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Mayor Barry Bruce.
Councilman Rey Rodriguez
By Brian Hews
Hews Media Group Community News has exclusively learned that long-time Hawaiian Gardens City Manager Ernesto Marquez has been forced to resign his position from the tiny city located in Southeastern Los Angeles County.
Sources are telling HMG-CN that Hawaiian Gardens Mayor Barry Bruce and City Councilman Reynaldo “Rey” Rodriguez are behind the removal and have plans to “basically take over the city.”
Bruce ramped up his takeover plan in Dec. 2015, where sources said he was overheard several times at City Hall asking Marquez “if he had found another job yet.”
They also told HMG-CN that Bruce was heard saying, “I will hire a City manager that will do anything I ask.”
Bruce, knowing Marquez was resigning today, set his plan into motion by sending out a public meeting notice yesterday calling for a 3:30 meeting today.
HMG-CN has confirmed that Bruce and Rodriguez want to hire convicted felon and former Hawaiian Gardens Police Chief Walter C. McKinney as the City Manager.
With that hiring, Bruce is all set to finally cancel the City’s contract with the L.A. County Sheriff’s and establish his own police department, further cementing his grip on the City.
Bruce and Rodriguez’ plan was set in motion after the election in 2015. Sources are telling HMG-CN that there was a “Quid Pro Quo,” between Bruce and Rodriguez; force Marquez to resign and obtain the majority vote to hire McKinney.
No confirmation on who would be the third vote to hire McKinney, but given the situation, the deciding vote will likely be cast by newly elected Councilman Hank Trimble.
Many in Hawaiian Gardens are wondering why this is taking place in their city, especially the hiring of McKinney.
They are also calling on the L.A. County District Attorney to investigate Brown Act violations by Bruce during the Quid Pro Quo meetings.
In 1998 McKinney was charged with perjury and filing a false police report while Chief of Police for Hawaiian Gardens.
Months later he was convicted of a felony and served 500 hours of community service, which lowered the conviction to a misdemeanor.
McKinney also was General Manager of a company called Affordable Housing Solutions Group that was sued by the city of Hercules, a town 16 miles north of Berkeley, Ca., for breach of fiduciary duty and conflict of interest.
McKinney denied involvement, but his name appeared on numerous city contracts as the general manager.
Meanwhile, another corrupt former Hawaiian Gardens politician has surfaced.
Kathy Nevejas, recalled from Hawaiian Gardens City Council in 1996, has been seen around town and is reportedly receiving mail at City Hall.
Kathy Nevejas was recalled from HG City Council in 1996.
Local AFSCME 3624 members, the Association of Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriffs (ALADS), and other local elected officials are incensed at Bruce and Rodriguez and fear the worst with Navejas back in town.
So does newly elected City Council woman Myra Maravilla.
HMG-CN exclusively obtained a letter Maravilla will read during public comment at today’s public meeting at Hawaiian Gardens City Hall blasting the current situation caused by Bruce and Rodriguez.
Maravilla references the hiring of McKinney and the presence of Navejas writing, “Capable, hardworking, and experienced union workers are being overlooked and supplanted by alleged convicted felons and disgraced former politicians. In short, due process is being replaced with cronyism in our small city.”
She also references the harassment at City Hall after the Dec. 2015 election, “These last few months our city workers have been repeatedly trampled. Who hasn’t noticed that their hours have been slashed, new members have been hired with limited hours and no benefits, and positions have been left unfilled while many who wait have been denied opportunities to flourish within their departments.”
Referencing Kathy Navejas, Maravilla wrote, “Not long gone are the days of recalled councilmember, yet her influence abounds again in the city. Ask yourselves, how likely would you be to welcome her ideas and vision back into our city government? I say these things not to scare you, but to create awareness. There is too much at stake tonight.”
The local unions are not taking this lightly, sources are telling HMG-CN that there is already a movement to recall Bruce from his position, and possibly Rodriguez, telling HMG-CN that,” many organizations have pledged their support for the recall, they will not let this city go back to the Navejas days.”
Follow up Article: Insults an Attacks Mar HG Council Meeting
I vividly rememeber the “dragon lady’s” (as we used to call Navejas) in our little city… the only one who could maybe match her coniving ways is Hildabeast Clinton! I was involved in the late 1996 recall of five sitting city council members. You had to tread lightly or the poop being flung would stick to you. Many many dedicated citizens were involved in doing this seemingly impossible task of ridding ourselves of graft and corruption of the dragon ladie’s minions! I for one hope to never see her return.
When they are recalling the city council, why not recall that lame City Clerk, she has no business being up there, she’s no asset into the city either.
It’s a shame, Hawaiian Gardens was created from a landfill dump, century ago, the Waste fill for Long Beach and surrounding areas, AKA: public dump. Still today, hundred years later, the city is still a dump, garbage is still seeping to the surface. One of these days, someone will Bulldoze the one way homes, and recreate the landfill it once was. Too bad, ABCUSD is associated with HG, as this is real insult to the cities which share ABCUSD.
Shame, Hawaiian Gardens Council has not done anything for the homeless in the city except provide them with the daily opportunity for a free bathing shower.
Intersection of Carson/ 605 Freeway is still in shambles, they had all that income revenue from the casinos, and it still looks like hell. Former Plow Boys Garden Market was better, compared to the new RDA crap there today. There’s still a nocturnal gate on South Pioneer, to stop to Hawaiian Gardens drunks from entering into the Posh El Dorado Park Estates track of homes in Long Beach. Their own Police Department was not very good, the sheriffs, possibly when Don Knabe is turned out, everybody can sigh relief, and get rid of the LA County Sheriff’s. They’re just overpaid group of nothing. HG has terminated the PR contract with Don Knabe son, Matt Knabe.
Only possible heartbeat for HG, it they condemned parcel’s of land near 605 and construct mega Ikea Store and create a tax revenue stream.
Arco Am/PM on Norwalk/ Centralia, HG, is camp pad for homeless, camping out in sleeping bags. Sorry times, when HG and not merge w/ either Long Beach or Lakewood, combine resources and move on to be model city.
Will say, Hawaiin Gardens, Huntington Park, South Gate, Cudhay, Pico Rivera, all look the same, for the past century. All run by crooked politicians and need of strict code enforcement, to clean house (up/down) streets-allies.
My first reaction was to lash out at Food 4 Less for his nasty remarks about the City of Hawaiian Gardens, but instead I will just correct his misinformation.
He mentions bulldozing the one way homes…Fact, their are no one way streets in Hawaiian Gardens.
He states the intersection at 605 Freeway/Carson is in shambles…Fact, that intersection is on the Long Beach/Lakewood border (NOT IN HAWAIIAN GARDENS)
He is critical of the homeless situation at the AM/PM on the Norwalk/Centralia intersection…Fact, that AM/PM is in the city of Lakewood (NOT IN HAWAIIAN GARDENS)
The gate leading to El Dorado Park Estates was removed 20 years ago.
At every ABCUSD State of the District Presentation the Superintendent has praised the City of Hawaiian Gardens for their partnership…
When the economy went south 7 years ago and ABC was about to cancel summer school, Hawaiian Gardens was the only City to offer to fund summer school for our local schools. And continued to fund it for 3 consecutive summers.
The City of Hawaiian Gardens offers grants of up to $5,000 to it’s local schools every year.
The city of Hawaiian Gardens built an 8 Million dollar Sports Complex on the campus of Fedde Middle School that is shared by City programs, local youth non-profit sports programs and the School District.
This past year the city allocated $70,000 to fund a 3 year reading intervention program (Reading Plus) to assist our children’s learning ability.
I could go on, but I will end by pointing out from about 2008-2014 Hawiian Gardens consistently had the 2nd lowest crime rate of the 5 cities serviced by the Lakewood Sheriff Station. And in fact in 2014 it achieved the lowest crime rate in the history of the city….Though unfortunately due to the passing of Prop. 47 like all of the cities throughout the state their has been a sharp spike in the crime rate.
Hawaiian Gardens is fiscally solvent, from 2007 – last December when I retired from the city council we grew our emergency reserved from $4 Million to $15 Million continually adding to it while other cities were dipping into their reserves to make up for the lower tax revenues….
As this story points out, yes the current Mayor is power hungry and over stepping his bounds, but like in every community the good people will eventually rise up and take corrective action to put well intentioned leaders in place.
Point well taken Mr. Gomez, that’s exactly why your not in office anymore. The people of Hawaiian Gardens would’ve never reelected you. You made the right decision not to run for office again you saved yourself from the embarrassment of not being relected like your buddy Farfan.
Very well stated Mr. Gomez! There is nothing worse than people making comments about a city when they clearly haven’t stepped foot within its boundaries in years. Thank you for dispelling some of the misinformation that was posted here.
Need more diversity in staffers, digest some Caucasian, Native Amer. Indian and African Americans, then there will be better control. City is too latino. Meetings are too one side latino.
Agree with above, all of the new developments on Carson St, has not bled in to the adjacent streets in housing tracts and business. Just hate see condo being built at such hi numbers, the units will turn in to rental projects.
Is it me or does Bruce Barry look like a 70’s porn actor?