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By Brian Hews
July 4, 2022~Outgoing Commerce City Councilman Leonard Mendoza, who lost his reelection bid in June, has, in examining certain documents, joined forces with “Litigious Leticia”-Central Basin Director Leticia Vasquez-in demanding retractions for several stories HMG-CN published prior to the June 2022 Commerce City Council election.
Separate threatening letters sent to HMG-CN from Vasquez and Mendoza show a large amount of the words in Vasquez’ letter exactly matching the wording in Mendoza’s letters.
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Above, the first pages of the demand for retraction letters, Mendoza’s is on the left Litigious Leticia Vasquez’ is on the right. The subject lines are exactly the same as is much of the verbiage below the salutation. Click on image to view larger document.
Page 2 of each demand for retraction is almost exact, including the last paragraph, and the last sentence of the letter, a strong indication that Mendoza and Vasquez are in communication with each other to maliciously and systematically harass HMG-CN. Click on image to view larger document.
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It is another case of corrupt and questionable elected officials covertly collaborating to intimidate and harass this community newspaper and its staff.
Current La Mirada Councilman Andrew Sarega worked with Vasquez years ago delivering a subpoena to HMG-CN for Vasquez’ lawsuit; Sarega also attempted to financially injure his community’s only newspaper, HMG-CN’s La Mirada Lamplighter, by challenging its legal adjudication status.
He lost the case miserably, slammed several times by the judge for lack of experience and correct paperwork including spelling exhibit (exibit) wrong.
The Mendoza articles were published between May 5 and June 7, 2022; all solid fact-based and backed by witnesses and documentation.
The first story documented how Mendoza sent a series of threatening emails to this publisher related to the upcoming election and his donations.
Commerce Council Candidate Threatens HMG-CN Publisher After Report Outlining Donations
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Another was related to his removal as Mayor of Commerce, and claiming he was mayor throughout the campaign. Mendoza promised the Commerce City Clerk he would quit using the name but he never did, a violation of the city’s Municipal Code.
Commerce’s Leonard Mendoza Removed as Mayor; Rebollo Mayor, Argumedo MPT
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Another article questioned his fitness for office when he printed and posted on residential fences several expensive outdoor campaign signs with the wrong election date.
Fit for Office? Commerce Candidate Leonard Mendoza Printed Materials With Wrong Election Date
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HMG-CN then published an article, with documentation from an investigator and paperwork from the city, related to his firing from a painting job at the City of Commerce for “systematic harassment and intimidation of his employees and creating a hostile work environment that led to his employee’s injuries.”
Commerce Councilman Mendoza Was Fired From His Job With Commerce for Dishonesty, Intimidation
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The fourth story was pulled from the website selanews.com, who published an article about Mendoza’s sister and her son’s arrest in 2018. Mendoza did not send an email about that story.
The next story was published in early June with a statement and video from the wife of a man who was running for Commerce Council against Mendoza. In an email to HMG-CN the woman alleged harassment incidents involving Mendoza, including using his truck to intimidate family while they were walking around the city visiting residents.
Email from Garate’s wife outlining what Mendoza was doing to the family. HMG-CN sent an email to Mendoza about the allegations, without a response.
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Commerce Councilman Leonard Mendoza Dangerously Harassed Family on Day of Uvalde Shooting
HMG-CN emailed Mendoza several times for comment without response, pointing out that one of the harassment incidents occurred the night of the Uvalde shooting in Texas.
HMG-CN email to Mendoza asking for comment about the Garate story. Click on image to view larger document.
Mendoza also posted the man’s picture and description from the Megan’s Law website on social media, a clear violation of state law.
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The next story was a bombshell that Mendoza attempted to refute. HMG-CN received documentation from Political Data, a firm that most elected officials utilize for voter information, that showed Mendoza had ten people registered as voters in his home; a tiny 900 square-foot one bedroom, one bath property in Commerce.
Councilman Mendoza Has Ten Voters Registered at His 500 S.F. House in Commerce
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The revelation of the voters led to the Norwalk Registrar/Recorder referring Mendoza to the Los Angeles District Attorney for voter fraud.
Below are Mendoza’s demands for retraction.
Mendoza’s demand for retraction related to the Garate harassment, there is video, and a complaint was filed with the Sheriff’s. Note he claims the harassment emails were not sent by him; the email that he used was you several other times to communicate with HMG-CN. In the last paragraph he does not deny the incident.
Mendoza’s demand for retraction related to the ten voters registered at his house.
