An investigation by Hews Media Group- Community News has identified Central Basin Municipal Water District president Bob Apodaca as the “elected public official at a local agency” cited in the corruption case of state Sen. Ron Calderon.
Mr. Apodaca served on Sen. Calderon’s staff in 2007 and 2008.
Several sources are “100 percent sure” Mr. Apodaca is the elected public official.
Sen. Calderon is accused of accepting $80,000 in bribes from a medical company owner to influence legislation. Tom Calderon, his brother, is charged with money laundering. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Mr. Apodaca is under a much larger federal microscope as an important connection in the federal corruption case of the Calderons.
The disclosure certainly will have Central Basin officials as well as other area politicians demanding a recall of the embattled Central Basin president.
Sources inside Central Basin tell us that since Ron and Tom Calderon were indicted, the FBI has interviewed Mr. Apodaca five times and subpoenaed all of his Central Basin personnel records.
The FBI investigation could lead to an Apodaca indictment in a pay-to-play scheme for steering no-bid contracts to Tom Calderon and his Calderon Group and receiving kickbacks in the form of paid salary as a staffer for Ron Calderon.
It also shows intent to commit fraud by Ron and Tom Calderon using Apodaca as the middleman.
When U.S. Attorney spokesperson Thom Mrozek was contacted, he said said the office “cannot confirm or deny that Apodaca is the elected public official at a local agency named in the latest court filing.”
The Hews Media Group-Community News investigation found Mr. Apodaca in violation of Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) rules of filing a “Form 700 statement of economic interest.”
Rules require public officials to “disclose income which may be materially affected by their official actions.”
Mr. Apodaca was paid while he worked for Sen. Calderon in 2007 and 2008, and was also a director at Central Basin.
However, a public records request via the Freedom of Information Act revealed Mr. Apodaca did not file any Form 700’s from 2007-2009.
Inside sources who worked at Central Basin during 2007-2008 told that “Apodaca was working for and getting paid by Ron Calderon and everyone knew it. But since he was a director, no one said anything. Ron and Bob [Apodaca] go way back to Bob’s days while he worked at Coors. They have been good friends for years.”
“According to a confidential source,” the U.S. Attorney’s court filing stated, Ronald Calderon continued to pay him [Mr. Apodaca] “even after other members of his staff complained that the local official [Mr. Apodaca] rarely showed up for work.”
Prosecutors allege that Sen. Calderon kept Mr. Apodaca employed in a pay-to-play scheme because his brother Tom, “feared that his company, the Calderon Group, would lose its consulting contract with the agency [Central Basin] where the local official [Mr. Apodaca] worked” if Mr. Apodaca was fired. Tom Calderon had a $130,000 annual consulting contract for years with Central Basin.
But after months of missing work, Mr. Apodaca was fired by Gil Cedillo Jr., who was, at the time, working for Sen. Ron Calderon as his District Director.
Ironically, Mr. Cedillo Jr. was subsequently hired as a Business Development Director as a favor to former Central Basin director Rudy Montalvo. Only Mr. Apodaca objected.
We have published exclusive articles on Mr. Cedillo Jr.’s overblown pay, documented three-martini lunches, and showed that Central Basin paid $22,000 to pay for his education at Azusa Pacific.
Our revelations forced Mr. Cedillo Jr. to resign.
Records show that after the firing, Mr. Apodaca proceeded to vote “no” on all Calderon Group contracts with Central Basin.
Mr. Apodaca chose not to comment in an email sent to Central Basin public information officer Joseph Legaspi.
Former Central Basin candidate Tom Malkesian, who came in second place behind Mr. Apodaca in the 2014 election, told us that “the latest round of allegations are a huge disappointment, especially in light of the current drought. Our elected officials should be held accountable for their actions.”
Mr. Hews may be contacted at loscerritosnews.net
