Thanks to
KCET’s SoCal Connected’s outstanding continuing coverage of the Housing Authority scandal, we now learn that top staff have taken home bonuses totaling more than half a million dollars in the last two years with some like Chief Operating Officer Ken Simmons grabbing $33,802 in extra pay in 2009 — 15 percent of his salary.
In a letter obtained by SoCal Connected, interim Chief Executive Officer Doug Guthrie reported to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa that he has made tremendous progress in just two weeks in cleaning up the wretched excesses that occurred under fired HACLA head Rudy Montiel.
Acknowledging that recent reports have “damaged the public credibility” of the poverty housing agency, Guthrie — who doubles as head of the Housing Department — took pride in declaring the “hard work and dedication” of staff has helped HACLA deliver “on its mandate better than most other public agencies.”
A scary thought given the decades of scandal, mismanagement and self-service at HACLA and some of the information Guthrie provided the mayor: Huge “performance” bonuses to the 90 non-union staffers, 18 cars assigned to top staff for their use, purchasing cars given to 126 employees with credit limits totaling $369,000, an out-of-town travel budget of $78,000 when the agency was running a deficit.
“Some of the policies and practices of a previous administration fell outside the bounds of the mission of this organization and are being changed immediately,” Guthrie assures the mayor while leaving the clear impression that the federal investigation by HUD and the $250,000 audit by City Controller Wendy Greuel will help complete the whitewash without anybody important being hurt.
Here’s the list of the top employees and their bonuses in 2009 and 2010:
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HAClA Senior Management 2011 Salaries and 200912010 Performance Bonuses
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Employee
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Title
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Annual Salary
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Bonus 2009/2010
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Ken Simmons
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COO
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$220,812
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$33,802/$14,213
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Larry Goins
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Development Director
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$195,145
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$8,695/$3,158
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David Esparza
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CFO
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$195,145
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$ .…... /$6,315
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Kamton Joe
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IT Director
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$173,555
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$ ….. ../$3,158
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Howard Baum
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Staff Attorney
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$159,286
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$4,743/$1,579
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Peter Lynn
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Section 8 Director
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$145,828
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$8,695/$1,579
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Nancy Wesoff
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LA LOMOD Director
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$145,828
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$15.810/$6,317
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Sanford Riggs
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Director HOUSing Mgmt.
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$145,828
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$18.972/$6.317
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Tina Booth
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Director Asset
Mgmt.
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$136,156
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S ....,./$… ....
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Patrice McConnell
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Human Resource Director
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$131,456
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$7,905/$6,317
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John King
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Planning Director
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$131,456
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$3,952/$3,158
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Eric
Brown
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Director Media Relations
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$131,456
|
$ ...… ./$7.896
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Guthrie presided over the Housing Department that has the corrupt REAP program that should be investigated by the FEDs. Can the Mayor never find anyone honest to head city departments.
When did bonuses enter the picture and what other departments do this? Is it in their contracts or just some whim thing? Either way–it’s disgusting.
And, think of it, these are the people OLA sees as comrades.
I wonder how quickly our law makers will put a prop 13 reversal on the ballot? I hope the Howard Jarvis folks are gearing up for such a fight.
I meant to place comment number three in the CRA post. Me bad.
Simmons said, the policies and procedures were very loose.
I want to examine this statement from an adult child perspective. If the Cookie jar is open, or I should say, “just because” the cookie jar is open, does not mean help yourself.
Mr. Simmons (and the #Auditors)should review the accounting journal as it relates to his pay, his bonus, and expenditures he incurred to see percisely which funds were used and allocated.
Money earned from nonprofits. Let’s audit those nonprofits, see how these excess profits in these nonprofits were circulated around. Yes, circulated around.
new years rersolution….boo loudly anytime i see or hear a public servant speak,this is what they deserve !!!!!!!!!
Or it could be said that the cookie receptacle is a-jar!
On that jarring note…
Happy 2012 Everyone!
So Guthrie,who presides over the equally corrupt LA Housing Dept,is investigating HACLA? What a scam! And who’s gonna investigate LA Housing?
The HACLA executives that misued the company credit cards make all the HACLA employees look bad. It is the reason why the public distrust government employees.
Why is Eric Brown going out to lunch so often with the HACLA credit cards. Its terrible; he should be fired already. Whats taking so long?
I completely agree with Anonymous on December 30, 2011 8:38 PM.
The LA Housing Department is a cesspool of corruption and incompetent management – Roberto Aldape, Roya Babazadeh – these scoundrels have no business working in a public service capacity and should have been kicked out long ago. Anyone associated with this disgusting excuse for an organization should not be policing another outlaw organization. Laughable and pathetic.
I saw the receipts from the vendors and a lot of them are at the Herb Wesson BF restaurant Harold and Belles. Talk about corruption at the highest level. Why isn’t the local media all over this story. Nothing in LA Slimes. In 2012 the main newspaper for reporting and investigating City Hall corruption will be the LA Weekly. They have posted stories that the Daily News, LA Slimes, and local tv pr spinners for the Mayor won’t. Now I wish they would get rid of their sleazy ads but that’s how they survive
STOP THE SMALL TALK AND FIRE THEM ALL UNLESS THEY HAVE MORE TO TELL THAN YOU WANT THEM TO. EVERYBODY’S HAND IS IN THE COOKIE JAR IN THIS CASE IN THE POCKET OF THE PUBLIC. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT……… NOTHING????!!!!!
Now I know why they did not want the investigative unit to no longer investigate personnel
From a formal HACLA investigator…
DEAR FORMER INVESTIGATOR: This is exactly why . If these politicols had any good intentions they would contact staff that was brutally dismissed for doing their job and find all the skeletons in the closet and where the others may be buried.