Showing posts with label Ramin Salari. Show all posts

Friday, June 01, 2012

JOHN NOGUEZ CRIMINAL PROBE: Scott Schenter's List Published by Los Cerritos Community Newspaper

Never been more proud to call myself a "community newspaper reporter."

Today, my Publisher Brian Hews (Los Cerritos Community Newspaper) published a list of more than 170 properties that received massive property appraisal reductions under the guise of recently arrested Los Angeles County Property Appraisal Specialist Scott Schenter.

Time for EVERYONE to SEE for THEMSELVES those who got the reductions and how much property tax agents actually control the activities of Assessor John Noguez and his entire inner circle. Stay tuned. Los Cerritos Community Newspaper is now working hand in hand with one of America's biggest cable news networks on these latest developments.

Stay tuned....

Wait a minute....here is the ENTIRE article and the documents link for you to enjoy....read...and just wrap your arms around. Grab a glass of wine....

RrE

Monday, May 21, 2012

NOGUEZ INDICTMENTS BEGIN! FIRST UP IS SCOTT SCHENTER AND HIS INFAMOUS SCHENTER'S LIST OF 179 "PRIME" SUSPECTED PROPERTIES

Open publication - Free publishing

ABOVE INDICTMENT #1.
Were do I begin. This is was an amazing day. Finally...THE FIRST ARREST has been made in the criminal probe into pay to play activities deep inside the Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office this morning.

Today was a whirlwind. Got a "heads up" that INDICTMENT #1 was HAPPENING TODAY. First set of hand cuffs were presented to Scott Schenter, Property Appraiser Specialist in the West District Office.

Scott Schenter: HE'S #1!

I published the now famous "Schenter's List" of 179 properties that were represented by property tax agent Ramin Salari, and a couple of others....that I will be focusing on in the coming days....

My phone started ringing at crack of dawn.... I think I need to get use to not having much sleep over the next several weeks. Los Cerritos Community Newspaper was a bee hive all day long. Got a call from David Cruz from KTLK 1150 AM to do a 10 minute update at 3:20

Univision Radio (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

p.m. Check. Then, Ray Lopez, Producer of the John and Ken Show on KFI asked me to do the "top of the 3 p.m. hour" to talk about today's arrest. I did both of those interviews in the backseat of my Editor Jerry Bernstein's new car driving up the 605 Freeway.

Next stop was a one hour studio interview with Univision Radio Network talk show host Fernando Espuleas. Got to the studio of 1020 KTNQ AM in Glendale...at 3:50 p.m. and Fernando and I were like paper and glue. A PERFECT fit.

KTLK (AM) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It was the best and most on target interview about today's arrest.

KFI logo from 1981 to 1988 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Fernando, David, John and Ken are amazing and totally committed to diving into the "nuts

John Kobylt (left) and Ken Chiampou. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

and bolts" on how this entire situation "came to be..."

Related articles

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

Assessor John Noguez changes "Relationship Status" with tax agent Ramin Salari to "ITS COMPLICATED." Today's exclusive from Los Cerritos Community Newspaper

Got a couple of updates from Los Cerritos Community Newspaper today on our on line web site. Yep. Got hundreds of them emails between Los Angeles County Assessor John Noguez and Property Tax Agent Ramin Salari...anyway....this one we published today between the two is a real "eye opener." I hear that Noguez and Salari might be in a bit of a "tiff" right now.

Is their relationship status about to change to "It's Complicated?"

“Oh, sure. Drag me under the bus why don’t you.”

-Tax Agent Ramin Salari to
Los Angeles County Assessor John Noguez
in email obtained by
Los Cerritos Community Newspaper
dated on Wednesday, November 25, 2009.

By Randy Economy
Los Angeles County Assessor John R. Noguez and controversial tax agent Ramin Salari engaged in a series of personal emails exchanges that dealt with untold number of property assessment reductions as well as other off the off the cuff comments, Los Cerritos Community Newspaper can confirm.
Noguez and Salari are the central figures in a wide ranging criminal probe by members of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office of Public Integrity.
Los Cerritos Community Newspaper has obtained hundreds of emails that show in great details the amount of access and influence Salari has over Noguez and his top staff members inside the Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office.
Salari and Noguez have been close political allies for the past decade. Salari was a key donor to Noguez political campaigns going back to when he served as the Mayor of Huntington Park, through his successful campaign to the Assessor’s office in 2010.
Back on Wednesday, November 25, 2009, Salari sent Noguez a personal email from his American On-Line account address MyF430Spider@aol.com at 6:29 a.m. under the subject line “Commercial Property Prices Fall Up to 55%.”
Salari sends Noguez a link to an article in Bloomberg News that talks about current decline in market values.
Noguez then at 8:25 a.m. forwarded Salari’s email to Assessor employees, Morris Ko, Alex Yotsov, Ronald Arison, Dale Hammonds, Mark Newkirk, Terrance Tengan, Cary Marlowe-Petrell, Jerry House and Jeff Meyer with the note: “An anonymous source (Salari) has sent me an interesting link regarding the market to make our job easier. Will this suffice to drop everything by 55%?”
Noguez then forwards that email back to Salari at 9:27 a.m. (US Mountain time, Salari is based in Arizona) from his official government account JNoguez@assessor.lacounty.gov the comment “I sent it out.”
Then 30 minutes later Salari responds to Noguez from his same AOL email account: “Oh, sure. Drag me under the bus why don’t you.”
ENTIRE ARTICLE AT LOS CERRITOS COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Prosecutors are looking at more than 179 properties whose owners got improper tax reductions.
Los Cerritos Community Newspaper was the first news agency to report on the criminal investigation in a series of investigative articles beginning on Feb. 6, 2012. LCCN has been featured on CBS News, KCAL9, KRLA Talk Radio, KABC Talk Radio, the Los Angeles Times, LA Daily Newspaper and other publications around the United States for their reporting efforts during the past several weeks.
(Copyright. Los Cerritos Community Newspaper. Permission to Republish Granted With Proper Attribution. 2012)

Friday, April 13, 2012

ASSESSOR NOGUEZ MUST RESIGN: Los Cerritos Community Newspaper demands that Noguez step down

"It all adds up – unlike Noguez’ tax revenue projections – that he must resign."

--Los Cerritos Community Newspaper Editorial

Time for Los Angeles County Assessor John Noguez to resign.

Los Cerritos Community Newspaper is the first news agency in Southern California to demand that Los Angeles County Assessor John Noguez step down from his position.

This is long in coming. LCCN has been the leading outlet to cover misstep after misstep of Noguez and his flock of taxpayer supporter cronies.

Here is the opinion from LCCN from Friday's edition.

OPINION: Assessor John Noguez Must Resign

At this week’s LA County Supervisor meeting, LA County Assessor John Noguez told the supervisors that tax revenue for the quarter would be “off by $50 million” and that “he did not see it coming”.

As you have read in this newspaper since February, the only one who could not see this coming was Nogeuz and anyone who defended him. There were plenty of warning signs that this deficit was coming, including articles citing the slide in the LA Times.

It all adds up; Noguez must resign.

First, he hired an ex trash hauler executive, Dr. Chris Carlos with no experience in appraisals or property tax assessments, named him his chief of staff, and then paid him more than anyone else, over $16,000 per month. Carlos ex-company, Athens Disposal, was under indictment when he was hired. Carlos has since resigned due to the revelation of pay and inexperience in articles published by LCCN.

Second, the operations, policies and procedures inside the assessor’s office-and this is before the $50 million deficit was revealed-is in shambles, no doubt in large part due to Carlos. Assessor’s representative Scott Schenter was able to secure large tax reductions for over 170 properties, 20% of those properties reduced by the “Shadow Assessor” Ramin Salari who banked 50% of each reduction. An assessor’s supervisor should have reviewed the properties in question, but mysteriously they were not.

Third, LA County DA’s Public Integrity investigation of his office, two are ongoing right now.

Fourth, the pay-to-play politics-run by Carlos-that is rampant at every level, including inside the office. It was revealed that many large political donors to the Noguez campaign have received preferential treatment by Noguez and his cronies. There were even donations from internal staff at the office to his campaign.

Fifth, the subpoena recently issued to Noguez by a San Diego attorney representing a client suing Salari. Salari, under oath during a deposition, said he did not know Noguez . When asked repeatedly, Salari finally took the fifth. After LCCN revealed that Salari knew Noguez, the San Diego attorney subpoenaed Noguez. Not surprisingly, the case was settled by Salari in about a week.

Sixth, Noguez allowing a private company to come into his office and shoot a video that promoted a private company. LCCN revealed this gaff the next day and the private company immediately pulled the video, probably at the behest of the assessor’s office. The next day LCCN received a letter from Noguez attempting to explain the video.

Lastly, the current $50 million deficit, the damage that will be caused to cities, schools, public safety, etc in Los Angeles and the upcoming internal audit. None of the Supervisors, with a combined experience of over 100 years had ever seen anything like this deficit, or the arrogance displayed by Noguez at the meeting.

It all adds up – unlike Noguez’ tax revenue projections – that he must resign.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Los Cerritos Community News Investigation Results in Assessor Noguez Subpoena

Los Cerritos Community News Investigation Results in Assessor Noguez Subpeona

Los Cerritos Community News Investigation Results In Assessor Noguez Subpoena

ASSESSOR HEADING TO COURT.....

Note: Los Cerritos Community Newspaper has done it again! Not a good day in the Kenny Hahn Hall of Administration....trust me on this one...

BY RANDY ECONOMY AND BRIAN HEWS

Los Angeles County Assessor John R. Noguez has been subpoenaed to appear in a Downtown Los Angeles courtroom on April 16 regarding a case involving one of his biggest campaign contributors-Encino businessman Ramin Salari-Los Cerritos Community Newspaper has learned exclusively.
Noguez was served with the subpoena late Thursday afternoon at his office located inside the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration in Los Angeles at the behest of San Diego attorney Jason Saccuzzo of the law firm Vivoli Saccuzzo, LLP.
The case revolves around Salari and his Nevada based company, Assessment Appeals, LLC., and a Los Angeles couple Robert and Hersel Neman who contracted with his company in 2010 regarding the reassessment of properties located at the 800 block of Harvard Avenue, as well as the 3400 block of West Eighth Street, both in Los Angeles. Saccuzzo is representing the Nemans.
Salari is seeking damages for a “failure to make payment” on a commission for obtaining an “alleged reduction” of property taxes as allowed under a voter passed imitative known as Proposition 8.
In a demurrer filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on October 18, Saccuzzo argued that since Salari did not possess any kind of advanced degree, such as a CPA license or a Doctorate of Jurisprudence, that he was not qualified to argue cases in front of the Assessor Appeals Board.

CLICK HERE FOR ENTIRE LCCN ARTICLE!

Meet Randy Economy

You may know me from my role as the Senior Advisor and Official Media Spokesman for the Recall Gavin Newsom campaign that established a worldwide blitz of interviews. I conducted more than 2,200 media interviews on behalf of “The People’s Recall” during a 10-month period from November 2020 to September 2021. The iconic magazine Mother Jones in a dramatic feature article called me “A ‘Superhero Pirate’ Radio Host, (and) Gavin Newsom’s Strangest—and Most Dangerous—Threat. Meet Randy Economy, the man behind the effort to recall California’s governor.” I appeared on more than 330 media outlets around the world in my capacity with RecallGavin2020. Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, Newsmax, NBC Nightly News, ABC News, as well as the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Politico, and dozens of other media outlets aired featured reports on my work on behalf of “The People’s Recall.” I am and will always consider myself to be a journalist. Sometimes I think I bleed ink. My talents as an Investigative Journalists in California earned me FIVE top awards from the prestigious Los Angeles Press Club in 2013, 2014, and 2016. I am tenacious. My reporting over the years has led to the prosecution of several elected officials in California. While working for a tiny community newspaper in Southeast Los Angeles County, I worked doggedly to expose the biggest public corruption case in Los Angeles County history when I unearthed a massive pay to play scheme inside the Assessor’s Office that led to the arrest of then Assessor John R. Noguez and four others. However, politics has been in my DNA since I was a child. I have worked on more than 300 political campaigns as a consultant and advisor since 1982 for candidates from all sides of the political spectrum including Democrats and Republicans, and even Libertarians. I am also a small business owner, serving as the President and CEO of Hot Water Studio & Production, LLC. My company works with media outlets across the state, nation, and world exposing public corruption via several new media platforms. I have also overcome personal challenges. I am legally blind with zero vision in my right eye and only 40 percent vision remaining in my left eye. I sometimes wear an eyepatch due to my failed vision. (Hence the nickname of “America’s Political Pirate.”