Hews Media Group-Community News has learned that Commerce City Council candidates John Diaz, Oralia Rebollo and Sonia Rodriguez’s election campaigns are being managed by longtime political operative and convicted felon Angel Gonzales.
According to sources, several campaign pieces have been mailed to residents of Commerce containing outright lies about the three candidates’ qualifications.
Two weeks ago, Hews Media Group-Community News exclusively reported that the three candidates were employing Yolanda Miranda as their treasurer. She has ties to ex-state Sen. Ron Calderon and his family.
Mr. Calderon was indicted in a sweeping corruption case, accused of taking about $100,000 in bribes. A legal defense fund was set up immediately after the indictment, and Ms. Miranda was appointed treasurer of the fund.
Ms. Miranda also was the treasurer for Central Basin Municipal Water District Director Bob Apodaca, who recently was sued for sexual harassment. Apodaca settled the case for $670,000 using CB funds and has been implicated in two additional sexual harassment lawsuits.
Her company, Yolanda Miranda and Associates, had a long association with former Bell Mayor George Cole convicted in the now-infamous Bell scandal.
Meanwhile, Mr. Gonzalez is the owner of Pyramid Printers, a company that specializes in hard-hitting political attack pieces and who has a long list of clients throughout Southeast Los Angeles County.
In 2002, Mr. Gonzalez was convicted of two misdemeanor counts of sending out misleading campaign fliers.
That same year, Mr. Gonzalez was convicted of a felony conspiracy charge — reduced to a misdemeanor at his sentencing — for sending out attack mailers with copies of fake official documents.
In His Background
[img]3021|right|Angel Gonzalez||no_popup[/img]Mr. Gonzalez was the onetime political operative for former South Gate treasurer Albert (Big Al) Robles. He is serving time in federal prison for his part in a wide- ranging bribery scandal.
“My knowledge of Angel Gonzalez is all bad,” longtime South Gate Councilman Henry Gonzalez told the Los Angeles Times in 2013. “His history in Southeast Los Angeles talks for itself.”
Mr. Gonzalez worked with convicted felon Rick Mayer coordinating current Central Basin Municipal Water District Director James Roybal and Director Leticia Vasquez’s campaigns.
After their election, the two owed Mr. Gonzalez and Mr. Mayer more than $45,000. Sources told us Mr. Mayer was expecting contracts from the Central Basin board for helping in the elections.
The criminal history of Mr. Gonzalez apparently is of no concern to Mr. Diaz, Ms. Rebollo, Ms. Rodriguez, or their major supporter, Citadel Outlet owner Steve Craig.
Mr. Craig has donated $40,000 to an Independent Expenditure Committee called the California League of Voters, reportedly run by Mr. Gonzalez, to oppose Commerce City Council candidates Hugo Argumedo and Denise Robles.
Also of no concern to Mr. Diaz, Ms. Rebollo or Ms. Rodriguez are the out-right lies on their campaign pieces mailed out by Mr. Gonzales and company.
A Teacher? Not Really
Several Rebollo mail pieces obtained by this newspaper tout her as a teacher, proclaiming, “from classroom to city hall she works to create opportunities.” Another states, “teacher Rebollo is a principled advocate and leader.” A third asserts, “I know Commerce, I am a lifelong resident and pre-school teacher.”
Trouble is, Ms. Rebollo is not a teacher.
Sources tell us Ms. Rebollo is a “Recreation-1” part-time employee in Commerce and does not possess any type of teaching credentials.
“Rebollo checks in kids to the recreational center,” the source said. “She is not a credentialed teacher.”
Candidate Diaz is running similar fabrications about his qualifications.
Several mail pieces proclaim Mr. Diaz as an “engineer,” suggesting he has a degree in engineering. In actuality, Mr. Diaz is a heavy equipment operator/engineer.
It was revealed two days ago that Mr. Diaz has a criminal past. He was arrested for domestic battery in March 2006.
Candidate Rodriguez is following suit, saying she graduated from USC. She is an employee of USC.
Finally, John Soria, who sources tell us also is receiving assistance from Mr. Gonzalez, touts himself in his campaign mailers and on the Commerce Election Website as a “law enforcement professional.” We have learned that Mr. Soria is a radio dispatcher with the County Sheriff’s Dept.
City activist Leonard Mendoza commented at Tuesday night’s rancorous Commerce City Council meeting about the election.
“Steve Craig is running our city,” Mr. Mendoza lamented. “He donated over $40,000 to major Republicans in Sacramento in the past. Commerce is 90 percent Democratic, and he just donated $40,000 to three Democrats?”
Ex-Commerce Mayor Sylvia Munoz spoke, and later on was shouted down by a finger-waggling mayor pro-tem Lilia Leon.
“Dirty politics once again,” Ms. Munoz said. “Dirty politics happens all the time in this city, and now we have Steve Craig giving Leon’s candidate $20,000? This is ridiculous. All of you (pointing at Mayor Baca Del Rio, mayor pro-tem Leon, and Councilman Ivan Altamirano) can be seen endorsing Diaz and Rebollo on the campaign mailers. That’s because of Steve Craig.”
Ms. Munoz went on: “People have called me about the moving of the polling places fiasco. They are very angry. Seniors who used to walk across the street now have to go across town, and some don’t drive. You blamed it on the county. I called the county. They said it was not their mistake, that it was the City Council’s. Dirty politics once again.”
We broke the fact that Commerce’s polling places were unexpectedly moved last week. Click here to read story.
Mr. Hews may be contacted at editor@cerritosnews.net
