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Pasadena Press pasadenapress.com
MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 - JANUARY 25, 2015
Tail of Two Councilmembers’ Opinions on Pasadena’s $6.5 Million Scandal By NICK KIPLEY At last week’s meeting Council Member Terry Tornek had been particularly vocal about quickly getting to the bottom of the scandal. In a follow-up interview later on in the week, Tornek told the Pasadena Press, “I was a city employee… this is incomprehensible to me. I don’t know how so many people missed so many signals for so long. It’s horrifying.” When asked if he thought that Wooten was working with just his accomplices or if he had more conspirators Tornek replied, “I think this is a guy (Wooten)—a fairly low to middle management guy—who figured out a way to exploit the system and became more brazen and careless over the years. But what we’re dealing with is a culture of complacency. Back in 1983, somebody decided that this [Underground Utilities Fund] didn’t need purchase orders. That innocuous bureaucratic seam allowed [Wooten] into the system. If everyone was doing his or her job this wouldn’t have happened. People were signing off on re-
VOLUME 2, NO. 3
City Seeks Legal Action to recover embezzled money By Terry Miller
to the victims and arrested without incident. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed felony charges. Other homicides in 2014 include: -1500 block of North Raymond Avenue (one Victim; one Suspect); the suspect was known to the victim and was arrested without incident. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed felony charges.
Mayor Bill Bogaard announced plans to file a civil lawsuit to recover funds lost in the $6.4 million embezzlement of the utility funds at this week’s City Council meeting. The announcement followed a closedsession prior to the regular council meeting Monday night. Bogaard also announced the formation of an ad hoc committee comprised of City Councilmembers who will probe the case as well as a citizens’ task force which will also consider if a review of the city’s 131 separate funds is needed in an effort to ensure no other city funds are being abused. City councilmembers Steve Madison, Victor Gordo, Margaret McAustin and John Kennedy will be on that committee. Members of the citizens’ task force, which will meet publicly, have yet to be appointed. Under state law, ad hoc committees are not typically subject to California open meeting laws. The Mayor’s plan to do this is designed to consolidate, “input and assistance from outside consultants and city staff in looking in to activities related to the embezzled funds as well as the extent to which the investigation leads to discovery of any problems with systems or payments beyond that particular fund.” “The council received legal advice from our attorneys and as
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Terry Tornek
imbursements for projects that hadn’t even been started yet. It was someone’s job to say, ‘Hey, wait a minute, this can’t be right.’ But I don’t believe that everyone in the building is working this way.” When asked if City Manager Beck might be forced to resign due to the tension felt in the council chamber last week
– Photos by Terry Miller
Tornek said, “Oh yeah, of course. My volume of emails is accelerating, not diminishing.” Councilmember Tornek claims that “Because wrongdoing went on for such a long period and because we on the council knew about it, there’s gonna be a response,” but, “the Please see page 2
Police Chief Sanchez Looks Back 2014 Pasadena Police Chief Phillip Sanchez points out, in his weekly newsletter, that there have been significant increases in serious crimes but also some decreases: Statistics cited are as follows: - 2014 Significant Increases: Homicide 200% Domestic violence 21% Assault with a Deadly Weapon 10% -2014 Significant Decreases: Grand Theft Auto -21% Residential Burglary -17%
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Robberies -13% The increase in homicides last year can be attributed in part to two incidents involving multiple victims: -Summit Avenue: An Active Shooter suspect murdered three victims; the suspect was known to the victims and arrested without incident. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed felony charges. -Madison Avenue: A Stabbing suspect murdered two victims; the suspect was related