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THURSDAY, JUNE 11 - JUNE 17, 2009 VOLUME 14, NO. 24
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Temple City Mayor, Former Mayor and Council Candidate Indicted on Felony Charges Capra Resigns, Strikes
From left: Attorney John Powers, Scott Carwile, former Mayor Cathe Wilson, Attorney Robert Wilson and Mayor Judy Wong of Temple City appeared in court in Los Angeles Wednesday morning on Felony charges. -Photos by Terry Miller
BY TERRY MILLER & JOHN STEPHENS
Temple City Mayor Judy Wong, former Mayor Cathe Wilson and a former council candidate Scott Carwile were all indicted this morning in Los Angeles on felony charges at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles.
21-COUNT INDICTMENT HANDED DOWN All three defendants appeared in Dept. 100 looking anxious and deeply affected by their respective circumstances. Mayor Judy Wong, former Mayor Cathe Wilson, and Wilson’s campaign treasurer
Scott Carwile pleaded not guilty to multiple felony counts of bribery and perjury. The 21-count indictment was returned Monday by the Los Angeles County Grand Jury and unsealed Wednesday by County Superior Court
Judge Patrica Schnegg after the three surrendered and appeared for arraignment. The charges stem from allegations that Wong, Wilson and David Capra, all council members in 2007, demanded and received cash bribes from
Randy Wang, developer of the beleaguered $75 million Piazza project long planned for the intersection of Las Tunas Drive and Rosemead Boulevard. The three allegedly demanded bribes and received campaign contributions in return for support of the project. David Capra plead guilty last week to one misdemeanor count of failure to report a campaign contribution and agreed to resign from the council effective immediately in exchange for protection from today’s felony charges levied against the other defendants. Wong, 53, is charged with three counts of perjury, five counts of bribery and one count of solicitation to commit bribery, all felonies. Wilson, 76, is charged with three counts each of perjury and bribery. Carwile, 50, is charged with four counts of perjury and one misdemeanor count of failure to establish a campaign fund for reporting contributions. Prosecutors asked that bail be set at $250,000 for Wong, $150,000 for Wilson and $100,000 for Carwile. Judge Schnegg refused requests by attorneys for bail reduction in the case of all three defendants. Judy Wong’s attorney, Sanford H. Perliss, said that his client continues to deny all the allegations. Developer Randy Wang’s attorney, Patrick Duffy on Tuesday afternoon and said
Indictment on 14
Plea Bargain to Avoid Further Charges Misdemeanor Offense Addresses Unreported Campaign Contributions BY JOHN STEPHENS
After a six years serving on the City Council of Temple City, David Capra resigned from the office on Tuesday June 2. In an email to City Clerk Mary Flandrick, Capra cited his ongoing health problems as the reason for his resignation. “My health has deteriorated since my recent stroke,” said Capra in the letter, “and my decision to resign is in large part due to my current health concerns.” Capra suffered a stroke one yea r ago la st June. Around the same time, it became known that he, as well as former Mayor Cathé Wilson and current Mayor Judy Wong were part of an investigation into alleged solicitation of bribes related to Randy Wang’s Piazza mall development. In February of this year, an armed investigation unit from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office performed unannounced searches of City Hall, the three council member’s homes, as well as that of Scott Carwile, a
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Henry’s Farmers Market Opens Next Wednesday Unclear Rules Governing Local Non-Profit Studio Delay Contract Renewal BY SUSAN MOTANDER
Monrovia Council Members Ask KGEM for Openness in Membership, Record Keeping and Public Input BY JOHN STEPHENS
Unlike most cities in Southern California, whose government and cable access channels are produced and programmed by a city-owned and operated studio, Monrovia’s channels are managed by a non-profit organization called Community Media of the Foothills (CMF) which either produce content for and/ or program and administer three channels in Monrovia,
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Councilman Tom Adams called KGEM’s now-defunct membership fee “Un-American”, instead proposing a tiered membership program wherein wine glasses would be given to those contributing higher amounts to the non-profit studio.-Photo Courtesy of KGEM-TV
Next Wednesday, June 17, 2009 Henry’s Farmers Market will open at 400 W. Huntington Drive, the corner of Huntington and Mayflower. To celebrate, they will be giving away 200 bags of preselected groceries to the first people to arrive. The location has been vacant since Lucky’s market left more than a decade ago. In addition to the completely remodeled store, the complex will feature new stores which will be in place soon. “Our greatest strength is our produce department” Janet Little, nutritionist and spokesman for Henry’s Farmers Market, said. In this new more than 25,000 sq. ft. will be dedicated to produce.
-Henrys Market
“Henry’s started as a produce market 66 years ago,” she noted. She described the presentation of the produce as reminiscent of a produce stand with “beautiful, bountiful piles of produce.” Another feature of the store is the large selection of bulk food items. Bak-
-Photo By Terry Miller
ing needs such as flours, legumes, seeds and more are available in the amount the consumer wants to purchase. “I like to say hat we have as much as you want or as little as you need,” Little said. In addition to the bulk food items (which includes
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