THE NEXT BIG FIGHT
WEDNESDAYMAY 11, 2016
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CRYSTAL CITY, TEXAS
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ZAPATA
124 pounds of cocaine seized from home Alleged renter arrested by federal, state agents By César G. Rodriguez THE ZAPATA TIME S
Robin Jerstad / Texas Tribune
Former Crystal City Mayor Ricardo Lopez, who was indicted along with four of five city councilmen, was voted out of office Saturday.
State and federal authorities seized more than $1.5 million in narcotics at a home in Zapata over the weekend, an affidavit
states. Law enforcement also arrested Jose Manuel Alaniz for allegedly concealing the 124 pounds of cocaine at the property, states the criminal complaint filed Monday.
The arrest and seizure unfolded Friday. Drug Enforcement Administration special agents and the Texas Department of Public Safety conducted surveillance at a home at 105 Illinois St. The residence
was a suspected a stash house, the complaint alleged. Authorities met with a man who identified himself as Alaniz, the renter of the property. Alaniz denied Cocaine continues on A11
Mayor, BILLS COMING DUE FOR two city TROUBLED FOSTER CARE SYSTEM councilmen ousted by recall vote TEXAS
Three incumbents face federal charges By John MacCormack SA N A NT ONI O EX P R E SS-NEWS
After enduring months of scandal, conflict and harsh media attention, Crystal City voters spoke loudly Saturday, recalling three indicted City Council members and electing two new ones, all by landslide margins. Former Mayor Frank Moreno returned to the position he held almost two decades ago, gaining almost two-thirds of the vote in a three-way race. Newcomer Michele Ruiz also was easily elected to the council. The three incumbents targeted for recall — Mayor Ricardo Lopez and Councilmen Roy Mata and Marco Rodriguez, all facing federal charges — were swept out of office by crushing margins. “We were on a mission. We walked the streets. It was a long haul, and history was made here,” said Diana Jimenez, 67, one of the organizers of the recall attempt, which began in October but ultimately required a court order to succeed. “It was very embarrassing to look at all the media, but it’s not fair to say we’re all like that. There are a lot of good people in Crystal City,” she added. The low point for this low-income city 130 miles southwest of San Antonio came in February, when more than 80 federal agents and other police con-
ducted an early-morning raid, seizing documents and arresting city officials. Charged with bribery in a three-year FBI investigation were City Manager James Jonas III, Lopez, Councilmen Roy and Roel Mata, who are brothers, and former Councilman Gilbert Urrabazo. All were accused of taking money from people seeking favors or city business, and all five remain free on bail, awaiting trial. Councilman Joel Barajas, who was not charged and regularly found himself in the minority, remains on the council. Rodriguez, who was not named in the bribery investigation, had been charged earlier with human smuggling. He, too, awaits trial. The bribery arrests followed several years of political friction and council dysfunction, which included council members boycotting meetings and at times a heavy police presence in the council room. Much of the disruption was blamed on Jonas, a former high-flying lobbyist in Austin and Washington, D.C., who improbably reinvented himself in Crystal City as the combined city manager/city attorney, earning $216,000 a year. The reconstruction task that awaits the new council, which will meet for the first time next Tuesday, remains daunting if Recall continues on A11
Photo illustration by Todd Wiseman, Karolina Michalak, Felipe Hadler / Texas Tribune
In a December ruling, U.S. District Judge Janis Jack ordered the state to pay special masters to study ways to improve foster care over a six-month period.
State on the hook for costs of external review By Edgar Walters TEXAS TRIBUNE
Two special masters appointed by a federal judge to oversee reforms to the state’s embattled foster care system have begun visiting with state officials, and their recent two-and-a-
half-day orientation is projected to cost the state roughly $43,000, according to state officials. The cost of the meetings held April 25-27 are just the beginning of an openended tab for court-ordered oversight after U.S. District Judge Janis Jack
ruled last year that Texas’ long-term foster care system treated children inhumanely and violated their civil rights. In that December ruling, Jack ordered the state to pay special masters to study ways to improve foster care over a six-
month period. In March, Jack picked two special masters favored by children’s rights advocates: Francis McGovern, a Duke University law professor, and Kevin Ryan, a partner at the New Jersey nonprofit Public Catalyst, which Bills continues on A11
LAREDO COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Trustees undecided on president Board reaches no consensus on finalists By Philip Balli THE ZAPATA TIME S
Laredo Community College trustees could not reach a consensus Monday evening during a special-called meeting Solis Muñoz regarding the appointment of a new president between four finalists vyfor the institution. ing for the position. Trustees convened in The candidates and their executive session for about current jobs are: an hour-and-a-half, after 1 Anthony Cruz, vice preswhich, board president ident of enrollment manMercurio Martinez said agement and student afthere was absolutely no fairs at Sinclair Communiconsensus and no action ty College in Ohio was taken. 1 Robert Muñoz, vice presTrustees are currently
Cruz
Pedraja
ident of community and industry education at Tarrant County College District in Fort Worth 1 Luis Pedraja, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Antioch University in California 1 Ricardo Solis, dean of academic professional and
technical education at Gateway Community College in Arizona Martinez said trustees skyped with members of the National Association of Community Colleges, asking for their “guidance and advice.” “At the present time, we’re still in the negotiation stages,” Martinez said. Martinez was not able to provide a timeframe in which he expects a candidate will be chosen. Philip Balli may be reached at 728-2528 or pballi@lmtonline.com