EXCLUSIVE: Scheme to Fire Pico Rivera City Manager Rene Bobadilla Driven by Lust and Greed

Rene Bobadilla

By Brian Hews
March 12, 2018, 4:43 p.m.

Last week, Hews Media Group-Community News was first to report that Pico Rivera City Manager Rene Bobadilla, who had his contract extended less than a year ago on a 3-2 vote, would be forced to resign by three city councilmembers that include disgraced El Rancho Unified teacher Gregory Salcido.

According to the sources, a lunch meeting was held two weeks ago at Pico Rivera’s Dal Rae restaurant attended by Bobadilla, Assistant City Manager Ben Cardenas, Mayor Gustavo Camacho, Armenta and two “potential city vendors.”

During the meeting, Armenta reportedly ordered Bobadilla to terminate the city’s contract with LEBA Inc., the long-time operators of the Pico Rivera Sports Arena (Arena).

David Armenta

Bobadilla evidently objected to the termination because LEBA was not in violation of their contract, a 20-year agreement that expires in 2034.

Armenta angrily stood up from the meeting and said, “if that is the way you want it, then we will do something else.” The two vendors left with Armenta.

Days later an emergency meeting was called to announce Bobadilla’s formal termination with Armenta indicating that Councilmen Bret Tecero and Salcido, along with Armenta, would vote to terminate.

The statement that “the three were ready to terminate Bobadilla” was a blatant Brown Act violation that should get the attention of Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Public Integrity Division.

The initial HMG-CN article caused such an outrage in the City that it forced the three Councilman to back off on the resignation and “wait” until the next Council meeting occurring tomorrow, March 13.

Now an HMG-CN investigation has uncovered new information into the circumstances surrounding the attempted forced resignation, and what was discovered will send shockwaves throughout the City and could once again stop the actions of Armenta, Tecero, and Salcido.

Several sources have come forward to HMG-CN describing a torrid romance and an alleged scheme to take over the lucrative Arena contract with different vendors and a new City contract.

Sources inside City Hall have confirmed a romantic relationship between Councilman Armenta and a former employee at the Arena. The woman, Julia Rodriquez, age 50, is reportedly in the United States on a work visa.

Julia Rodriguez (top) with Councilman David Armenta on Armenta’s Facebook page.

Rodriguez recently resigned from the Arena because her work hours had been severely cut.

On her way out, Rodriguez reportedly taunted the operators saying that her and Armenta, whom she called The Mayor, “would be taking control of the Arena and leaving them out on the street.”

Before and after Rodriguez left, she was seen quite often at City Hall with Armenta, the two holding closed door meetings with staff.

An apparently emboldened Rodriquez, along with her daughter Dyana, another former Sports Arena employee, subsequently approached two individuals to be partners in their efforts to seize control of the Arena contract.

Julia Rodriguez (right) with her daughter Dylan.

Later the two individuals attended the Dal Rae lunch, watching Armenta demand that Bobadilla find cause to terminate LEBA’s Arena contract and immediately assign the contact to them.

HMG-CN has identified the two vendors as Xavier Ortiz and Eduardo Leon, both of whom have promoted events at the Arena in the past.

Ortiz is the registered owner of Think X Enterprises, Inc., Leon owns a promotion company called Eventos. It is unknown if they knew Armenta would go as far as he did during the Dal Rae meeting.

HMG-CN attempted to contact Rodriguez, Ortiz, and Leon, but those efforts were unsuccessful.

Good Government Activist Mike Alvarado told HMG-CN, “it appears that Armenta clearly crossed the line and may have committed at least two felonies. Threatening to fire an employee who is under contract with a city for refusing to aid and abet in the commission of a potentially illegal act is a form of extortion. Furthermore, Armenta suggesting and literally demanding that cause or evidence be fabricated to warrant LEBA’s contract to be terminated is also likely illegal. Finally, demanding that city staff forgo a properly conducted and independent vetting process to award such a large and complicated government contract in order to favor one entity is also problematic and downright irresponsible.”

Bob Archuleta

Long-time Pico Rivera resident John Albitre told HMG-CN, “if Councilmen Greg Salcido and Brent Tecero knowingly joined in the firing or forced resignation of Bobadilla, could that be construed as an extension of possible crimes being perpetrated by Armenta?”

The City Council’s next regularly scheduled meeting is Tuesday, March 13th. According to Councilman Bob Archuleta, the Bobadilla resignation item will be on the agenda, at the request of Armenta, Salcido and Tecero.

An angry Archuleta has made his intentions clear saying, “I personally am appalled this would even be on the table. I ask how many more Sheriff Deputies could we put on the streets keeping our community safe with the funds being needlessly squandered by the removal of our City Manager?”

Archueta also told HMG-CN that, to his knowledge, LEBA has performed and fulfilled their duties at the nearly 40-year-old Arena without incident or concern to the city. Archuleta cites the relationship the city has with the operators as “outstanding.”