Artesia, California - Corporate interests are seeking to undermine the ability of Artesia residents to govern themselves. National Ready Mix, and allegedly others, have apparently partnered with a San Diego corporate activist attorney called Everview Law to create an initiative to alter Artesia’s residential zones. But that’s not how they sold it to the Artesians: in flyers and in person, petitioners have told residents that the purpose of the initiative is to prevent a sales tax increase. Residents who signed the petition are saying that the company lied to them by saying the initiative was about preventing sales taxes. National Ready Mix is a successful corporation in Artesia. For years, National Ready Mix has been opposing a housing development bordering its property line, from the developers at G3 Urban.  Bait and Switch This bait and switch tactic was successful in convincing enough Artesians into signing the petition and therefore qualifying it to go to election. Thes...

Local 3947 Sergeant of Arms – Fracisco Guetierrez, President Lupita Gomez- Duran, City Attorney Perrodin, Legal Technician Sandra De Dios, Vice President Jose Lozano By Andrew Perry Vice President, AFSCME District Council 36 City of Compton rightfully paid back wages to Legal Technician Sandra De Dios, in the amount of $92,000, for working out of class for an extended period of time. Over the years, the dedicated members of AFSCME Local 3947 have faced numerous challenges stemming from unstable management, budget deficits, and unfortunate layoffs. This situation has forced our members to shoulder increased workloads, often without the corresponding compensation they rightfully deserve. The city administration's reluctance to provide adequate remuneration has further compounded the difficulties faced by our members. The ever-changing landscape of Compton's leadership, with at least 6 City Managers and 4 different City Attorneys since 2015, has created an environment characterize...

  By Andrew Perry President, Artesia Local 1520 Vice President, AFSCME District Council 36 Artesia, California - City employees had to do a double take when the City Council decided to offer handsome salary increases for two managers in particular, while maintaining historic low salaries for all other employees. As union president, I take the philosophy of transparent local government to heart. Many Artesians have expressed to me the approval of not just the fight for the City in 2021, but also the reasons behind it - that employees were concerned about the City's finances and the ability of the City to serve its residents. Recent events have again raised concerns about transparency, particularly in light of the roles these two managers played in 2021, when the City was under a different city manager, whom employees contend ran the City like a mafia boss. How Two High Level Managers Compromise Artesia's Integrity When every employee rebelled against the former City Manager for...

  District Attorney George Gascon ANDREW PERRY  Los Angeles, California - In an era filled with false charges of election fraud, people might think District Attorney George Gascon would have been eager to prosecute an actual case of election fraud in his own backyard, in the city of Artesia, located in southeast Los Angeles County. Ironically, he is choosing not to.  Election fraud is a common accusation these days. Former President Donald Trump still claims that’s how he lost the 2020 election, despite there being no evidence to support the claim. Arizona governor candidate Kari Lake claimed it too, but still - no evidence. So far, there have been few legit cases of election fraud. However, when a legitimate case of election fraud came in the city of Artesia came before Attorney General George Gascon after an almost year long investigation by the LA County Sheriff's Public Corruptions Unit, what did Gascon do? Nothing. In fact, he seems to actively be avoiding the case....

  Cerritos, California - Cerritos City Manager Art Gallucci is struggling to explain why he authorized an almost $50,000 salary increase for the Assistant City Clerk. This striking salary increase only came to light when an anonymous memo was sent to "All City Employees and City Councilmembers", under the subject line "Ensuring Transparency in Employee Promotions and Salary Survey." The memo is dated May 10, 2023 and is from "An Extremely Dissatisfied and Disheartened Employee."  A Mysterious Memo The memo alleges that City Clerk Vida Barone influenced two councilmembers (Mayor Bruce Barrows and Councilmember Chuong Vo) to instruct Gallucci to authorize the increase. The Eye On Pioneer could not verify if councilmembers would have any say in this. Salary and employment is heavily regulated, and only the City Manager can authorize such an increase. What's upsetting Cerritos employees is that the City is currently in the middle of a salary survey.  A s...

  Compton, California - City of Compton's manager Thomas Thomas (yes, that's his name) offered the City's own employees from AFSCME Local 3947 zero salary increases over a three year period. The union is now at an impasse. On May 23, employees and allies attended the City Council meeting to let their voices be known. This is the first step in an issue that is likely to escalate if these employees are not offered a fair contract.  #afscme #union #cityofcompton #comptonca