Cafeteria workers, maintenance, and bus drivers are all Local 2229  Bonnie Tyler sang an ‘80s anthem entitled “I Need a Hero.”  But the heroes of ABC Unified School District are not needed, at least that is the impression they’re getting from the the School Board.   The District’s representative told AFSCME Local 2229 that the Board gave a raise to the employees they most needed, the teacher s  who returned to schools to teach.  However, schools would not even be opened, much less remain open, without the work of essential workers like cafeteria and maintenance employees.  Community members, and other union members, these employees are asking for your support.  Please join AFSCME Local 2229 for a demonstration at the District Office on June 1 st  from  5:00 pm to 6:00 pm.  The Board needs to understand these workers are just as essential to the District as the teachers. Throughout the pandemic, these workers: •  Replaced all the air...

Fred Licon  BREAKING NEWS - Two more employers have served the City of Hawaiian Gardens for sexual harassment from Fred Licon, a supervisor in the Public Safety Department. Licon was the alleged subject in a harassment claim a few weeks ago, and is a controversial character who often claims that the City nor its City Council will not touch him.  This is because Licon used funds from the Moskowitz Foundation (the Foundation behind the Gardens Casino) to fund the majority of the City Council’s campaigns.  Licon has numerous accusations of sexual harassment and harassment over the years. 

  Artesia, California  - Buried deep within a flurry of financial reports in the next Artesia City Council agenda (May 10, 2021) is a ‘working draft’ dated June 2020, purporting to demonstrate Artesia’s gargantuan emergency reserve.  At the time of this article, June 2020 is 11 months ago.  And so begins another saga about Artesia’s mysterious finances and it’s unusually large ‘emergency reserve.’ In June last year, City Manager Bill Rawlings was boasting about having a 113 percent emergency reserve, or about $13.6 million of the budget given that Artesia has an approximately $10 million operating budget.  At the time, it was praised as a feat of financial genius. Today, many think this may be a sleight of hand. Not to be outdone by last year’s emergency reserve, the City Manager is now boasting $15 million in reserves.   A screenshot of the Working Draft of Artesia’s reserve, found in the May City Council Agenda. What Is A Reserve? In order to critique a r...

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...

Artesia’s municipal government has one of the highest turnover rates of employees of any City, and much of it can be attributed to management styles at the executive level. The employee union is asking the Mayor and the City Council to conduct exit interviews of employees who have left the City, and at least issue a survey of all current employees to determine the root of the problem. For most jobs across the public and private sectors, a healthy turnover rate is about 10 percent, according to most human resources academics. But for cities and local governments, the average turnover rate is far lower, about 1.4 percent, according to Daily Pay, a Human Resources website. The reason for this lower turnover rate is that city jobs entail pensions, a clear retirement plan, a union, and several perks. Underlying Reasons for Artesia’s High Turnover Rate Andrew Perry is the President of the employee union, Local 1520 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSC...

AFSCME Local 2999 employees in front of the school district. Residents and employees in Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Lakewood, and Hawaiian Gardens are showing support for ABC School District employees today. Food service and maintenance workers at the ABC School District are getting unfair treatment by the District office, despite being the only class of employees to have worked in the field and directly with hte public through the entire pandemic. On April 15, employees and residents are showing support for their efforts. They rallied in front of the school district in Cerritos for about 15 minutes. While not everyone could be there at the time, residents and neighbors in communities covered by the ABC School District are showing their support by wearing their button. The 7X means they were seven times more likely to be exposed and quarantined during the pandemic than other employees. AFSCME Local 1520 President Andrew Perry and Artesia resident Sam Choi.  

  A couple of weeks ago, Eye on Pioneer published an article regarding the City of Artesia’s budget , how it doesn’t make sense, and that in many ways it seems like there is a hand of manipulation behind it. Since that article, there have been calls from the community for a budget study or a town hall meeting.  Eye on Pioneer sat down with Andrew Perry, President of Local 1520 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), to talk about this hot topic.   “I’m concerned on behalf of the employees that there is something fishy going on with the budget. Even just a casual glance at the current budget sparks questions,” said Perry. “The City’s finances are the life blood of the City, and therefore important for the livelihood of its employees. If there are issues with the budget, it’s important that it is handled appropriately.” “A budget should answer questions, not create them,” added Perry.  “I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed,”...