The Inglewood City Council agenda for Tuesday, March 19th, has only two items to approve. The meeting is expected to last no more than 15 minutes and doesn’t contain a staff report related to the emergency rent stabilization ordinance introduced by Mayor James Butts.
The city will approve work related to the parking garage at 115 Locust and it appears the dubious signature by City Manager “Artie Fields” has reappeared. It is 2UrbanGirls belief that the signature is not authentic.
The city will also approve warrant payments which doesn’t include a $5,000 payment to Courtney Torres Consulting. A public records request reveals thee city has been paying for services not approved by council. 2UrbanGirls has requested the “short form” the city is notorious for authorizing to keep from voting on them in public. This same tactic was used to pay Mayor Butts’ former mouthpiece, Jasmyne Cannick, who is now working in the office of Los Angeles Council President Herb Wesson.
Another item, of a greater magnitude, was also not put on the city council agenda for the public to weigh on. During the city’s last council meeting of 2018, Yakema Decatur’s John Hancock appeared on a staff report designating Urban Futures Inc dba Isom to advise the city on bonds related to the newly built Inglewood Senior Center. Urban Futures didn’t go through the normal bidding process to receive such designation.
Related: Inglewood Mayor Continues to Throw Councilmates Under the Bus
It is unknown what fee was paid to Urban Futures or if any savings of the refinancing of the bonds have went back into the city’s General Fund.
During last week’s city council meeting, a woman came forward during public comment, to complain about the city’s permitting process. Residents continue to endure extensive waiting periods, while the city has placed priority on permitting for Stan Kroenke and Steve Ballmer. The resident referenced the City of Los Angeles’ permitting, for comparison, for which the council replied “Inglewood is more efficient than Los Angeles”. More consultants were hired to do the work regular city employees should be getting paid and/or training to do.
Despite the “prosperity” in Inglewood, somehow the Mayor and Council have endless amounts of money to hire consultants and not permanent city employees. The payment to BMG Money Inc. continues to increase as more employees take out payday loans at the city’s urging.
Finally, the warrant details reimbursement of notary commission fees, of $640 dollars, to city employee Serena Martinez. Martinez was moved to a position in the Residential Soundproofing program that was never made public or available as promotional to city staff. City Hall insiders state she used to flout her connections to Esparza to avoid reprimand. Martinez then found herself on administrative leave for being insubordinate to her former supervisor, Betty Griffith. She was then brought back to the Finance Department.
Martinez previously served as the “right hand” to Finance Director David Esparza. Is Martinez being asked to notarize city documents in exchange for keeping her job? 2UrbanGirls has already viewed Tunisia Johnson’s notary stamp on many parcel swaps related to Successor Agency property’s and we continue to see Yakema Decatur signing documents on behalf of her boss. Why are single mothers being used in this way?
