TRANSCRIPT: "I've gotta tell you, cause I'm gonna give credit where credit is due, Zuma Dogg, caller to this show, and known in City circles around city hall...someone who regularly calls out corruption on his blog, sent me old blog posts he had written about on (Systematic Code Enforcement/LA Housing Dept.) One of them in 2010 and another one in 2007. And he was asking some interesting questions. And from what I heard, "Systematic Code Enforcement" (part of LADH/Rent Escrow (REAP), IS part of the FBI investigation. Now, when Zuma Dogg was yelling about it, it WAS NOT part of the FBI investigation. But he was asking questions." - Kevin James (870-KRLA/Los Angeles, 8/26/11) THANKS, KEVIN!!! Also showed up on TV 35, a couple hundred times, and MADE SOME STATEMENTS!
ERIC GARCETTI FOR MAYOR?...NOT so fast!
FBI INVESTIGATION LOS ANGELES HOUSING DEPARTMENT!: KEVIN JAMES on KRLA-870/Los Angeles, last night, confirmed for HIS listeners, what ZUMA DOGG has confirmed for HIS readers...FBI IS INVESTIGATING LOS ANGELES HOUSING DEPARTMENT, OVER THE RENT ESCROW ACCOUNTING PROGRAM (REAP) -- AND IT'S "SYSTEMATIC CODE" ENFORCEMENT. [Kevin James will be discussing this issue, in further detail, including mention of this blog post, on his show, tonight at 12mid on KRLA-870 AM. Listen LIVE online, here @ 12mid.]
Of all the COUNTLESS City Council meetings, I've attended...ONE TIME, Eric Garcetti walked over to Zuma Dogg (instead of ZD walking over to Eric). The special trip over to ZD's side of the rope was to let me know, "Zuma Dogg, you're usually right about things, baby...but on Rent Escrow (REAP), you're just WRONG, baby! REAP is GOOD! Gotta bust those shady landlords, baby!" (When he starts taggin' every sentence with, "Baby!," that's one of his "tells." SO THAT'S HOW I KNEW I WAS ON THE RIGHT TRACK, SO, I PICKED UP THE PHONE AND CALLED THE FBI! LOL! Appears I WAS, right, as usual...and this now officially makes it, "always.")
Anyone that has seen Zuma Dogg on TV 35, during the council meetings, knows, I have LITERALLY, exposed, RELENTLESSLY, the issue of L.A. HOUSING DEPARTMENT, CORRUPTION, regarding this program, and I am here to say, it is based on my efforts that has brought us to this point: L.A. HOUSING, UNDER FBI INVESTIGATION, FOR THE EXACT SPECIFIC ISSUES, ZUMA DOGG EXPOSED!
AND TO ERIC GARCETTI: You told me REAP was NOT shady, and I was wrong: SORRY, BABY! YOU ARE SHADY, SO I AM NEVER WRONG! Hi, Herb Wesson: Having a nice vacation?:
HERE'S ZD'S MEGA RANT, that explains this WHOLE BLOG POST in 2 minutes. It's City Hall's WORST NIGHTMARE, ZD PUBLIC COMMENT, EVER...and now with FBI investigating, I think it's official!
INITIAL POST THAT TRIGGERED IT ALL:
Thursday, May 24, 2007
ALERT: SYSTEMATIC CODE ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM (SCEP) SHOULD BE CALLED "SCAM"
It's called "Systematic Code Enforcement Program" (SCEP), but it should be called "SCAM".
A law in effect in LA regarding systematic inspection of apartment units, even if the property owner doesn't want it.
Under this "systematic inspection" process, the pueblos have been complaining about harassment of owners (and tenants, including the elderly and families with babies).
The Fourth Amendment says you can't go into someone's living quarters without probable cause -- if tenant doesn't want you to. If denied entry, they get an "administrative warrant" (used for meat packing plants and industrial inspections) -- NOT FOR INSPECTING PEOPLE'S HOMES!
Now, tenants have the right to call for a "complaint-based inspection" -- BUT NOT SYSTEMATIC FORCING OF UNREQUESTED (NON COMPLAINT-BASED) INSPECTIONS...ON THE REALEST, DOUGH!
And oh no...once they harass their way into the property, they start tacking on all these demands; until you can't comply; then...YOU LOSE, CARL MILLER...and they take your property and build a pet project, those shady community harassing and land robbing thieves.
contact: zumadogg@gmail.com
[Special Thanks to the GREAT JOSE AGUILAR for his tipping and explanation of this issue, that is being perpetuation amongst the people he represents.]
Posted by Zuma Dogg @ 5/24/2007 08:47:00 AM
CRITICAL BACKGROUND POST:
Zuma Dogg ALERTS City Attorney Carmen Trutanich on Concerns of L.A.City RENT ESCROW CORRUPTION AND RACKETEERING (Potential DEVASTING Lawsuits)
To: Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich
Fr: Zuma Dogg
Re: REAP (Rent Escrow Account Program)
Dt: August 3,2009
Dear Mr. City Attorney,
As a concerned citizen, I wanted to share some of the concerns that have been expressed to me over the past couple years regarding the City of Los Angeles's REAP (Rent Escrow) program.
The reason I am bringing this issue of REAP to your attention at this time, is because I know "protecting the city's treasury" is your primary goal, as it is mine, and as I am thinking, "The city is such a corrupt racket, what is the BIGGEST thing that I fear could cripple the city, and make it wish it was never even founded, due to the general-fund-draining lawsuits that are "out there in the air" waiting to be filed, along with the one I am already aware of?"
IT'S RENT ESCROW, BABY! And it's gonna cost the city a hell of a lot more than the Dowd/Dogg Venice Beach lawsuit.
And I am coming with this item as the person who brought the issues of subprime/foreclosures, recession, $1000 gold, high oil prices in response to FED rate cuts, city would be sued over density bonus law, condo-conversions in violation of city charter, special event fees were shady, the stock market would crash, Alarcon's Children's Museum would go belly up/lose the money/never get paid back, the city's LACERS pension money was overly invested in risky Wall Street and real estate investments, Grand Ave Project would never see the first floor built, the city was going to have to cut services, they wouldn't have enough money to operate and they wouldn't have to balance the budget because checks would just bounce. (I guess I was only partially kidding now that the city has indeed bounced $6 million...AND IT'S ALL COME TRUE...and that only scratches the tip of the iceberg as far as my predictions and warnings toward the goal of preserving the city's treasury.
SO NOW, as I think about the biggest nightmare looming in the city ready to bring it down...my "Deep Thoughts" turn toward REAP.
Here's something that is part of a big project about REAP that someone sent me:
The Los Angeles Housing Department is confiscating the rent money of 1,674 landlords in order to bankrupt small landlords. That way, the major real estate developers who contribute to local elections can buy up these properties at bargain prices. This will bring out the end of affordable housing in Los Angeles and force many low-income people, especially those who don’t contribute to the tax base or collect welfare, to move out of Los Angeles. This is a clever way to get rid of poor people without having the City being seen as "the bad guy".
Nuch, although Eric Garcetti tells me REAP is picture-perfect and only cracks down on those mean slumlords who do everything wrong and never fix stuff. WELL, then GOOD!
But ZD is here to tell you enough people have showed up to city council chambers and complained to Zuma Dogg that it is also a corrupt racket that I think you will be seeing some fire from that "where there is smoke."
DO A SURVEY OF COUNCILMEMBERS UNTIL YOU TALK TO THE ONE WHO SAYS, "ZD IS 100%, ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. IT IS THE BIGGEST NIGHTMARE WAITING TO HAPPEN.
So please talk to Herb Wesson and Eric Garcetti and ask them to knock it off. Delgadilldo ain't the City Attorney anymore and The People are onto the REAP scam.
Give 'em one of those, "aiding and abetting" talks! THEY need it and deserve it.
REAP: The program that keeps harassing mom and pop smaller landlords by continuing to tack on new and innovative violations until they cannot afford to comply anymore, then the city councilmember takes the property and hands it over to their favorite developer to flip it into one of those million dollar condos that are sitting around vacant while more and more people leave town or take to the streets with Zuma Dogg.
But this isn't about compassion...it's about not getting hammered with the biggest slam dunk lawsuit of the biggest amount the city has ever seen.
A'ight Nuchinator. Just wanted to let you know so you can advise your clients. I will be advising them as well on the record. I hope saying, "I believe the City's RENT ESCROW PROGRAM is the biggest lawsuit waiting to happen that will have DEVASTATING economic repercussions that will have Parks going into a Fred Sandford, "This is the big one Elizabeth" routine. [8/25/11: HE DID READ THAT ROUTINE TO COUNCIL IN 2011!]
PULL THE PLUG ON THE SHADY SIDE OF REAP BEFORE I'M RUNNING INTO COUNCIL WAVING THIS BLOG POST IN YOUR FACE SAYING, "SEE...I WARNED YOU SIX MONTHS AGO!!!"
Quote: "If more people knew what went on behind closed doors, before the council ever meets, and understood how their money and interests were being thrown to the wind, I think more people would be at that podium screaming their lungs out." - OurLA.org on Council's fake public comment decorum crackdown on Zuma Dogg. (Grieg Smith, you sound like a whiny little puss. You should stay quiet like you do the rest of the meeting and take a nap as we all know you have been known to do. Go WHINE yourself to sleep during the council meeting, GrIeg.)
Posted by Zuma Dogg - August 3,2009
###
HERE'S AN OCTOBER 2010 - FOLLOW UP...MAJOR INSIDE MEMO ROCKER!!!! IT WAS ALL OVER, ONCE ZD STARTED BLASTING THIS ON BLOG AND TV 35. And just in case, some calls may have been made to Wilshire office, as well, JUST to be sure they weren't missing all the action.
THIS MEMO IS SERIOUS STUFF...SERIOUS ENOUGH TO LAUNCH AN FBI INVESTIGATION? I AM TOLD THIS EXACT MEMO, AS POSTED EXCLUSIVELY ON THIS BLOG, IS WHAT WAS PRESENTED TO FBI. SORRY COUNCIL: YOU LOVE KEEPIN' ZD AROUND COUNCIL CHAMBERS AS A GADFLY. And here's what happens. I end up being the only one in the city with THIS, and I POST IT, and it is handed to the FBI. DOH! (That's gonna cost City Hall a lot more than any ZD settlement, now.)
Fr: Zuma Dogg
Re: REAP (Rent Escrow Account Program)
Dt: August 3,2009
Dear Mr. City Attorney,
As a concerned citizen, I wanted to share some of the concerns that have been expressed to me over the past couple years regarding the City of Los Angeles's REAP (Rent Escrow) program.
The reason I am bringing this issue of REAP to your attention at this time, is because I know "protecting the city's treasury" is your primary goal, as it is mine, and as I am thinking, "The city is such a corrupt racket, what is the BIGGEST thing that I fear could cripple the city, and make it wish it was never even founded, due to the general-fund-draining lawsuits that are "out there in the air" waiting to be filed, along with the one I am already aware of?"
IT'S RENT ESCROW, BABY! And it's gonna cost the city a hell of a lot more than the Dowd/Dogg Venice Beach lawsuit.
And I am coming with this item as the person who brought the issues of subprime/foreclosures, recession, $1000 gold, high oil prices in response to FED rate cuts, city would be sued over density bonus law, condo-conversions in violation of city charter, special event fees were shady, the stock market would crash, Alarcon's Children's Museum would go belly up/lose the money/never get paid back, the city's LACERS pension money was overly invested in risky Wall Street and real estate investments, Grand Ave Project would never see the first floor built, the city was going to have to cut services, they wouldn't have enough money to operate and they wouldn't have to balance the budget because checks would just bounce. (I guess I was only partially kidding now that the city has indeed bounced $6 million...AND IT'S ALL COME TRUE...and that only scratches the tip of the iceberg as far as my predictions and warnings toward the goal of preserving the city's treasury.
SO NOW, as I think about the biggest nightmare looming in the city ready to bring it down...my "Deep Thoughts" turn toward REAP.
Here's something that is part of a big project about REAP that someone sent me:
The Los Angeles Housing Department is confiscating the rent money of 1,674 landlords in order to bankrupt small landlords. That way, the major real estate developers who contribute to local elections can buy up these properties at bargain prices. This will bring out the end of affordable housing in Los Angeles and force many low-income people, especially those who don’t contribute to the tax base or collect welfare, to move out of Los Angeles. This is a clever way to get rid of poor people without having the City being seen as "the bad guy".
Nuch, although Eric Garcetti tells me REAP is picture-perfect and only cracks down on those mean slumlords who do everything wrong and never fix stuff. WELL, then GOOD!
But ZD is here to tell you enough people have showed up to city council chambers and complained to Zuma Dogg that it is also a corrupt racket that I think you will be seeing some fire from that "where there is smoke."
DO A SURVEY OF COUNCILMEMBERS UNTIL YOU TALK TO THE ONE WHO SAYS, "ZD IS 100%, ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. IT IS THE BIGGEST NIGHTMARE WAITING TO HAPPEN.
So please talk to Herb Wesson and Eric Garcetti and ask them to knock it off. Delgadilldo ain't the City Attorney anymore and The People are onto the REAP scam.
Give 'em one of those, "aiding and abetting" talks! THEY need it and deserve it.
REAP: The program that keeps harassing mom and pop smaller landlords by continuing to tack on new and innovative violations until they cannot afford to comply anymore, then the city councilmember takes the property and hands it over to their favorite developer to flip it into one of those million dollar condos that are sitting around vacant while more and more people leave town or take to the streets with Zuma Dogg.
But this isn't about compassion...it's about not getting hammered with the biggest slam dunk lawsuit of the biggest amount the city has ever seen.
A'ight Nuchinator. Just wanted to let you know so you can advise your clients. I will be advising them as well on the record. I hope saying, "I believe the City's RENT ESCROW PROGRAM is the biggest lawsuit waiting to happen that will have DEVASTATING economic repercussions that will have Parks going into a Fred Sandford, "This is the big one Elizabeth" routine. [8/25/11: HE DID READ THAT ROUTINE TO COUNCIL IN 2011!]
PULL THE PLUG ON THE SHADY SIDE OF REAP BEFORE I'M RUNNING INTO COUNCIL WAVING THIS BLOG POST IN YOUR FACE SAYING, "SEE...I WARNED YOU SIX MONTHS AGO!!!"
Quote: "If more people knew what went on behind closed doors, before the council ever meets, and understood how their money and interests were being thrown to the wind, I think more people would be at that podium screaming their lungs out." - OurLA.org on Council's fake public comment decorum crackdown on Zuma Dogg. (Grieg Smith, you sound like a whiny little puss. You should stay quiet like you do the rest of the meeting and take a nap as we all know you have been known to do. Go WHINE yourself to sleep during the council meeting, GrIeg.)
Posted by Zuma Dogg - August 3,2009
###
HERE'S AN OCTOBER 2010 - FOLLOW UP...MAJOR INSIDE MEMO ROCKER!!!! IT WAS ALL OVER, ONCE ZD STARTED BLASTING THIS ON BLOG AND TV 35. And just in case, some calls may have been made to Wilshire office, as well, JUST to be sure they weren't missing all the action.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Los Angeles Housing Department CONFLICT OF INTEREST with RENT ESCROW CONTRACTORS- INSIDER MEMO!
TUESDAY OCTOBER 5, 2010 UPDATE: At today's Los Angeles City Council meeting, a group of concerned constituents, who saw this memo posted on this blog, showed up to further expose the conflict of interest allegations at the L.A. Housing Department regarding the REAP (Rent Escrow) outreach contractors. The matter was address by Council during the July 21, 2010 council meeting. The City Attorney was supposed to have a report ready on the matter. But they announced their homework was not ready (they hadn't started the report). Perhaps, because all resources are allocated toward prosecuting Matt Dowd, at Venice Beach boardwalk, instead of the conflict at the Housing Department that the city will lose many, many, many millions of dollars in upcoming lawsuits.HERE IS A FULL REPRINT OF THIS MEMO AS ADDRESSED DURING TODAY'S CITY COUNCIL MEETING BY A GROUP OF ACTIVISTS.
(It should also be mentioned, that it has been brought to the attention of the L.A. City News staff that there is about $2 million in unaccounted for (LOST/MISSING/DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY ARE) DOLLARS! (And, constituents in Eric Garcetti's district are starting to become squeaky wheels regarding the "Hotel California" aspect of trying to get your money out of RENT ESCROW. (The money check in, but can never leave.) IS THERE A RACKET GOING ON BETWEEN THE OUTREACH CONTRACTORS & TENANTS TO FILE COMPLAINTS AGAINST LANDLORDS IN CD 13 ERIC GARCETTI'S DISTRICT TO KEEP THE MONEY IN THE CITY'S ACCOUNT, AND NOT BEING RETURNED TO IT'S RIGHTFUL OWNERS - (THE PROPERTY OWNERS). Perhaps a Grand Jury investigation will be getting to the bottom of these matters. [8/25/11 UPDATE: HEY, Looks like they are! What a coincidence!]
LETTER FROM (ALLEGEDLY) FRUSTRATED L.A. HOUSING DEPT STAFF ON RENT ESCROW CONFLICT OF INTEREST as addressed by Council, currently awaiting a (delayed) report from the City Attorney's office:
Dear Sir,
We are a group of Housing Department employees who are too intimidated to disclose our identities, yet are troubled enough to address some of the recent conflict of interest allegations pertaining to the Rent Escrow Account Program (REAP).
We would like to thank you for speaking up during the July 21st Council meeting and bringing to light the fact that the Housing Department’s REAP contractors are under a cloud of serious conflict of interest allegations (July 21, 2010 Council Session, Item #37).
You were absolutely correct in your observation that some REAP contractors may have abused their roles and turned their LAHD contracts into a revolving business by playing on both sides of the proverbial fence.
As we understand, during the July 21st session the LAHD and the City Attorney’s Office were tasked with investigating the aforementioned conflict of interest allegations and submitting a report to the City Council on their findings.
We would like to inform you, however, that as far as REAP is concerned, there exists an appearance of impropriety within the Housing Department itself. As things stand now, the LAHD is not in a position to conduct a fair and impartial investigation, and it should be precluded from investigating its REAP outreach contractors. It is an open secret that some member(s) of the LAHD executive team have a private and personal interest in this matter that may influence the objective exercise of their official duties. This, at the very least, smacks of blatant conflict of interest.
Specifically, the LAHD Assistant General Manager in charge of overseeing REAP, Roberto H. Aldape, was previously employed by and had a business relationship with one of the outreach contractors in question – the Los Angeles Housing Law Project.
To place the subject matter in a broader context, Roberto H. Aldape was hired by the LAHD in late 2006, having neither led large organizational units nor having worked in the public sector in his prior employment history. His appointment is yet another of a series of questionable and arbitrary actions that over the years the LAHD has become infamous for. Stated another way, the LAHD hired one of its contractors’ representatives (if not the contractor’s principal agent) and placed him in charge of overseeing the same contractor.
Mr. Aldape is a fervent adherent of the kiss-up-kick-down school of management, and his foul mouthed, bullying management style demands not merely obedience but also obeisance. He mercilessly and relentlessly goes after all those who dare to contradict him or question his tactics and management style. As time passed, somehow his interim AGM position was eased into a permanent one. Also noteworthy is the fact that nowadays the LAHD has four AGMs, whereas in the past it had only two or three.
The person directly in charge of REAP, Compliance Division Director Roya Babazadeh, is not about to challenge or express opinions contrary to Mr. Aldape’s. Suffice it to mention that Ms. Babazadeh’s appointment to her current position was not without controversy itself: she was promoted over more qualified and experienced female and minority candidates, and her promotion was in direct violation of class-specific preconditions and requirements.
Assistant General Manager Roberto H. Aldape’s relationship with one of the REAP outreach contractors, the Los Angeles Housing Law Project, is of such opaqueness that it definitely should raise a red flag. In the past decade or so the Los Angeles Housing Law Project has been awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in City contracts, yet one may never find out how many side lawsuits this contractor has initiated from information gained through REAP outreach contacts.
Curiously, in various documents and websites, Mr. Aldape’s law office and the Los Angeles Housing Law Project had been listed under the same address.
For example, in the City of Los Angeles Compliance List For Equal Benefits Ordinance database, the Law Offices of Roberto H. Aldape and the Los Angeles Housing Law Project share the same address: 1125 West 6th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90017 (EXHIBIT 1 and EXHIBIT 2).
In addition, various websites also convey the same information: the Law Offices of Roberto H. Aldape and the Los Angeles Housing Law Project had the same address and conducted their business from the same physical location (EXHIBIT 3 and EXHIBIT 4).
Mr. Aldape’s relationship with the Los Angeles Housing Law Project is a murky one at best and raises numerous ethical questions: What exactly was his relationship with the Los Angeles Housing Law Project that he was allowed to operate his own law practice from the same address?
Were the Law Offices of Roberto H. Aldape and the Los Angeles Housing Law Project actually the same entity and different in name only?
Did the Law Offices of Roberto H. Aldape at one point in time morph into the Los Angeles Housing Law Project, or was it the other way around?
Were these two business names used interchangeably, depending on convenience and expediency?
Did Mr. Aldape conduct a separate law practice while simultaneously working with the Los Angeles Housing Law Project? If so, how many of his private practice cases originated from the Los Angeles Housing Law Project?
Another potential red flag arises from the fact that the name of the Los Angeles Housing Law Project cannot be found in the California Attorney General’s database listing of nonprofit organizations. Interestingly enough, among the five REAP outreach contractors, the Los Angeles Housing Law Project is the only one that is not listed in this database.
All nonprofit groups are under strict registration and annual reporting requirements, and as a nonprofit corporation, the Los Angeles Housing Law Project cannot be exempted from such rules.
It remains to be seen whether this is an omission by the California Attorney General’s Office or the Los Angeles Housing Law Project. If a nonprofit corporation fails to register, the nonprofit is in violation of the California Nonprofit Integrity Act.
A failure to register would also violate the City of Los Angeles contract provisions, where a “good standing with any regulatory agencies” is one of the requirements.
It is unquestionable that, at the very least, Mr. Aldape has had a pivotal business relationship with the Los Angeles Housing Law Project.
The idea that somehow he could be impartial enough to oversee an objective and fair investigation of the Los Angeles Housing Law Project is laughable, if not outright illegal. Should Mr. Aldape nominally recuse himself from this investigation, it would be equally questionable to assume that any of his subordinates would be brave enough to come up with evidence potentially incriminating the Los Angeles Housing Law Project.
Needless to say, those brave and ethical enough to do so would incur Mr. Aldape’s full wrath and fury, while having no place to hide.
After the expiration of the current REAP contracts, a new RFP will go out inviting submission of proposals for outreach services. The Los Angeles Housing Law Project will undoubtedly be one of the bidding contractors. Again, it would strain credulity to assume that anyone inside the LAHD could be in a position to objectively evaluate the proposals and act contrary to Mr. Aldape’s interests.
The Law Offices of Roberto H. Aldape/Los Angeles Housing Law Project arrangement has been a winning one for Roberto H. Aldape. He has managed to parley this curious business deal into a high-paying government job, thus completing the circle fully and gaming the system in its entirety.
The losers in all these, however, have been the taxpayers of Los Angeles and the employees of the LAHD. The former have been kept in the dark and are clueless about the machinations taking place inside LAHD; the latter, while mostly aware of these shenanigans, are too cowed and helpless to do anything about them.
The overwhelming majority of the LAHD employees conduct themselves in an ethical manner day after day, yet over the years this department has been marred by allegations of impropriety and conflict.
And almost without exception, high ranking members of the LAHD have been the source of these transgressions. Time and again, the LAHD has proven that it is not capable of self-policing, and that its internal control mechanisms do not work.
An investigation of the Rent Escrow Account Program is long overdue. The program desperately needs bright sunlight to be shone on its numerous dark corners. We hope the City Council will take the lead on this matter.
[Will try to post the PDF attachment of Exhibits 1-4, documenting how Mr. "Two Hats" has been using both addresses as referenced above. But you can clearly see both addresses being used in the Exhibits.]
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