_________________________________
_________________________________
“In towns and cities... there is no more important institution than the local paper.”
Warren Buffett
8255 Firestone Blvd. where Garcia has a nearly 2,400 square foot office and six parking spaces.
BY BRIAN HEWS • October 4, 2020
The area on Firestone Blvd. bordered by Downey Ave. and La Reina Ave. is one of the busiest in Downey, with the iconic Porto’s Bakery anchoring the upscale community gem.
Known as Downtown Downey, thousands of people, even during the pandemic, visit the area every day to exercise social distancing and enjoy the many fast casual restaurants, and then walk over to Porto’s for a fabulous dessert.
Across the courtyard from Porto’s, on the busy corner of Firestone and Downey, is the five-story Downtown Downey Office Plaza, home to Wells Fargo Bank, Keller Williams, Caremore Medical and, according to the Downey Chamber of Commerce directory, former Downey Mayor Mario Guerra.
It is a high-end business building, and its location commands some of the highest per square foot rates in Downey.
And in Suite 203 of the Downey Plaza is the field offices of Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia.
HMG has received documents from a Legislative Open Records Act (LORA) request that shows Garcia occupying the office since 2013.
The space originally started at 1,626 sq. ft., then increased by 771 sq. ft to 2,397 sq. ft., or 46 per cent, in 2015.
And since 2015, taxpayers have funded the high-end office, complete with six parking spaces, to the tune of $2.21 per sq. ft., $5,300 per month, $63,600 per year.
Just down the street on Florence is an office building charging $1.70 per sq. ft. which is the going rate in Downey.
That cost is 30% less than the Downey Plaza, but Garcia chose to bilk taxpayers another .51 cents per sq. ft., $1,222 per month, or nearly $15,000 per year to occupy the high-end office space with personal parking spots.
Garcia authored SB 625 that would have placed Central Basin Municipal Water into receivership for alleged “bad financial management.”
The bill failed, while yesterday HMG-CN revealed the new GM at Central Basin, Alex Rojas, found $1.5 million in revenue that former Finance Director Andrew Hamilton somehow missed.
Rojas also flagged $700,000 in over reported expenses, dropping $2.2 million to the agency’s bottom line.
HMG-CN emailed and texted Garcia asking if she knew anything about Hamilton’s actions, she did not respond.
Turns out Central Basin was in good financial shape, and Garcia is wasting tax payer dollars.
Questionable Political Connections
After HMG discovered the rent, research found that the building is owned by Tricities Cal Properties, LP.
The mailing address of Tricities Cal Properties is 3614 W Magnolia Blvd in Burbank, which is the home of Porto’s Bakery in Burbank.
A check on the California Secretary of State’s website shows that Tricities Cal Properties is owned by Raul Porto of the Porto Bakery’s family, meaning the Porto family owns the Downey Plaza building.
Assembly Rules lease with Tricities Cal Properties, LP.
Screenshot from Secretary of State’s website showing owner Raul Porto of Tricities Cal Properties, LP.
3614 West Magnolia Blvd., corporate headquarters for Tricities Cal Properties, owner of 8255 Firestone Blvd.
Central Basin Director Andrew Hamilton Paying Agency Employees Without Oversight or Approval
EXCLUSIVE: Central Basin Privatization-Corruption Web Involves Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon