SEE PAGE 3 for MAYORAL FORUM PLANNED
Pasadena Press
MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 2015 - JANUARY 18, 2015
pasadenapress.com
see page 2 for NEW YEAR’S EVE GOLF CART THIEF VOLUME 2, NO. 2
Crown City “Jewels” ($6.5M) Pilfered; First Black Pasadena Populace Perplexed Rose Queen By NICK KIPLEY From 1958 Following suggestions made in a 43-point audit report Snubbed by KPMG, the Pasadena City Council this Monday elected Twice in a to reconvene at a later date in order to form a committee on Lifetime risk and corruption. Monday’s special meeting was called for after Danny Wooten, management analyst of Pasadena’s Public Works Department, allegedly stole $6.5 million from a taxpayer fund and directed it to the Southern California Evangelist Jurisdiction Center and the New Covenant Christian Fellowship Center in Pomona, claiming it was used to bury power lines in the city of Pasadena. After the wake of the scandal, Pasadena’s residents were outraged by the council’s lack of accountability. Brian Weiss voiced his opinion on this lack of accountability at the podium microphone, “I’m a taxpayer in this system and I’m mad as hell. […] Six-point-four-million disappears and nobody seems to be responsible except for the people who are in jail.” Ms. Felecia Williams noted a different perspective, “It’s re-
By TERRY MILLER
Clockwise from left, City Manager Michael Beck, Mayor Bill Bogaard and Siobhan Foster, Pasadena Public Works Department director at last Monday evening’s public meeting regarding the scandal that is financially larger than that of Bell. Some members of the community are calling for Michael Beck’s resignation. – Photos by Terry Miller
ally sad to me that one person can overshadow, just, the really good work that one thousand nine-hundred and ninety-nine employees do,” adding, however, “Why was there one employee getting paid six figures to manage one fund? It should be multiple managers manag-
ing multiple funds. Because […] you get people looking in different funds and being able to compare them, and you also have cross-training with your employees so that they’re better trained when they move to
Joan Williams, 82, of Pasadena was selected as “Miss Crown City” by her colleagues in City Hall back in 1958 and was supposed to ride on the then citysponsored Rose Parade float. When city officials found out she was black, they revoked the honor saying, the city couldn’t now afford a float. Almost 60 years later, Williams did finally ride in the TOR Parade but on the opening banner float during the 2015 Rose Parade - very few, if any saw her, at least on television.
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Community Coalition Angered by TOR’s Silence Activist Dubs TOR “Tournament of Racism” by TERRY MILLER On New Year’s Eve, 2014, on the steps of Tournament House, Martin Gordon read a statement at a press conference alleging that the Tournament of Roses has adopted a racist policy in its executive branch. Flanked by one of his sons and Gene Washington, Mr. Gordon expressed dismay that the Tour-
nament had not responded to an open letter he sent to numerous media outlets, TOR and NFL. The Tournament told this newspaper that they’d respond to Mr. Gordon directly when we asked for their comment. At the press conference attended by only print and digital local media and one Pasadena
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Police officer, Mr. Gordon said: “The Pasadena Community Coalition’s letter to the Executive Board of the Tournament of Roses, received in their offices on November 24, 2014, requesting that they address the lack of hiring of any
Joan Williams, the African American woman who was denied a chance to ride in the Rose Parade nearly 60 years ago, received warm wishes from the crowd as was whisked down Orange Grove the Colorado on
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Embezzlement Scandal Continued from page 1
the next management level.” Of all the people who went up to the podium to speak, a general consensus begun to congeal: if any department head in the private sector were to lose millions of dollars he/ she were personally responsible for, there would be no appearing before a committee with a Power Point presentation, a request for more personnel, and an explanation of one’s actions. “Heads would roll,” Council Member Steve Madison clarified succinctly. Yet, despite the allusions to the private sector and the committee’s eventual decision to elect a third-party committee designed to provide accountability and assess, the tension over the lack of checks and balances in the embezzlement scheme could not be ignored. City Manager Michael
Beck’s presentation to the Council included the city’s response listed in an itemized format. Treating the City of Pasadena as a victim, Beck suggested that the city complete a personnel investigation within 60 days of the meeting, seek civil remedies to recover the funds, follow up with the city’s insurance carrier regarding their theft claim ($5 million limit), hire an internal auditor to ensure that going forward this would not happen while also, “Keeping an eye on the rear view mirror,” and finally expanding training and policy review across the organization. Council Member Terry Torneck asked the question everyone wondered about, “How could this have happened?” He added that, “KPMG’s report lists the things that could go wrong. We didn’t have a
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shortage of regulations [before this happened]. Fundamental information was missing without a series of color-coded graphs and diagrams.” Pasadena feels victimized by Wooten and the alleged others who were able to write checks and invoices for municipal work that had not been done, kick that money into certain non-profits (one of which’s address was listed as a mere post office box), and then claim accountability for the work that hadn’t been done because the person in charge of monitoring that work was also the same person doing the work. City Manager Beck assured the Council that certain training measures that had once been elective would now become mandatory. Council Member Madison stated, “A third of the mon-
Former Pasadena City employee Danny Wooten. – Courtesy photo
ies were used appropriately, rounding, and two thirds were stolen [and] we in the community expect checks and balances to prevent a very unsophisticated scheme like this to take place. When I hear, ‘We need more training,’ what are we gonna do, say, ‘Hey, don’t steal six million dollars?’” Towards the end of the meeting, an anonymous voice shouted: “Which one of you will be fired, and when?”
Golf Cart Thief Caught on 210 Fwy New Year’s Night By Terry Miller
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A fearless New Year’s with 23152(A) VC. football fan was arrested on The driver admitted to taksuspicion of drunk driving after ing the golf cart from the Rose an alert motorist spotted him Bowl. A DUI investigation was on the 210 Freeway in Pasa- conducted and the driver was dena in a stolen arrested for DUI. Rose Bowl golf The man, cart, according to an apparent avid CHP reports. golfer, perhaps CHP’s Aldecided he’d had tadena unit reenough rounds ceived the call and took a fat shot about a golf cart at getting out of driving on the the Bowl in style. I-210 Freeway The man apeastbound from parently left the Lake Ave. on Rose Bowl, saw Thursday, New the empty cart Mr. Andrew Aldridge, pictured and decided to Year’s evening. with a close friend, was N i n e t e e n - here have a little fun apprehended for stealing and year-old Andrew riding a Rose Bowl Golf Cart, while attempting Aldridge from on the 210 Freeway. Police im- to retrieve to his Dana Point was pounded the vehicle, arrested real car on the arrested at the Aldridge on DUI charges. No other side of Pasascene, charged word yet on Elmo’s fate. dena.
JANUARY 12, 2015 - JANUARY18, 2015 | 3
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Rose Queen Continued from page 1
New Year’s Day morning, but was not acknowledged by the parade’s major television broadcasters as she had hoped – even despite The Mayor formally apologizing to her. Williams who worked in the city’s Water and Power Department, was nominated by her colleagues and named Miss Crown City in 1958. As part of the honor, was supposed to ride on the city’s float in the Rose Parade, but was told the city could not afford its own float soon after city officials
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Mayoral Forum Slated Jan. 27 With Mayor Bill Bogaard’s decision not to seek re-election, Pasadena’s March 10 municipal primary election promises to be an historic time for the city. West Pasadena voters will have the opportunity to help elect a new Mayor for the first time in 16 years. WPRA does not endorse candidates, but they do encourage West Pasadena residents to be informed voters. They will be hosting a Mayoral Candidates Forum on: The following people are running for Mayor and will be participating in the forum: Jason Hardin, magazine publisher Don Morgan, business owner/educator Jacque Robinson, Vice Mayor/Councilmember Allen Shay, business owner Bill Thomson, College
trustee, attorney Terry Tornek, City Councilmember, businessperson Mayoral candidates will be questioned at the candidates’ forum about issues important to West Pasadena, including neighborhood crime, public education, the 710 Freeway extension, and use of the Rose Bowl. The forum will include an opportunity for voters to directly question the candidates. • Tuesday, January 27, from 6:30 - 9 p.m. at the Richard H. Chambers Courthouse (U.S. Courts for the 9th Circuit) large courtroom, 125 South Grand Ave., Pasadena, CA 91105. For more information about the candidates’ forum, please contact Vince Farhat at (626) 375-6619
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learned she was African American. Her story made national headlines and first mentioned locally by Pasadena Weekly. The Tournament of Roses invited her this year to ride on the banner float at the head of the parade that carried the parade’s theme, “Inspiring Stories.” Williams said riding in the parade was fantastic even if it was an “icy cold” morning for a Southern Californian. The Tournament of Roses provided information about Williams in its media guide, which broadcasters use to write their scripts for the telecasts, a tournament spokeswoman said. Williams said with all of the tragic news that has come out at the end of 2014, including the death of Eric Garner at the hands of a New York City police officer, her story could have started 2015 on perhaps a more positive note.
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“Tournament of Racism” Continued from page 1
African-American males on their staff has yet to be formally acknowledged or responded to by the Board. Copies of the letter were sent to the American Honda Co., ESPN, the NCAA, the Pac 12, and the Big 10, but these other groups also have not replied to us about the concerns listed in our correspondence. “Three years ago, the lack of African-American males on the staff of the Tournament of Roses, better known as the ‘Tournament of Racism,’ and the traditional non-hiring of them, was brought to the attention of the organization through a meeting arranged by Joe Brown of the NAACP. Attending that discussion were leading members of the Tournament, including former President Sally Bixby, Tournament members Gerald Freeny and Otis Triplett, and Executive Director Bill Flynn. The Tournament promised to address this issue head- on, yet here we are at the end of 2014 and they have not only reneged on their promise but have also refused to even respond to recent questions about the situation. For the Tournament of Roses to not honor its commitment going back 3 years is truly unacceptable and a sign of egregious indifference. “Moreover, this same issue of the ‘Tournament of Racism’ was raised over 20 years ago, presented to the organization’s
Martin Gordon, flanked by his son and another community activist, Gene Washington, at the press conference held New Year’s Eve outside the Wrigley Mansion – Photo by Terry Miller
executive director at the time, Jack French. He stated that African-Americans were not qualified to be on the Executive Committee. This provoked an outcry not only in Pasadena, but nationally and beyond, to the point that Nelson Mandela, Coretta Scott King and Jesse Jackson vowed to hold a counter-parade to the Rose Parade. At that moment, the Tournament of Roses recognized their Executive Committee should
be more diverse, and eventually moved to have women, Asians and Latinos on the Committee. “In a recent article in one of the local Pasadena newspapers mentioning this ongoing issue, and according to the query of the reporter, the response of the Tournament of Roses to its lack of, in particular, African-American male employees will be directed to Martin A. Gordon of the Pasadena Community Coalition. But more than 30 days have passed and the silence of the Tournament continues and is deafening. Ignoring this issue is hardly a credible response! “We describe the current outcome in that way – and with great emphasis – because over 70 percent of the players of football teams under the auspices of the NCAA are African-American males. Furthermore the economic benefit they bring, which involves hundreds of millions of dollars to each college campus and sports program, including that of the Pac 12 (UCLA and USC), and the Big 10, is tre-
mendous. How can the Tournament of Roses, which also receives great value from these teams and their players, not be greatly concerned about the lack of any African American male on their staff? After all, so much of the worth and fame of the Tournament of Roses’ annual parade is dependent on the Rose Bowl game, which much of the public immediately identifies with the parade, and which, in turn, involves men of African descent. “It’s long overdue that the ‘Tournament of Racism’ and their ‘inspiring story’ should be one about the Executive Committee announcing that Executive Director Bill Flynn is resigning from the Tournament for his lack of leadership and promotion of diversity. That way the ‘Tournament of Racism’ can again be the Tournament of Roses.” After a few brief questions, Mr. Gordon personally handed a copy of the letter to Tournament officials inside the executive offices.