Readers’Choice 2012 2013
Tops in the Valley
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San Gabriel Police File Second Lawsuit Against City
A zusa B eacon Monrovia Weekly Temple Tribune ArcAdiA Weekly Monday, JUNE 4 - June 10, 2012 Volume xVIi, No. XXIII
Monday Edition of the
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El Monte Celebrates with the SGVCA
Tops in the Valley
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San Gabriel Public Safety Forum Criticizes City Administrator’s Priorities by jim e. winburn
President Dr Michael Ortiz, and South El Monte residents John and Ruth Gonzalez. “These people were selected not only because they are significant at the moment, but because their lives have been dedicated
The San Gabriel Police Officers’ Association hosted a town hall meeting Wednesday that criticized the city for compromising its public safety employees’ service to the community. The SGPOA, in partnership with the San Gabriel Police Management Group and San Gabriel Firefighters’ Association, discussed staffing problems and other issues that seemingly point to city administrators’ lack of regard for public safety. Nearly 70 residents and business owners attended the May 30 meeting at the San Gabriel Masonic Hall that followed on the heels of the public safety employee groups’ recent labor agreements with the city. Detective Fabian Valdez, president of the San Gabriel Police Officers’
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Jerry Velasco SGVCA Treasurer, Andre Quintero El Monte Mayor, Magi Avila actress and Co/Host, Mike Gomez Actor and Co/Host, Ed Rendon SGVCA Chairman, and Government Award Honoree Assemblyman Anthony Portantino. -Photo Courtesy of SGVCA
El Monte Mayor Andre Quintero and other appointed city officials joined the San Gabriel Valley Civic Alliance (SGVCA)’s second annual awards dinner celebrated at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel in Baldwin Park on May 19th. The SGVCA was
formed two years ago as a non-profit organization intending to highlight significant community members and businesses in the San Gabriel Valley. “We saw a need for an organization that would bring attention to the activities in our area,” said SGVCA’s treasurer Jerry Velasco.
2 Suspects Arrested in 2007 Murder of 82 Year-Old Man in Rosemead On November 5, 2007 in the early afternoon hours, victim Robert Hewitt, male White, 82-years of age, was robbed and assaulted in the garage of his residence in the 8500 Block of Guess Street in Rosemead. Temple Station deputies responded and discovered Victim Hewitt had sustained multiple blunt force trauma injuries. He was transported to a local hospital where he remained in a coma until being pronounced dead 11 months later from injuries sustained in the robbery. Sheriff's Homicide Bureau Investigators Ken Perry and Dan McElderry were assigned to the investigation upon Hewitt’s
2012 2013
CItY
by terry miller The San Gabriel Police Officers Association has filed a second lawsuit against the city in what appears to be a growing tension/frustration between the officers and city officials. The new lawsuit alleges that the city has been asking officers to meet a quota of traffic tickets. After the recent discovery of other improprieties by top City officials in San Gabriel, the San Gabriel Police Officers’ Association continues their efforts to clean up what they call “ unethical and potentially illegal behavior within City government.” This time, the circumstances revolve around the implementation of illegal ticket quotas on line-level officers according to the San Gabriel Police Officers’ Association website. The Association’s Attorney, Dieter Dammeier, stated that this is just “the latest
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death. Possible suspects, who attempted to use the victim’s stolen credit cards after the robbery were identified and interviewed, but could not be tied directly to the robbery or murder. Biological evidence left at the scene led investigators to confirm the possible suspect. An additional second suspect and suspect vehicle were also identified. The scientific evidence implicated the same individuals who had used the stolen credit cards. However, there was not enough evidence to obtain a criminal filing for the robbery or murder and the case went cold for several years.
In May 2012, Investigators McElderry and Perry were able to gain additional information through investigative techniques, which led to the arrest of the two suspects in connection to the robbery and murder of Victim Hewitt. On May 14, 2012, two admitted gang members from the San Gabriel Valley area, Suspect Adrian Gardea, a 26-year man from Whittier and Leonardo Alegre, a 36-year old man from Montebello, were arraigned in Rio Hondo Superior Court and are being held in-custody with no bail. The pending charges are one count each Please see page 2
“Prior to that we only saw alike recognitions in Los Angeles.” This year’s event honored Sheriff Lee Baca, Megatoys CEO Charlie Woo, Ironworkers’s Tom Moxley, Assembly members Anthony Portantino (D-44) and Curt Hagman (R-60), Cal Poly Pomona’s
El Monte’s Annual Memorial Day Ceremony Pays Tribute to City’s Fallen Soldiers of Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
Martha Reyes, left, and Jose Francisco Reyes, the parents of Rudy Reyes, view the newly-dedicated plaque bearing the name of their son and other El Monte fallen soldiers of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq at the City of El Monte’s Memorial Day and Dedication Ceremony Monday at Tony Arceo Park. -Photo by Mario Villegas
On the day the nation honors service men and women, the City of El Monte remembered its fallen soldiers of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars Monday at the City’s annual Memorial Day and Dedication Ceremony at Tony Arceo Memorial Park. The fallen soldiers were saluted with a plaque dedicated in their memory during the ceremony. The following are the names of El Monte’s fallen soldiers of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq: Army Specialist Marisol Heredia, 2007, Navy SerPlease see page 2