Hews Media Group-Community Newspaper has exclusively learned that Central Basin Municipal Water District District 4 Director Leticia Vasquez, who has pulled papers to run for re-election, , likely does not live in her District.
This would be a violation of state law punishable by jail time, financial penalty, or both.
Several area resident have also informed us via e-mail and comments left on our website, loscerritosnews.net, that Ms. Vasquez does not live at her Lynwood home.
Instead she has resided for years at the Baldwin Hills home of Los Angeles- based attorney Ron Wilson.
The revelation came to light when Ms. Vasquez, who recently married Wilson, applied for medical benefits for her new husband.
Following procedure, Central Basin mailed paperwork to Ms. Vasquez’s reported home address in Lynwood. A few days later the mail was returned to the District marked “No such person at this address.”
Central Basin General Manager Kevin Hunt informed Directors Arturo (Art) Chacon, Phil Hawkins, and one other director, of the returned mail, Messrs. Chacon and Hawkins subsequently told us.
We obtained Ms. Vasquez’s husband’s home address in Baldwin Hills, entered the address in Google, clicked on Google Street View, and, in a seemingly incredible coincidence, found Director Vasquez’s black Mercedes in front of Mr. Wilson’s house.
“It’s her car,” said Mr. Chacon. “That’s very interesting.”
Charges that Ms. Vasquez has lied about her place of residence are not new. We exclusively reported in January 2015 on a Fair Political Practices Commission investigation into complaints that Ms. Vasquez lied about her place of residence during her 2012 Central Basin campaign.
In a strange twist, her campaign consultant and heavy contributor to Ms. Vasquez’s 2012 election, former Central Basin director and convicted felon Ric Mayer, was sentenced to 6 months in jail and community service for lying about his place of residence while running for the South Gate City Council.
Maria Santillan-Beas, Lynwood City Councilmember and a challenger to Ms. Vasquez’s Water Board seat, told us, “this is the same Leticia Vasquez that we recalled from the Lynwood Council in 2007. She was recalled over a sweetheart deal where 1,000 families were being forced out of their homes for a sports complex. As it is, we have little housing. These people felt threatened because they weren’t going to find replacement housing in Lynwood. She didn’t even finish her term on the Council. There have been rumors made by her neighbors that she does not live in the property on Walnut (Lynwood).
“How can she represent the district and not reside in the district. Clearly a violation.”
Mr. Hews may be contacted at www.loscerritosews.net
