In an exciting development, the L.A. Times broke a story this morning about City Council Member Richard Alarcon being under investigation for voter registration fraud.
The story confirmed what many in this City had known for years... that some City Council Members do not live in the districts that they represent.
This fact was usually treated with a wink and a nudge by other politicians, but it appears that this type of tradition of corruption might be coming to an end. There is a new breed of hero in town. The Nuch/Cooley combo is threatening to put an end to the rampant corruption in the City of Los Angeles. Steve Cooley is now running for Attorney General for the State of California. It might be a great boost to his campaign to announce the prosecution of a sitting City Council Member.
I had always thought that Jose Huizar was going to be the first Council Member to make the "Perp Walk" of shame out the front door of City Hall - placed in handcuffs and escorted to a waiting squad car. But now it appears a new contestant has risen to the lead in this race. Richard Alarcon is deserving of any incarceration and time he gets.
I'm no fan of Alarcon. I think he's a corrupt career politician, an egomaniac, and an all-around creep. I mentioned this in my piece on him for the Mayor Sam Blog called "The Tyranny of Richard Alarcon".
Let's be clear about one thing: Alarcon did not live in the District he was representing.
Maybe the most damning part of the Times article was the description of how he tried to get the City Council boundaries changed so he could actually include his real residence in his district.
--In the summer of 2007, The Times reported that after Alarcon was elected that spring, he asked then-2nd District Councilwoman Wendy Greuel to support an attempt to redraw boundaries so his wife's Sun Valley home would be moved into his 7th District. Greuel represented the 2nd District until she was elected city controller last March.--
This statement makes Alarcon the worst type of politician. A self-serving, selfish, egomaniac who only considers his own needs. A man who will bend the rules to fit his own selfish purposes. This is a very dangerous type of person to elect to political office. But, his elected days may now be over, thanks to the L.A. Times. Alarcon is now busted , judging from statements of neighbors who report that the house has been vacant for a long time.
--Three neighbors, a day-care worker at the Panorama Children Center next door and a man who has been living in a motor home next to Alarcon's house said they had not seen anyone living in the home recently. Steve Folden, who lives across the street and said he is the neighborhood watch block captain, said he had noticed no one living in the house for at least three years.--
Alarcon can now be charged with a felony. Voter registration fraud.
Fantastic news for those who hate corrupt career politicians.
This didn't happen by accident. Alarcon pissed somebody off and they ratted him out to Cooley.
All City Council Members have enemies. Some have more than others.
The "Fredo Corleone" of City Hall stepped on one too many toes, I guess.
Cooley may even have had Alarcon under investigation for some time now.
If that is the case, Alarcon may be serving time instead of serving constituents.
