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| - Easy Gene? |
An additional point. This is from a City Council candidate who actually pledged to the voters that he would be keeping his campaign strictly local, and promised that he would never accept any outside support. You do not get any more outside than hiring Yolanda Miranda, treasurer to the indicted and thoroughly disgraced State Senator Ron Calderon. A politician straight out of Montebello, of all places.
Here's another question. Why would Sierra Madre Mayor Pro Tem* John Harabedian have used this very same campaign treasurer for his campaign in 2012? Did he then pass this magic connection on to Goss? And why would he have done this, fully knowing that the Calderon family political empire was collapsing beneath the weight of a blizzard of FBI and other law enforcement agency investigations?
Here is the reader post that opened this story up for today's Tattler post.
According to Goss' FPPC forms, Goss' treasurer is the notorious Yolanda Miranda and Associates located at 728 W Edna Place, Covina CA. Yolanda Miranda was also the treasurer for indicted State Senator Ron Calderon and other Calderon family members.
http://www.fppc.ca.gov/enf_letter/JulyNoViolation/ENF000.pdf - Cut and paste that link to see a nasty letter from the FPPC sent to State Senator Ron Calderon and Yolanda Miranda. Click here to see an LA Times story detailing Yolanda filing false FPPC forms for Tom Calderon
I don't understand why Gene Goss decided he had to go all the way to Covina and hire the Calderon's treasurer for Goss' tiny little city council campaign.
Just to give you the flavor of disgraced State Senator Ron Calderon's woes, here is a Los Angeles Times article from Feb 21 detailing his difficult legal situation (link).
State Sen. Ron Calderon took $100,000 in bribes, authorities allege - State Sen. Ron Calderon has been indicted in a sweeping corruption case, accused of taking about $100,000 in bribes.
Federal authorities allege that Calderon (D-Montebello) took the bribes from a Long Beach hospital official as well as people connected to what he believed was a Hollywood studio. In fact, the studio was an FBI front and the business associates were FBI agents. Authorities claim Calderon received cash bribes, trips and dinners in exchange for "official acts."
Calderon, 56, faces 24 counts of fraud, wire fraud, honest services fraud, bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering, money laundering and aiding in the filing of false tax returns.
"Public corruption is a betrayal of the public trust that threatens the integrity of our democratic institutions," U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte said at a news conference Friday.
Calderon's brother, Thomas, faces charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering. Thomas Calderon is a former assemblyman who most recently served as a consultant for the Central Basin Water District. Authorities allege that Ronald Calderon took bribes from Michael Drobot, the former owner of Pacific Hospital in Long Beach.
In an article published by The Sacramento Bee on June 21st of this year, the name of Calderon family treasurer Yolanda Miranda is mentioned in conjunction with the State Senator's legal difficulties (link).
California state Sen. Ron Calderon sets up legal defense fund - Well-known for fundraisers at out-of-state golf courses and plush resorts, state Sen. Ron Calderon has a new reason to solicit money from friends, family and the interest groups that do business in California's Capitol.
The Democrat from Montebello has established a legal defense fund to cover expenses related to his "public corruption investigation," according to a letter Calderon filed with the secretary of state this week.
"These funds will be only to pay the attorney's fees and other legal costs related to the defense of the candidate as well as administrative costs directly related to compliance with recordkeeping and reporting requirements," says the letter signed by Calderon and Yolanda Miranda, treasurer of Calderon's committee.
The FBI raided Calderon's Capitol offices on June 4, the same day the agency attempted to contact his brother, former Assemblyman Tom Calderon. Federal authorities removed several boxes from Ron Calderon's offices but have not said what they are investigating.
Yolanda Miranda is identified here as being Ron Calderon's treasurer in his less than successful run for a seat in the U.S. Congress. Here is how this is revealed.
FEC Committee ID:C00500488
Name: RON CALDERON FOR CONGRESS
Treasurer: YOLANDA MIRANDA
Address: 728 W. EDNA PLACE COVINA , CA 91722
If you click here you will be taken to a 2004 Fair Political Practices Commission report that excoriates Ron Calderon and campaign treasurer Yolanda Miranda for the misuse of campaign funds.
CorporationWiki lists an organization known as Californians for Diversity. Ron Calderon's brother, former Assemblyman Tom Calderon (the indicted money launderer), is listed as President, and Yolanda Miranda as Treasurer (link).
In a March 4th Los Angeles Times article, Californians for Diversity receives the following less than reverent mention (link).
California Sen. Ron Calderon flooded with gifts while facing FBI probe - While under investigation for allegedly taking bribes last year, state Sen. Ronald S. Calderon (D-Montebello) openly accepted $6,827 in legal gifts, including concert and fight tickets, expensive meals and travel from special interests, and a golf game from a group that investigators say was part of a criminal conspiracy, records show.
The nonprofit group Californians for Diversity, which is controlled by the senator’s brother, former Assemblyman Thomas Calderon, spent $265 to provide Sen. Calderon with a game of golf in September 2013, the lawmaker reported in his annual statement of economic interests.
Here is a CalWatchdog report on Californians for Diversity called "Diversity PAC: Ron Calderon’s slush fund for luxury" (link).
A shadowy political action committee cited in the FBI’s case against state Senator Ron Calderon, D-Montebello, has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on private jets, five-star hotels, elite golf courses and extravagant meals at the country’s finest restaurants, a CalWatchdog.com analysis of campaign finance reports has found.
But the biggest questions might be over nearly half-a-million dollars in mysterious payments funneled to a professional political fundraiser, who promises on his website to “put the FUN in fundraising!”
According to the FBI affidavit that was obtained by Al Jazeera America, “Californians for Diversity is a charitable arm of the Diversity Political Action Committee.” In its five year history, Diversity PAC, according to campaign finance reports, has raised more than $1.2 million. More than two-thirds of those funds, $813,766, has been spent on payments to hotels, golf courses, resorts and professional fundraisers.
So knowing all of the above, why would Gene Goss and John Harabedian both hire Yolanda Miranda to be their campaign treasurer? While there is nothing illegal in this, at least as far as I know, why would they want to run the risk of being in any way associated with the now thoroughly disgraced Calderons?
What possible advantage could there be in this for them? Did they both not believe that this would eventually get out? And couldn't they have simply gotten some local accountant to do their campaign financial paperwork for them?
If anyone has answers, I'd sure love to hear them.
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