Hews Media Group-Community News has obtained documents that show the Los Angeles-based law firm of Tafoya and Garcia has been illegally granted permission, without a vote by the Central Basin Board of Directors, to re-investigate the Sigrid Lopez sexual harassment lawsuit that was settled months ago for $670,000 against Central Basin President Bob Apodaca.
We have been told by two municipal attorneys that the Tafoya and Garcia covert investigation amounts to a misuse of government funds for personal use and should “absolutely” be brought to the attention of Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacy for investigation possible prosecution.
“How could there have been a vote to allow the Lopez investigation,” Central Basin Director Art Chacon asked.
“Apodaca had to recuse himself from any vote pertaining to Lopez, and Phil Hawkins,” also a Central Basin director, Mr. Chacon said. “I would never vote for an investigation. So who allowed this so-called investigation to go forward? “It’s a total sham and use of government funds for personal use by Apodaca.”
We previously reported that Tafoya and Garcia was awarded a sole-source (no-bid) contract by directors Apodaca, Leticia Vasquez and James Roybal to investigate the performance of former Central Basin General Manager Tony Perez, after Mr. Perez was fired for cause.
Mr. Perez since has filed a wrongful termination claim against the District and directors Apodaca, Roybal and Vasquez for $8.2 million, which is ongoing.
The investigation, according to documents, started last December. As of last month, Tafoya and Garcia , where every attorney working on the Central Basin investigation earns a hefty $350 per hour, had generated over $34,000 in fees related to the settlement with sources telling us that another $35,000 has been billed.
Documents we have obtained show that Tafoya and Garcia bills the city of Lynwood only $175 per hour.
All told, Tafoya and Garcia has billed over $150,000, when the initial contract with Central Basin only allowed $100,000.
Sigrid Lopez was a contractor for the District, employed between June 2012 and December 2012. Ms. Lopez filed a claim and subsequent lawsuit against Central Basin and Mr. Apodaca in June 2013, alleging that she was sexually battered and harassed by Mr. Apodaca and wrongfully terminated. Ms. Lopez’s claim was sent to the District’s insurance carrier, ACWA-JPIA, who settled the claim in June 2014 for $670,000. ACWA-JPIA cancelled the District’s insurance 60days later citing “board dysfunction.”
Said Mr. Chacon: “Director Hawkins and I refused to take part in the hiring of Tafoya and Garcia. We knew that they were being brought in after the fact to manufacture cause in Perez’s termination. We didn’t want any part of it. I recently asked staff why Tafoya was still billing the District. I was told that they were investigating Sigrid Lopez. I was shocked since the Lopez case was settled last year.”
In what appears, on the surface, to be a cover-up, we emailed sent an email to Central Basin General Manager Kevin Hunt and Central Basin Public Affairs Director Joseph Legaspi on June 5, asking if there was a Tafoya and Garcia investigation into Ms. Lopez.
In a return email, Mr. Legaspi, with Mr. Hunt’s permission, flatly denied the question, answering, “They are not.”
We asked that since Director Apodaca could not vote, who approved the new investigation?
The comment from Legaspi and Hunt said, “There is no new investigation.”
“This is money laundering plain and simple,” said one longtime observer and former employee of Central Basin, who did not want to be identified. “Leticia Vasquez and James Roybal will have at least $100,000 each for their next election, courtesy of all these covert billings.”
Mr. Hews may be contacted at loscerritosnews.net
