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“In towns and cities... there is no more important institution than the local paper.”
Warren Buffett
By Randy Economy and Brian Hews
Two individuals have come forward to Hews Media Group-Community News to dispute the content of articles published in the Whittier Daily News and posted online on the news radio site KPCC about Central Basin Water Director Art Chacon.
Moe Masanian of Montebello and former Director Ed Vasquez have provided HMG-CN statements that directly contradict information in the articles the two news outlets broke last week regarding Chacon.
The articles centered around a Nov 4, 2010 automobile accident Chacon was involved in on the 710 freeway at 5:40 p.m.
Since the publishing of the articles, Chacon’s adversaries on the board have been quick to criticize and provide quotes to both Whittier Daily News and Pasadena based public radio station KPCC. Chacon claims the articles are politically motivated and that the two news outlets are publishing propaganda, ignoring important facts and publishing false stories.
Chacon was not ‘on the job’
Vasquez confirmed that Masanian, who is an active leader in the Armenian church in Montebello, called him and Chacon a combined three times to visit the site on Lincoln Avenue in Montebello.
The project, which caused major problems on Lincoln, was a $30 million Southeast Recycled Water Project (SWRP) that ran from South Whittier to the Montebello Golf Course. Pacifica Services, owned by Ernie Camacho, received the engineering and project management contract for the job.
Chacon stated for the record, which was confirmed to HMG-CN by Director Ed Vasquez, that he was at the Central Basin headquarters in Commerce the afternoon of Nov. 4, with both Director Vasquez and then General Manager Art Aguilar present, when the third call was received about the problems with the project in Montebello.
Chacon said he told both Vasquez and Aguilar he was going to visit the site, and they both acknowledged Chacon’s decision.
Sources told HMG-CN that Aguilar, after the Nov. 4 accident, also told CB insurance carrier, the Joint Powers Insurance Authority based in La Palma, that Chacon was ‘on the job’when he went to Montebello.
But in a deposition related to the Pacifica lawsuit, a company Aguilar and former indicted Assemblyman Tom Calderon brought into Central Basin in 2007, Aguilar changed his version of the details of the incident story and denied that Chacon told him he was going to Montebello to conduct a site inspection of the work contracted with Pacifica.
HMG-CN published an article with supporting documents last year that showed Aguilar altered several no-bid contracts in favor of Pacifica without Board approval, totaling $5 million.
When told of Aguilar’s statement, Curtis Parvin attorney for CB said, “in regards to Aguilar’s testimony [at the deposition] it is not consistent with my recollection of what he told me, and I am very disappointed Aguilar said that.”
Further evidence that Chacon was on the job was the $63,000 worker’s compensation settlement he received under case number ADJ8044889. An employee cannot receive worker’s compensation settlement unless they were on the job when the accident occurred.
Chacon told HMG-CN that, “one of our constituents asked me to come out and see the ‘mess’ on Lincoln Ave and that’s what I did. I needed to see the mess so I could then call Pacifica and complain. That’s what we are elected to do, serve the people.”
Chacon ‘did not have auto insurance’
A source at CB told HMG-CN that CB’s insurance carrier JPIA acts ‘just like a regular insurance company.’ JPIA’s policy with Central Basin contains terms, conditions, and exclusions similar to all other insurance policies.
The high-level source went on to say, “JPIA’s policy does not exclude CB Directors from auto insurance if they do not have a valid driver’s license, therefore Director Chacon had insurance coverage under CB’s policy at the time of the accident. The lack of a license is not a basis for to deny coverage.”
The KPCC on-line article also said that current Directors Leticia Vasquez and James Roybal were “never told about the lawsuit payout.”
“I had spoken to all the Directors over the past several months of my intention to settle a number of employee and director related matters,” General Manager Tony Perez told HMG-CN.
“Central Basin’s insurance carrier is currently dealing with Bob Apodaca’s multimillion dollar sexual battery and harassment lawsuit with more potential victims in the wings. Leticia Vasquez is shaking down vendors for payoffs and is facing yet another recall. James Roybal has been banished to Los Angeles Unified School District’s notorious ‘Teacher’s Jail.’ “I think if I was them, I’d be using whatever tools available to deflect what’s really going on wrong at Central Basin too,” Chacon said.
Board President Phil Hawkins, when reached for comment, had only to say that he wished that members of the Board could find a way to work together instead of against each other for the good of the people we represent. “We may not always agree, but we need to remember why we were elected in the first place.”
“Since serving side by side with Director Chacon, he has shown to be a strong advocate for his constituents, and this is why it did not surprise me that he was driving to go investigate a complaint pertaining to Pacifica. It’s unfortunate he had an auto accident in the course of his duties as a public servant,” Hawkins said.
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2 Responses to Two People Come Forward to Refute KPCC and Whittier Daily News Story on Chacon