Leaves City Vulnerable to Lawsuit
September 24, 2008
MONTEBELLO – Residents are furious over Vice-Mayor Rosie Vasquez's move to sign the Athens contract, ignoring a Referendum suspending council actions.
Mayor Molinari raised serious questions regarding contractual violations, inaccuracies, and overcharges regarding the Athens agreement, holding off signing until the issues were resolved and the Referendum goes to a vote.
According to public documents, Athens contributed $7,600 to Vasquez, leading some to ask why she placed Athens concerns over her constituents as well as what her real motivations are.
Vasquez's actions potentially leave Montebello in legal jeopardy. Athens attorney has already threatened a lawsuit in a harshly worded letter to City Clerk Bob King, telling him he must "reject the Petition and refrain from submitting it to the City Council…"
The Referendum petition, signed by 6,323 residents, forces the Council to either overturn their decision or put the issue on the ballot. State Election Code section 9237 says that 10% of registered voters signing a Referendum petition immediately suspends the Council's actions. Nearly 3 times more signatures than needed to qualify a Referendum were submitted on August 20th, twenty-five days before Vasquez signed the contract.
Sources inside City Hall claim that Vasquez secretly removed the Athens contract from city hall earlier this month, signed it on Sunday, September 14th and dropped it off at the Clerk's office the following Monday.
Refusing to speak directly to the media, Vasquez faxed a statement prepared by Athens.
As a result of the backroom deal giving Athens Disposal a 15 year, non-competitive, exclusive contract and the more than $21,000 in contributions taken collectively by Vasquez, Urteaga and Salazar, a complaint was filed with the District Attorney's office.
A showdown is expected at the October 8th City Council meeting when the Referendum and Athens issue come back to the council.
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