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Leticia Vasquez
Staff Report
June 21, 2022~In late April 2022, HMG-CN learned of a video that CB Director Leticia Vasquez Wilson (VW) and her friend Rodolfo Cortez posted, calling into question the recent sale of CB’s company building in Commerce, which netted the agency $2 million.
HMG-CN listened to the video and VW’s allegations, obtained documents related to the article, and found that VW had, in the words of one CB official, “lost her mind.”
The video was so faulty in its allegations that Vasquez can be seen waving documents during the video, documents she claimed she never received.
HMG-CN took the words VW spoke on the video verbatim, with backup documents, and published an article.
In spite of the video and evidence, VW fired a letter off to HMG-CN demanding a retraction and threatening a defamation lawsuit.
VW provided no proof to back up her allegations; below are excerpts from her letter and HMG-CN’s regurgitation of its original story.
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“False Statement 1:”
HMG-CN confirmed at the time of publication that GM Dr. Rojas and CB were considering a defamation lawsuit against VW due to the vitriolic comments and allegations in the video.
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“False Statement 2:”
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“False Statement 3:”
Many times in the video, VW states “she was unaware” of the sale of the building.
At 1:18 of the video she states, “We’re here to call out the secret sale of the Central Basin building, very troubling very alarming, the general manager of Central Basin [Dr.] Alex Rojas has actually sold the building. The sale of the building has not been approved by the board, we were notified in January the building was sold.”
But documents obtained by HMG-CN contradict all allegations and show VW was well aware her statements were false because she was at every board meeting that discussed the sale.
Item 14 on the May 24 agenda to sell the building, with minutes showing Vasquez-Wilson present, voting no.
Item 18 on the August 23, 2021 agenda to sell the building, with minutes showing Vasquez-Wilson present and voting no.
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“False Statement 4:”
Letter from Rojas to the CB Board indicating the building offer fell through with the letter from the realtor.
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“False Statement 5:”
The words above are the exact words she spoke in the video!
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“False Statement 6:”
Vasquez stated that Rojas did not hold a closed meeting or “report out” the terms and sale of the building on video
Once again contradicting her allegations, below is the Closed Session part on the Aug 23, 2021 agenda, convened at 2:13, followed by the report out.
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The entire sentence VW is referring to in 7, “VW’s unfounded allegations” are, and can only be explained by the fact that her husband, Ron Wilson, is a questionable attorney who always defends his litigious wife, forgoing expensive legal fees.
In the first case where Vasquez maliciously sued HMG-CN, Wilson defended her and lost, with HMG-CN filing a motion and recovering all legal fees.
“Same bullshit different day,” said HMG-CN Publisher Brian Hews. “She threatens and harasses with no proof, then uses her husband, a labor lawyer, for an alleged defamation lawsuit. She blatantly said she never received building sale documents from GM Rojas and then waved building sale documents during the video and defamed Rojas. It is our duty as a newspaper to report on that kind of reckless behavior from an elected official and protect public employees, and the public, from abuse.”
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