business decisions, including the cases you picked?

What if you could only have 20 friends? Who would they be?

What if you only had 20 things to say? What would you say?

What if in total, you only had 20 important decisions from birth to death? What would you do?

From the cases I picked, I'm glad that my business advisor Tuttle told me to take on the school district case. I actually didn't want to, but he convinced me after a lot of argument. It'll be one of the cases that defined the middle part of my career. That was a good one in the bundle of 20.

From a family perspective, I'm glad I chose to be there for my cat, for my mother, and for my father. That was important. And it made me realize, life is short.

I wonder how many decisions I have left in total. I wonder what I should do. But I think the questions make you realize, don't spend your time on useless things, when you only have a limited amount of money and time spend in a lifetime.

This year, one Bible verse struck me to try to live by. It says, "Try to be at peace with everyone, and try to live a holy life, because no one will see the Lord without it." Hebrews 12:14. (GNT).

I don't know what next year's verse is. I'll tell you when I know.

I had two books that changed my life this year. I'll write more on both of them. Cured by Jeffrey Rediger and The Kingdom of God is Within You by Leo Tolstoy.

To end, I want to say, the tiger has all kinds of meanings in Asian mythology. It can be both protection and danger. So, it's uncertain. But generally, tigers cross water, because they're on the go. And I think, this will be a year of uncertain transition for everyone.

Happy New Year. Out with the old. And in with the new. I welcome the Year of 2022 - the Year of the Water Tiger.