Latest news with #KarinaMacias
CBS News
01-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
After her home is searched in corruption probe, Huntington Park mayor speaks out at meeting
After her home was searched in an ongoing public corruption probe, Huntington Park Mayor Karina Macias addressed the investigation during a special city council meeting Friday — alleging "misinformation" has surfaced since it was made public. Just a day earlier, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced prosecutors were looking into allegations that millions of dollars in taxpayers' money was misused by city officials. "Operation Dirty Pond," as the probe is called, was launched in November 2022 to investigate the potential misuse of millions for a promised aquatic center. On Wednesday, the DA's office confirmed that Macias was one of three city officials whose homes were searched along with Huntington Park City Hall. During a special council meeting, Macias suggested the DA's office collect evidence in the case another way while alleging "misinformation" has been spread since the investigation became public. "Our hardworking city staff is working diligently with authorities to make sure they received any and all information related to the Salt Lake Park aquatic center," Macias said at the meeting "This information could have been easily requested via public records requests and could have prevented all of the politically driven chaos and misinformation." With amenities including an indoor pool, the planned aquatic center was expected to be built at Salt Lake Park, a 23-acre public park in the city that has several athletic fields and courts. In 2018, the city of Huntington Park released renditions of what it would look like. But more than six years later, the site where it was supposed to be built remains an empty lot. Vice Mayor Arturo Flores estimated about $14 million has been spent by the city. "And that from those funds, the residents of the city have only received an empty lot with dead grass — and nothing to show for those millions of dollars," he told reporters Wednesday. Some of the concerned residents who spoke during the Friday's meeting slammed city officials involved in the project while others said the children of Huntington Park are who has been really affected. "Millions of dollars gone. Not a single child in our city has been able to swim in that complex," one person said during the meeting, while another accused public officials of betraying the "hardworking people" of Huntington Park. "And that's a shame. And you should be embarrassed," she told the council. When the DA announced its investigation Thursday, Macias and another leading city official whose home was searched —Councilmember Eddie Martinez — did not respond to requests for comment. Prosecutors said their homes were among a total of 11 locations searched by investigators, including the homes of Huntington Park City Manager Ricardo Reyes and three former city officials. In the statement released Thursday, the DA's office did not confirm any other details about the ongoing public corruption probe. "My office is committed to ensuring that public officials uphold the highest standards of honesty, integrity, and transparency," District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in the statement from his office. "When concerns arise about the use of public funds or the actions of those in office, it is our duty to investigate thoroughly and protect the public's trust."
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
L.A. County Investigators Rip Through Huntington Park Executing Warrants
Huntington Park City Hall , the Mayor's home, and the residences of current and former City Council members were searched Wednesday as part of a three-year investigation into a multi-million corruption scheme, the L.A. County district attorney's office announced.A series of coordinated raids were executed at the homes of Mayor Karina Macias, her Public Works Department, along with Councilmember Eduardo 'Eddie' Martinez, and former members Graciela Ortiz, along with Marilyn Sanabria, the sister of a current council Park City Manager Ricardo Reyes was served with a warrant, as was the city's Public Works Department. Investigators seized electronics, phones, and records as part of the case that began in November 2022, focused on what Los Angeles County D.A. Nathan Hochman calls the "potential misuse of millions of dollars in public funds," which were allocated for the construction of an aquatic center at Salt Lake Park. Huntington Park is in south central Los Angeles.'My office is committed to ensuring that public officials uphold the highest standards of honesty, integrity, and transparency,' District Attorney Hochman said. 'When concerns arise about the use of public funds or the actions of those in office, it is our duty to investigate thoroughly and protect the public's trust."'I want to commend our dedicated prosecutors and investigators for their diligent work on this complex case. Their unwavering commitment to justice ensures that no one — regardless of their position or title — is above the law.'Hochman said investigators from the Bureau of Investigation, armed with search warrants, fanned out across Huntington Park seizing items from City Hall; the public works department; the proposed site for the publicly-funded proposed aquatic center; along with the homes of JT Construction Group owners. Those targeted in the probe could not be reached for comment. The raids echoed another massive federal law enforcement case centered on L.A. City Hall codenamed "Operation Casino Royale," one that sent several former City Councilmembers and a former L.A. deputy mayor to prison. Never Miss a Beat! Subscribe to Los Angeles Magazine's The Daily Brief for daily updates delivered straight to your inbox. Join below or by clicking here.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Huntington Park City Hall and mayor's home raided by law enforcement as part of corruption probe
Law enforcement officers are executing a series of search warrants in Huntington Park that includes City Hall and the homes of current and former council members as part of a corruption probe, according to government and law enforcement sources. The search warrants appear to be carried out by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. A spokesperson with the office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Photos posted on Facebook show police tape blocking the entrance to Huntington Park City Hall and a white van in the parking lot. A Huntington Park City Hall source, who could not be identified because they were not authorized to speak about the investigation, said that the warrants were served at the homes of Mayor Karina Macias and Councilmember Eduardo "Eddie" Martinez. Macias did not immediately respond to a request for comment by text message or phone. The source said the homes of at least two former council members were also targeted. A law enforcement source said the investigation appears to revolve around the alleged misuse of public funds related to a town project of a regional aquatic center. Investigators, the source said, are looking at public funds, contractors and documents related to the project. Times staff writer James Queally contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Huntington Park City Hall and mayor's home raided by law enforcement as part of corruption probe
Law enforcement officers are executing a series of search warrants in Huntington Park that includes City Hall and the homes of current and former council members as part of a corruption probe, according to government and law enforcement sources. The search warrants appear to be carried out by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. A spokesperson with the department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Photos posted on the social media platform Facebook show police tape blocking the entrance to Huntington Park City Hall and a white van in the parking lot. A Hunginton Park City Hall source, who could not be identified because they were not authorized to speak about the investigation, said that the warrants were served at the home of Mayor Karina Macias and Councilmember Eduardo 'Eddie' Martinez. Macias did not immediately respond to a request for comment by text message or phone. The source said the homes of at least two former council members were also targeted. A law enforcement source said the investigation appears to revolve around the misused of public funds related to a town's project of a regional aquatic center. Investigators, the source said, are looking at public funds, contractors and documents related to the project. Times staff writer James Queally contributed to this report.
