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How California Became a New Center of Political Corruption
New York Time/Yahoo News, via Citizen Free Press ^ | 29 Aug 2024 | Ralph Vartabedian

Posted on 08/30/2024 11:29:27 AM PDT by jimtorr

Jose Huizar’s downfall at Los Angeles City Hall was as stunning as his rise to success, a political tragedy that, like many in the land of dreams, has become a familiar one.

Born to a large family in rural Mexico and raised in poverty near the towering high-rises of downtown Los Angeles, he overcame enormous odds to graduate from the University of California, Berkeley, Princeton University and UCLA law school.

He returned to his old neighborhood in East Los Angeles to run for the school board and eventually the City Council, where he gained control of the influential committee that approves multimillion-dollar commercial development projects across the city.

His spectacular fall — after FBI agents caught him accepting $1.8 million worth of casino chips, luxury hotel stays, a liquor box full of cash and prostitutes from Chinese developers — was cast by federal prosecutors as an epic Hollywood tale. They persuaded a judge in January to sentence him to 13 years in prison on charges of tax evasion and racketeering.

(Excerpt) Read more at uk.news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government; US: California
KEYWORDS: california; china; corruption; crime
This is just one story out of Cali. Over the last 10 years, 576 public officials in California have been convicted on federal corruption charges.
1 posted on 08/30/2024 11:29:27 AM PDT by jimtorr
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To: jimtorr

One party state ——— > one party corruption.

Already adequately illustrated at the municipal level (Chicago, Philly, NYC, etc)


2 posted on 08/30/2024 11:33:50 AM PDT by Stosh
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To: jimtorr
How California Became a New Center of Political Corruption

Was there a time when it wasn't?

3 posted on 08/30/2024 11:35:08 AM PDT by Carry_Okie (The tree of liberty needs a rope.)
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To: jimtorr

It’s the obvious end result of allowing tens of millions of people from one of the most corrupt nations on Earth to simply walk in and declare themselves “the Americans”.

“he overcame enormous odds to graduate from the University of California, Berkeley, Princeton University and UCLA law school”

He had affirmative action preferences the entire way. Huizar isn’t dumb, but he’s not stellar either. The UC’s are losing their reputation as “public Ivies” because they are now dominated by Sr. Huizar’s co-ethnics, who get in as “first generation” students. The number is like 40% at UCLA, which is rapidly declining in national ranking since it churns out Mexican mediocrities like him.


4 posted on 08/30/2024 11:36:37 AM PDT by Regulator (It's fraud, Jim)
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To: jimtorr

And that is probably one tenth of the people who are massively corrupt.


5 posted on 08/30/2024 11:38:53 AM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear ( Not my circus. Not my monkeys. But I can pick out the clowns at 100 yards.)
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To: Regulator

Nice deconstruction.


6 posted on 08/30/2024 11:39:00 AM PDT by Liz (Faith is believing what you cannot see; its reward is to see what you believe. St Augustine)
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To: Carry_Okie
Was there a time when it wasn't?

No.

7 posted on 08/30/2024 11:39:38 AM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear ( Not my circus. Not my monkeys. But I can pick out the clowns at 100 yards.)
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To: jimtorr
Its a Dem run, one party state. Thats why the corruption.

You can go to GOP held states and NOT see the same corrupt behavior.

8 posted on 08/30/2024 11:40:08 AM PDT by KC_Conspirator
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To: All

Huizar cravenly and calculatedly used affirmative action, public funding and his minority status to get ahead and steal from taxpayers......he will become the third recent LA City Council member to go down on charges of corruption, part of a much larger circle of staff aides, fundraisers, political consultants and real estate developers who have been charged in what federal authorities called an “extraordinary” recent wave of bribery and influence-peddling across California.

Two other members of the City Council, Mitchell Englander and Mark Ridley-Thomas, were convicted earlier on various corruption charges, as was the former head of the city’s Department of Water and Power. A fourth City Council member, Curren Price, is facing charges of embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest.

Over the last 10 years, 576 public officials in California have been convicted on federal corruption charges, according to Justice Department reports, exceeding the number of cases in states better known for public corruption, including New York, New Jersey and Illinois.


9 posted on 08/30/2024 11:45:11 AM PDT by Liz (Faith is believing what you cannot see; its reward is to see what you believe. St Augustine)
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To: jimtorr

Anyone who still supports The Democrat Party Organized Crime Syndicate has a criminal heart, mind and soul.

That person might be a member of the press or a friend or a teacher or a relative.

Doesn’t matter.

They have a criminal heart, mind and soul.

Remember them.


10 posted on 08/30/2024 11:47:55 AM PDT by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer” )
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To: Carry_Okie

“When buying and selling are controlled by legislation, the first things to be bought and sold are legislators.”
P.J. O’Rourke


11 posted on 08/30/2024 12:06:36 PM PDT by BikerJoe
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To: jimtorr

In 1961 JFK became president running partly on his goal of the 1965 Immigration Act law, by 1965 it passed.

“During the 1920s and 1930s Los Angeles was a bastion of Anglo Protestantism, reflecting the values of Midwestern parishioners who had been carried to the Southland
on the Southern Pacific Railroad. Well into the 1970s, Protestant denominational leaders enjoyed comfortable, influential ties with the city‘s still-strong ―downtown business establishment, which itself was largely Protestant.

The Immigration Act of 1965, however, created the condition for a radically different religious future for the City of Angels-a future that would anoint Roman Catholicism as
the area‘s dominant religious group. Today Roman Catholicism is the single largest faith tradition in Los Angeles County, with 294 parishes and 3,631,368 adherents. Among Christians, 71% are Catholics. Between 1980 and 1997, Roman Catholicism experienced a 36% growth.”


12 posted on 08/30/2024 12:15:37 PM PDT by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: Carry_Okie

Odd headline eh? When WASN’T it would be the issue .


13 posted on 08/30/2024 12:53:03 PM PDT by rktman (Destroy America from within? ECheck! WTH? Enlisted USN 1967 to end up with this💩? 🚫💉! 🇮🇱👍!)
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To: jimtorr

I liked when it was the Old center of political corruption. Fewer sensors that went awry.


14 posted on 08/30/2024 12:58:43 PM PDT by If You Want It Fixed - Fix It
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To: Regulator

And the private Ivies have lost their reputations because there’s a 1:1 ratio of students to administrators and they teach useless “studies” that don’t lead to gainful employment. Professor Hanson says that quality of students graduating with classical education from Hillsdale is far superior in quality to what the Ivies churn out. He says the Ivies are only good at putting their brand on you so you can join the other Ivy graduates at clubs.


15 posted on 08/30/2024 2:25:27 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (“When exposing a crime is treated like a crime, you are being ruled by criminals” – Edward Snowd)
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To: ansel12

The Mayor Yorty and Chief Parker team was peak Los Angeles. Nothing but a slow slide downhill since.


16 posted on 08/30/2024 4:01:03 PM PDT by TexasKamaAina (The time is out of joint. - Hamlet)
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To: jimtorr

They only catch the dumb ones.


17 posted on 08/30/2024 4:03:15 PM PDT by cgbg ("Our democracy" = Their Kleptocracy)
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To: cgbg

Most of the LA City Council and Board of Supervisors are under investigation or have been jailed.


18 posted on 08/31/2024 12:45:58 AM PDT by minnesota_bound (Need more money to buy everything now)
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