Artesia, California - Union President Andrew Perry  confronted the Artesia City Council during the public comments segment of the regular City Council meeting. Union President Andrew Perry (Artesia Local 1520 - AFSCME) confronts the City Council during the public comments segment of the regular City Council meeting. In particular, Mr. Perry addresses the votes of three councilmembers who sought to prevent future reports against the practices of City Manager Bill Rawlings, by removing a clause from a policy that made it easier for employees to report. Several employees had already given reports about their experiences with the City Manager using this policy. This is the public comment in its entirety: Mayor and City Council, my name is Andrew Perry, and I’m an employee of the City and President of AFSCME Local 1520 - our employee union. In November 2020, the City Council adopted a policy which essentially opened up another avenue for employees to report workplace bul...

Fred Licon’s profile picture on LinkedIn. Hawaiian Gardens - Fred Licon, the City’s Senior Community Relations Officer, has for over a decade held both the H.G. City Council and the City’s management in the palm of his hand. As Community Relations Officer, Licon is in charge of the City’s force of Public Safety Officers and the liaison for the Sheriffs Department. This undue influence stems from donations from the Irving Moskowitz Foundation, which is the foundation behind The Gardens Casino in Hawaiian Gardens. Licon used those donations (which were intended for charity) to fund political campaigns for the majority of the City Council, who in turn has offered him protection and special treatment. The most recent round of news about Licon’s sexual harassment allegations against employee Brianna Gonzalez is a symptom of the special treatment and protection he has been receiving. Most recently, Licon was the ‘campaign manager’ for three candidates during the November 2020 election - My...