Saturday, May 30, 2009
Brits Got Talent: Diversity dances over Susan Boyle to be Crowned Englands Best!
The SHOCK of the YEAR is that SUSAN BOYLE has LOST her bid to win Brits Got Talent to an incredible dance group called Diversity. Watch the finals from tonight's show across the pond, and their is no doubt that the right performance won.
Amazing.
It will leave you in awwwwwwww.....
Randy Economy
Friday, May 29, 2009
Econo-My-Scene: Fixing California Begins with Paging Art Gallucci!
Image via Wikipedia
This is my weekly column for the Los Cerritos Community News for this weekend, and focuses on my solution to fix California, once and for all. Your thoughts? RREconomy@aol.com.
Randy Economy
I have been thinking a lot about the fiscal mess we are facing here in California, and what in the world WE can offer up as a solution to rescue our beloved Golden State.
I can’t sit and watch California fall into the Pacific Ocean from our ineffective and out of touch politicians in Sacramento any longer. We gotta’ get a plan, man. Wait. I got it.
It’s time to send in reinforcement. Not the National Guard or the Army into Sacramento. I have a better idea. We need to send in Cerritos City Manager Art Gallucci to fix Sacramento.
Let’s face reality; no one up THERE really has a clue on how to run our State. Actor Dude is toast, we all know that. The 30-Year-Olds running the State Assembly are all too young and too inexperienced to fix anything, and the termed out State Senate cares more about “leaving Sacramento,” collecting their pensions, instead of hanging around to fix the mess they created when they were first elected to the State Assembly six years earlier.
Yep, time to send in the “A” Team to Sacramento for the next 6 months to lead us out of this fiscal dark forest.
Can you imagine what California could accomplish under the tight, fiscally creative reign of Art Gallucci? Can you imagine what could get accomplished on the Floor of the State Assembly or Senate with Galluch’ runnin’ the joint.
First of all, we would understand how big our budget crisis “actually” is, instead of the current system of drawing numbers out of a hat everyday in the State Capitol Basement Cafeteria that determines how much California is in debt on that particular day.
We need to have Art’s vast experience and keen knowledge to help fix California.
Art Gallucci has created a legacy of success here in Cerritos that is recognized all over America and the World. He is The Prince of Bloomfield. The King of the Golden Library. The Wizard of 183rd. Get my drift.
For his ENTIRE adult life, Art Gallucci has dedicated it to the people of this community.
I first met Art in 1970, in the trailers at Cerritos City Hall on Pioneer Blvd. Art was hip, young, 25-ish. I was like 9 years old back then. My parents Dick and Rosemary Economy immediately fell in love with Art. He was "an up and comer" in a city that was nothing but cows, a billion flies, and a Field of Dreams 7 miles wide!
Art’s first job was to oversee the construction of all of our Parks here in Cerritos. Voila, A Masterful job.
Elected officials come and go here due to voter mandated term limits, but Art is the cement that holds Cerritos together year in and year out. He literally helped build Cerritos, park by park, house by house, waterfalls, and shopping centers, and center medians, and the world’s largest Auto Mall that has been our fiscal “Saving Grace.”
Art is the Man who listens to ALL the People of our community. Trust me, if you call City Hall and ask to speak to the City Manager, you will get Art on the phone ASAP. He is Cerritos. He is sophisticated, yet unassuming. He is sharp on his feet, and is someone every local city manager aspires to become. He is a Diplomat amongst sometime shaken egos, and speaks with pride and knowledge.
Having to balance a City Council and a city staff, law enforcement agencies, employee unions, 55,000 residents, and an amazing wife (Joann) and family is a tough gig. Art makes it look fun and actually enjoyable. Just think of what he could do to get Sacramento under control?
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Thursday, May 28, 2009
VIDEO: KTLA on the Artesia Bullflight Brew Ha Ha
Randy Economy
BLOODY BULLFIGHT BUSTED IN ARTESIA
From KTLA News
The ACI officer said bullfighters were using long wooden sticks with long sharpened nails on the end to stab and torment the bulls.
The officer said he noticed blood and puncture wounds on the bull when the animal was being led out of the ring.
The bull had been repeatedly stabbed with up to eight sticks, according to ACI.
After seeing the bloodied bull, the humane officer went into center ring, held up his badge and ended the bullfight.
ACI says more than 30 sticks with nails on the end were confiscated, and the company operating the bullfight was informed that stabbing a bull is a violation of California state animal cruelty laws.
Jane Garrison, spokeswoman for Animal Cruelty Investigations, says they "hope the DA prosecutes this case to the fullest extent of the law and the City of Artesia makes this bullfight its last."
Those who organize the fight say the bulls wear heavy padding so they won't be hurt by the sticks.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Gardens Gang Raid: Identification Mix Up lands Innocent Chef in Jail; Two more arrests bring total to 90. New You Tube Video documents raid
VIDEOS on Last weeks Massive Raid from You Tube.
Thanks to local news sources, Long Beach Press Telegram, Los Angeles Times, KABC Eyewitness News, and YouTube.com .
Blog Posting by Randy Economy
Two more alleged gang members have been located and arrested over the weekend in the nation's largest federal indictment against the criminal street gang "Varrio Hawaiian Gardens," and one Pico Rivera man is free tonight in what can only be called a huge case of "mistaken identity."
A Pico Rivera grandfather, who is an Executive Chef by trade, was incorrectly arrested during the investigation by authorities and was released from Los Angeles County Jail in Downtown. Opps. How could this happen? Easy, when you share the same EXACT name of one of those being sought by authorities.
"Operation Knockout"
This massive raid, the largest every conducted against an American street gang, has had everyone breathing a sigh of relief in our Cerritos, Artesia, Hawaiian Gardens, Norwalk, Pico Rivera community.
The arrests included more than 60 people named in five federal indictments and more than 20 individuals arrested on state or local charges, authorities said.
Included in the arrests was a Pico Rivera husband and father - Ramon Galves Huerta - who shares a first, middle and last name with one of the 147 people named in the federal indictment said a spokesman for the US Attorneys Office.
The retired chef was released on Saturday, after spending two nights in jail, when authorities realized he was not the drug dealer they were after.
Authorities are still trying to figure out how they mixed up the 64-year-old Huerta with the suspect who shares an identical name, Mrozek said Tuesday.
One indictment alleges a man named Ramon Galves Huerta was recorded in wiretapped phone conversations speaking about heroin and conspiring to sell the drug, although the court document gives no physical description or identifying details of the suspect.
Watch for a lawsuit to be filed from Ramon Galves Huerta, the Chef, not the one in the gang...Paging Gloria Allred.
I also want to give a "Shout Out" to Cerritos Mayor Pro Tem for being the only member of the Cerritos City Council to mention "Operation Knockout" at City Hall tonight and for asking the community to be "engaged" in making our streets safer. Thanks Joe Cho!
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LA Times: Artesia bullfight brings wrath of animal welfare group. What a bunch of BS*#%@!
Protest is a Bunch of Bull in Artesia!
Note:
'Bloodless' bullfight is illegal, says the group. But Artesia's Portuguese community insists it's both traditional and harmless. The district attorney's office may weigh in.
From the LOS ANGELES TIMES
9:42 PM PDT, May 25, 2009
Men, women, and children gathered before dusk Saturday behind the Portuguese community center in Artesia. They packed the bleachers that circle the dirt ring with its high wood walls painted red. The three-day holiday weekend Festa da Bola would be filled with soccer, laughter, food.
But on this evening, the main attraction was a bullfight.
It was billed as a "bloodless bullfight" -- in which the animal is not killed in the ring.
"But they are anything but bloodless," said Jane Garrison, spokeswoman for an animal welfare group called Animal Cruelty Investigations.
On Saturday night, a humane officer who works with the animal group interrupted the show "when he discovered the bullfighters were using long wooden sticks with several-inch sharpened nails on the end to stab, torment and infuriate the bulls," according to a statement that the group posted on its website. The officer "saw blood and puncture wounds on the bull when the animal was being returned."
It's unclear whether the officer completely halted the evening's events. The Los Angeles County sheriff's station in Lakewood confirmed that he requested assistance and that two deputies were dispatched to help him. He confiscated 36 sticks, Garrison said.
Today, representatives of the animal welfare group plan to call on the district attorney to prosecute, under animal cruelty statutes, the Kern County-based company that supplies bulls for these events.
"No animal should ever be made to suffer for so-called entertainment," the group's statement says.
But beyond the debate over animal cruelty, what happened Saturday night opened a window onto a clash of cultures: the growing movement to extend welfare protection to animals not thought of as pets versus a close-knit Portuguese community that sees this sport as a cherished tradition, not the least bit cruel.
Although most Los Angeles residents may be surprised to learn that there's bullfighting going on at any time in a sedate leafy neighborhood blocks from a Starbucks, in fact it takes place throughout the state. The sport of bloodless bullfighting dates back centuries in Portugal and the Azores.
On Monday, members of the Portuguese community staunchly defended the ritual as benign while they enjoyed holiday activities at the Artesia DES Hall -- the anchor for their community. Though not officially tied, there is a close connection to the Catholic Church: DES stands for Divino Espirito Santo, or Divine Holy Spirit.
"What I want everyone to understand is that we do not harm any animals," said Christina Rocha, a 28-year-old nurse, as she sat in the bleachers Monday behind the hall. Instead of a bullfight were women's volleyball games. Rocha said the bullfight takes place only once a year.
Rocha attended the bullfight Saturday night but saw no blood. "We wouldn't bring our kids to see that," she said, adding that any nails on the sticks -- or banderillas -- wouldn't pierce the bulls anyway because the animals are blanketed with Velcro padding.
A senior law enforcement specialist with the Humane Society of the United States disagreed. "They'll tell you that the padding on a bull's back is enough to keep from puncturing the bull," said Eric Sakach, a Sacramento-based Humane Society official. "But it's only an inch to an inch-and-a-half deep. It does hurt the bull. Is it enough to kill the bull? No. Is it enough to make the bull mad? Yes. And it's completely not in keeping with the law."
According to the California Penal Code (Section 597m), any bullfight exhibition -- even a bloodless one -- is against the law. There is one exception: "bloodless bullfights . . . held in connection with religious celebrations or religious festivals," the code states. And Artesia's Festa da Bola has its roots in religious traditions.
Jose Avila, editor of the Modesto-based Portuguese Tribune, said the bulls fight for about 15 minutes each and then go off to a slaughterhouse. But before that, he said, "For four years, that bull is free. He does what he wants. He eats what he wants . . . The bull is treated like a king."
Monday, May 25, 2009
Exclusive Video: Susan Boyle Rocks The Brits One More Time! The Dream Continues!
Image by AFP/Getty Images via Daylife
Susan Boyle's Dream of becoming the biggest sensation in Britian continues.
Last night she knocked it out of the house again with an incredible rendition of "Memory" from Cats. She looked incredible and got a standing ovatation for her efforts. Way 2 Go, Susan!
Her voice cracks as soon as the song begins, but trust me, the pressure and fame she has amassed in the past 30 days is something we have never seen before.
Hats off, Susan.
The Queen of England will be soon greeting you with "open arms."
Saturday, May 23, 2009
FBI: Hawaiian Gardens Gang Raid, 49 Remain "At-Large," 26 Children Rescued
Massive Racketeering Case Targets Hawaiian Gardens Gang Involved in Murder of Sheriff’s Deputy, Attacks on African-Americans and Widespread Drug Trafficking
FROM THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
The investigation into the Varrio Hawaiian Gardens gang began after the fatal shooting of Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy Jerry Ortiz, who was gunned down four years ago by a gang member he was attempting to arrest on suspicion of shooting an African-American man. While the gang member, Jose Orozco, was quickly apprehended and currently sits on death row, the shooting of Deputy Ortiz sparked an investigation that culminated with today’s takedown that has dealt a severe blow to the gang that has terrorized Hawaiian Gardens for nearly 50 years.
During today’s enforcement action, which was part of “Operation Knock Out,” 88 defendants were arrested on federal and state charges. 63 of those arrests were pursuant to five federal indictments, which name a total of 147 defendants. With 35 defendants already in custody, there are now 98 defendants ready to be prosecuted in federal court. The remaining 49 defendants named in the federal indictments are either fugitives being sought by authorities or individuals who investigators are working to identify. Additional arrests are expected in this case.
“Operation Knock Out has led to federal indictments against 147 gang members, making it the largest gang sweep in U.S. history,” said United States Attorney Thomas P. O’Brien. “More than 50 members and associates of the Hawaiian Gardens gang are charged with violating the federal RICO statute – the same law that we used to knock out the mafia and which we have used with great success in Southern California in recent years to dismantle other criminal gangs.”
LASD Assistant Sheriff Paul Tanaka stated: “Jerry Ortiz was an outstanding deputy sheriff and a good family man who was murdered by a cowardly Hawaiian Gardens gang member. The senseless murder of Deputy Ortiz brought new-found attention to the fact that this multi-generational gang had been terrorizing neighborhoods, running drugs and committing violent crimes for many years. The primary purpose of Operation Knock Out was to make the community a safer place for all those who had suffered under the oppressive reign of this gang. May Deputy Ortiz rest in peace.”
In addition to the murder of Deputy Ortiz, the racketeering indictment discusses other violent attacks, drug trafficking, carjackings and kidnappings. For example, George Manuel Flores, the lead defendant in the RICO indictment and a longtime member of the Hawaiian Gardens gang, allegedly ordered the murder of another gang member who was believed to be cooperating with law enforcement and Flores allegedly provided a young gang member with a weapon and instructed him to shoot African-Americans who lived nearby.
“The careful process of building a racketeering case, while demanding, resulted in an unprecedented number of people being charged, to include topechelon members of the gang,” said Salvador Hernandez, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI in Los Angeles. “The law-abiding citizens of Hawaiian Gardens have endured terrorizing witness intimidation, ethnic bigotry and violence around every corner for decades. Today's arrests are paving the way to justice and a better way of life for those residents.”
During this investigation, approximately 31 pounds of methamphetamine were seized, along with lesser quantities of other narcotics. DEA Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. Landrum stated: “Today's arrests send a message to those who are responsible for bringing violence and distress onto the streets of Los Angeles, that law enforcement is working together to take back our neighborhoods and get violent drug traffickers and street gangs out of our communities.”
Below is a breakdown of the cases unsealed this morning as part of Operation Knock Out:
United States v. Flores, et al., the racketeering indictment that was returned by a federal grand jury on May 6. This indictment charges 57 defendants. Out of the 57 defendants in this indictment, 21 are already in custody and 36 were subject to arrest today.
United States v. Henley, et al., which was indicted on April 8. This case charges 20 defendants linked to the Hawaiian Gardens gang, 13 of whom where subject to arrest today, in a scheme to distribute crack cocaine, heroin, powder cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana. Four of the defendants in this case are already in custody. Three of the defendants have yet to be identified.
United States v. Barajas, et al., which charges 20 defendants in a superseding indictment returned on April 8. In this case, two defendants are already in custody and five defendants, three of whom are believed to be in Mexico, have not been fully identified. Therefore, 13 of the defendants in this narcotics case were subject to arrest today.
United States v. Sotelo, et al., which was indicted on April 29. This indictment charges 21 members of several street gangs, two of whom are already in custody and two of whom have not been fully identified, in a wide-ranging conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Seventeen defendants in this indictment were subject to arrest today.
United States v. Ramirez, et al., is a 29-defendant indictment that was returned on May 14 and charges members and associates of a Paramountbased gang. Out of the 29 defendants accused of conspiring to distribute a variety of narcotics, 25 were subject to arrest today as four are already in custody.
The defendants arrested this morning will be making initial appearances this afternoon in federal court in both Los Angeles and Santa Ana. If convicted of the charges alleged in the indictments, all of the defendant faces mandatory minimum sentences and approximately 15 defendants face mandatory sentences of life without parole.
During Operation Knock Out, investigators seized approximately 105 firearms. “We took some very violent criminals off of the streets today and seized the tools of their trade – firearms,” said John A. Torres, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Los Angeles Field Division. “ATF will now continue the process of tracing these firearms and targeting those who illegally supplied them to these ruthless gang members.”
Robert Schoch, Special Agent in Charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Los Angeles, stated: “Today's operation should leave no doubt about our collective resolve to attack and dismantle the street gangs that are terrorizing our neighborhoods. ICE will continue to use its unique immigration and customs authorities to target these organizations and combat the violence and intimidation they use to hold our communities hostage to fear.”
Leslie P. DeMarco, Special Agent in Charge of IRS - Criminal Investigation's Los Angeles Field Office, commented: “Today's enforcement operations mark the beginning of the end of the Varrio Hawaiian Gardens street gang. As a part of the HIDTA task force, IRS - Criminal Investigation specializes in following the money in illegal narcotic and criminal racketeering operations, with the intent to financially disrupt and dismantle these organizations, enabling increased criminal prosecutions and asset forfeitures.”
Operation Knock Out was an investigation into Varrio Hawaiian Gardens conducted by the Los Angeles High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, which is comprised of agents and officers with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); and IRS-Criminal Investigation. The following agencies provided extraordinary support during the investigation and this morning’s operation: the United States Marshals Service, the California. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, the Long Beach Police Department, the Ridgecrest Police Department, the Downey Police Department, the Kern County Sheriff’s Department, the Bell Gardens Police Department, the Costa Mesa Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, the Joint Forces Joint Training Base at Los Alamitos, the Los Angeles Police Department, the South Gate Police Department, the Hawthorne Police Department, the Montebello Police Department, the Santa Monica Police Department, PROAC, the Ontario Police Department, the San Diego Narcotics Task Force, the Riverside Sheriff’s Department, LA Impact, the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, and the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services’ Multi Agency Response Team, which rescused 26 children this morning.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
NUMBERS: US Attorney on Hawiian Gardens Gang Raid. STAGGERING.
Image by Getty Images via Daylife
STAGGERING CRIME WAVE in CALIFORNIA'S SMALLEST CITY!
The key numbers behind today's largest Gang Raid in United States History over in our local community of Hawaiian Gardens are staggering.
Here is a snapshot of what took place today here, thanks to the Press Telegram for posting these facts tonight!
Number of Authorities Conducting The Raid: 1,400 law enforcement members.
SWAT power: 17 different SWAT teams.
The gang: 1,000 known members and associates of VHG - Varrio Hawaiian Gardens.
Indicted: 147 gang members and gang associates.
Arrested Thursday: 88 gang members and gang associates - 63 of those named in indictments and 25 others, not named in indictments, arrested on other charges.
Already caught: 35 of those named in indictments.
What's ahead: 15 of those indicted face mandatory life without parole.
Slammers involved: These street gangsters will be heading to 118 federal facilities where the convicted will be sent to break up a state prison gang stronghold.
The entire population of Hawaiian Gardens: Around 14,700 residents.
Size of Hawaiian Gardens: Smallest City in California. Total size is around One Square Mile.
Hawaiian Gardens Gang Raid: More coverage from the LA Times
From the Los Angeles Times:
May 21, 2009
LOS ANGELES -- Federal authorities on Thursday accused a Los Angeles County street gang of a litany of crimes, including the murder of a LA County sheriff's deputy and racially motivated attacks designed to drive blacks from their town.
The charges, part of a massive racketeering case, were outlined in several indictments charging 147 members and associates of the Varrio Hawaiian Gardens gang with murder, attempted murder, drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, extortion, kidnapping and witness intimidation.
The gang, also known as VHG, is so pervasive in Hawaiian Gardens that one in 15 people living in the one-square-mile city about 25 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles has ties to it, said Sal Hernandez, the FBI's top agent in Los Angeles.
"Imagine living in a community where one in every 15 of your neighbors swears allegiance to an organization committed to the spread of violence," Hernandez said. "The good people deserve to live in peace."
The probe into the gang began in 2005 after Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Jerry Ortiz was fatally shot by a Varrio Hawaiian Gardens gang member he was trying to arrest in connection with the shooting of a black man. The shooter, a veteran gang member with devil horns tattooed on his forehead, has since been convicted of murder and sentenced to death.
U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien, speaking at a news conference Thursday, touted the case as the "largest gang takedown in United States history."
"Today we honor Deputy Ortiz by coming together to crush the outlaw gang that took his life and make a positive difference for the law-abiding people who live in Hawaiian Gardens," said O'Brien, who spoke in front of a memorial to Ortiz and other officers killed in the line of duty.
Authorities said the gang was formed in the 1950s or early '60s and today has more than 1,000 members spanning several generations, many of them with connections to the Mexican Mafia. The gang started out with street robberies, drug dealing and turf wars with other gangs but has since escalated its level of violence, authorities allege. The gang is accused of taunting law enforcement with particularly brazen acts, including scrawling "187," the California penal code designation for homicide, on a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department patrol car in 2006. Authorities interpreted the vandalism as a reference to Ortiz's killing a year earlier.
The gang members, with monikers of Slasher, Shady, Diablo and Menace, boasted about being racist, referring to themselves as "The Hate Gang," according to a 193-page indictment that outlines the racketeering case.
"VHG gang members have expressed a desire to rid the city of Hawaiian Gardens of all African Americans and have engaged in a systematic effort to achieve that result by perpetrating crimes against" them, the document states.
The indictment details 476 "overt acts" gang members allegedly committed as part of the racketeering conspiracy between 1996 and 2009. The alleged crimes include the dealing of methamphetamine, heroin and crack and the slaying of a fellow gang member suspected of cooperating with law enforcement.
The document also details more than a dozen incidents in which blacks were allegedly beaten, shot at or harassed because of their race. In one incident, a gang member is accused of using a racial epithet against a black man, yelling at him to "get out of town," then attacking him with a garden rake.
The indictment states that one gang member was heard bragging about the slaying of deputy Ortiz, saying the killing of a cop had put the gang "back on the map."
About 1,400 local, state and federal law enforcement officers fanned out across the small, densely populated city just before dawn Thursday, arresting 90 suspected gang members, authorities said. Thirty-five of those charged were already in custody for other alleged crimes; 49 either remain at large or have yet to be identified. During the four-year probe, authorities seized 105 guns and more than 30 pounds of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin. The drugs had an estimated street value "worth well over a million dollars," said Timothy J. Landrum, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in Los Angeles.
Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office, said the number of defendants charged in the case significantly exceeded the 102 defendants charged in a case against the Florencia 13 gang two years ago -- a case prosecutors then said was the biggest of its kind in the nation.
Reaction to Thursday's raid varied.
Hawaiian Gardens Mayor Michael Gomez praised authorities. "The city appreciates the help, both in resources and personnel that we have received in today's anti-gang operation."
"Honest residents should not have to live in fear of lawless thugs who act like it's high noon at the OK Corral," Gomez said.
Barry Bruce, a community activist who attended the news conference at which the arrests were announced, accused authorities of overstating the gang problem in Hawaiian Gardens and of mistreating residents he said were falsely labeled as gang members.
"There are serious violations of civil rights going on in the community," Bruce, who runs an urban outreach program called Way Out Ministries, told reporters. "The police are supposed to follow the law."
Americas largest GANG RAID EVER conducted today in Hawaiian Gardens. 63 Gangsters busted, 147 Indicted. Tonight we are SAFER as a Community!
History was made in Hawaiian Gardens today. The Federal Government finally took back the streets from the street gangs that have infested this part of our community for the past several decades. Hawaiian Gardens is located just south of Cerritos and Artesia. It is the biggest GANG arrest EVER conducted in American History. That's amazing to comprehend. So, perhaps we can NOW have that "open conversation" about the "crime" and "gang" and other problem here in our area. Thanks to Eyewitness News for the coverage on this Raid today. Randy Economy
From Eyewitness News.
Federal and local agents say they've indicted nearly 150 members of a predominantly Latino gang operating in the Hawaiian Gardens area. Raids are under way as officials search for the suspects.
Agents say the members of the Varrio Hawaiian Gardens street gang are accused of targeting blacks in a series of shootings and other crimes.
The five federal indictments unsealed detail attempted murder, kidnapping, firearms, narcotics and other charges related to attacks by the gang. Authorities say the motive in the attacks was hate.
Agents seized dozens of weapons, including handguns and rifles, during the morning raids.
Police began tracking the Varrio Hawaiian Gardens gang in 2005 after the murder of L.A. County Sheriff's Deputy Jerry Ortiz. A member of the gang was arrested and later convicted and sentenced to death for the killing.
"Following the murder of Deputy Ortiz, the Sheriff's Department sought federal and local assistance to help destroy the Hawaiian Gardens gang," said U.S. attorney Tom O'Brien. "Working together, federal, local and state law enforcement, we investigated the gang and its affiliates. We now have the largest gang takedown in United States history. Today we have unsealed five federal indictments that name a total of 147 defendants. This morning 63 of those named in the indictment were arrested."
The gang members face 20 years to life in prison if convicted.
The multi-agency operation included personnel from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Kris Allen shocks America and Adam Lambert. Wins Idol going away
Image via Wikipedia
RANDY ECONOMY PHOTOS
Tonight I was stunned to see underdog Kris Allen walk away with the American Idol crown.
He beat the huge favorite Adam Lambert tonight before a stunned crowd over at the Nokia Theater here in Downtown LA.
I loved this entire year of American Idol. Okay, I admit it. I am a HUGE Adam Lambert Fan. He will be a hit, and I can only prayer that we never get to see him end up on "Celebrity Rehab."
Kris Allen is 23 years old, Born-Again Christian from Conway, Arkansas, and is a direct contrast to the more flamboyant/Gothic glam rocker Lambert, who now lives in Hollywood.
Small town America voted for Allen, but Lambert will become an American Icon. Trust me on this one. Anyway, tonight was incredible. KISS Rocked. Cyndi Lauper was amazing. The show was better than watching the Grammy's or the Academy Awards. Thanks to Simon Fuller for creating another masterpiece season!
BELOW are MORE HOT TID BITS on IDOL!
Election Update: I stand corrected. Our turnout over here in East Cerritos really sucked!
"Hi dear,
Not sure where you got the 274 number (of voters). We had a TOTAL of 127 voters the whole day. SAD SAD."
Gail
Sad commentary, in deed, thanks Gail!.
Randy Economy
CHU Smack Down: BETTY & JUDY head to Congressional Run Off in East Los Angeles!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Los Angeles City Attorney: It's THE NUCH over "Slick" Jack!
Image via Wikipedia
The "Nuch" WINS!
Los Angeles has a NEW City Attorney tonight, and he is not a "lap dog" for LA Mayor Antonio Villiaraigosa.
The winner will be Carman "Nuch" Trutanich. He won going away against embattled Los Angeles City Councilman Jack Weiss. Weiss was well financed with the help from LA Mayor's cash box.
This was a nasty, nasty campaign, with the mud being slung by both sides. The heavy ""anti-government" sentiment in this election season proved to be the "right message" for Trutanich.
Weiss is now out of LA City Hall. Check Please!Semi Final results has C "NUCH" TRUTANICH with 131,771 votes for 55.75% to JACK WEISS with 104,610 votes or 44.25%.
65% of Vote: CHU, CHU! The Congressional Chu-Chu Run-Off is about to HAPPEN!
CONGRESS - 32ND DISTRICT: "CandidatePartyVotesPercent
JUDY CHU DEM 11,832 33.31
GIL CEDILLO DEM 8,800 24.78
EMANUEL PLEITEZDEM 5,042 14.2
BETTY CHUREP 3,518 9.91
TERESA HERNANDEZ REP 2,684 7.56
DAVID A TRUAX REP 1,716 4.83
FRANCISCO ALONSO DEM 746 2.1
BENITA DURANDEM 427 1.2
C M AGRELLALIB 366 1.03
S LYSENKODEM 140 0.39
NICK JUAN MOSTERTDEM 138 0.39
RAFAEL F NADALDEM 107 0.3
Registration 245,787
Precincts Reporting 145
Total Precincts 222
% Precincts Reporting 65.32
LOS ANGELES CITY - ATTORNEY CAMPAIGN UPDATE: The "Nuch" is in Da' Lead!
Image via Wikipedia
The "Tru-Crime Fighter" for Los Angeles appears to be Carmen "Nuch" Trutanich who is now beating Westside LA City Councilman Jack Weiss for LA City Attorney. 31% of the votes have been counted!LOS ANGELES CITY - ATTORNEY: "LOS ANGELES CITY - ATTORNEY
Candidate Votes
C 'NUCH' TRUTANICH 58,592 52.52
JACK WEISS 52,966 47.48
Registration 1,590,790
Precincts Reporting 500
Total Precincts 1,623
% Precincts Reporting 30.81
32nd Congressional Race UPDATE: Judy Chu 37% Gill Cedillo 21% Pleitez 11%; Betty Tom Chu leads Hernandez for GOP slot
Image by Getty Images via Daylife
Candidate Party Votes Percent
JUDY CHU DEM 8,635 37.69
GIL CEDILLO DEM 4,837 21.11
BETTY CHU REP 2,608 11.38
EMANUEL PLEITEZ DEM 2,462 10.75
TERESA HERNANDEZ REP 1,766 7.71
Total Precincts 222
% Precincts Reporting 31.98
JUDY CHU DROPS to 40% of Vote. Still Leads Cedillo by 21%
"CandidatePartyVotesPercent
JUDY CHU DEM 7,066 40.39
GIL CEDILLO DEM 3,321 18.98
BETTY CHU REP 2,125 12.15
EMANUEL PLEITEZ DEM 1,619 9.25
TERESA HERNANDEZ REP 1,356 7.75
DAVID A TRUAX REP 1,087 6.21
FRANCISCO ALONSOD EM 342 1.95
BENITA DURAN DEM 209 1.19
C M AGRELLA LIB 184 1.05
NICK JUAN MOSTERT DEM 72 0 .41
S LYSENKO DEM 62 0.35
RAFAEL F NADAL DEM 53 0.3
Registration 245,787
Precincts Reporting 35
Total Precinct s222
% Precincts Reporting 15.77
32nd Congressional Race: Judy Chu is Mopping The Floor Over Gil Cedillo
It's not even close.
With 14% of the vote counted, Chu leads Cedillo by 30% of the total vote.
Chu will face Monterey Park City Councilwoman Betty Tom Chu in a Run Off Election to be held early this Summer. Cedillo's campaign was plagued with controversy over his lavish spending of campaign funds on "personal travel" and gifts for staff members, and lavish dinners.
Judy Chu is the current Chair of the California Board of Equalization, and had a text book campaign that focused on local issues, experience, and being an effective "problem solver."
RESULTS
JUDY CHU DEM 6,388 41.98
GIL CEDILLO DEM 2,628 17.27
BETTY CHU REP 1,938 12.74
EMANUEL PLEITEZ DEM 1,233 8.1
TERESA HERNANDEZ REP 1,202 7.9
DAVID A TRUAX REP 1,036 6.81
FRANCISCO ALONSO DEM 293 1.93
BENITA DURAN DEM 174 1.14
C M AGRELLA LIB 161 1.06
NICK JUAN MOSTERT DEM 66 0.43
S LYSENKO DEM 55 0.36
RAFAEL F NADAL DEM 43 0.28
Registration 245,787
Precincts Reporting 22
Total Precincts 222
% Precincts Reporting 9.91
Special Election: California's 32nd Congressional District, who will take Hilda's Seat in Congress?
Image via Wikipedia
BTW.
Tonight I am going to be following the HOT Special Election in the 32nd Congressional District, right here on the Blog. Leading Candidates to replace my pal Hilda Solis in Congress include Democrats Judy Chu (pictured), Gill Cedillo (above left) and Emanual Pleitez (seen/who actually attended schools here in Cerritos over at Leal), and Republicans Teresa Hernandez and Montery Park City Councilwoman Betty Tom "Cat" Chu.
Voter Earthquake: NO, NO, NO, NO, NO & NO AGAIN on Props 1A-1F! The Garage of Democracy ROCKED TODAY!
This Special Election was a total scam, and I hope these Measures go down in flames.
Shame on our Governor and Do-Nothing State Legislator for allowing this election to take place.
I voted over at Gail and Marty Grossman's "Garage of Democracy" on Ashworth Circle here on my East Side Cerritos Hood. (Gail is "seen" here giving me my ballot. I was the 274th person to vote today here in our Precinct).
I also hope everyone gets out and votes NO today. California needs to get it's Fiscal House in order. We need to start sending competent, smart, leaders to represent us to Sacramento.
Our next mission:
Recall those who can't fix our problems instead of re-electing them over and over and over again. Voter Revolt!
Your thoughts? RREconomy@aol.com
Randy Economy