Carson Ca Government Officials

When Pete Fajardo became mayor of Carson in 1997. he did what elected officials often do. He returned the favor to those who helped him get elected. Many of them happened to be members of his own ethnic group. One of a few Filipino Americans in elected office nationwide, Fajardo appointed unprecedented numbers of Filipinos to city commissions, helped them win city contracts and urged city officials to give them careful consideration in hiring.

In the hopes of healing racial wounds that threatened to divide the city nearly a year ago, Carson elected officials and community leaders gathered Saturday, but lingering tension among City Council members may have impeded the dialogue. Missing were some of the city's most important leaders embroiled in the controversy: two City Council members and a former mayor. "I see this division between our City Council.

One week after the death of fellow member Tom Mills, the Carson City Council on Tuesday appointed John Anderson, a city parks and recreation commissioner, to fill the vacancy, ending a two-year period in which the council had only four members most of the time. Councilwoman Vera Robles DeWitt said the move, approved by a 3-1 vote, was intended to promote calm and stability.

City Hall politics in Carson has gotten so wacky that one high-ranking city official has taken to calling it Peyton Place. Earlier this month, the mayor was arrested on charges of violating his probation when he reentered the country after two months overseas. He remains in federal custody. A months-long debate about the hiring record of the city manager has boiled over again, prompting renewed tension among the city's ethnic groups--and placing his job in jeopardy.

Carson Planning Commissioner Francisco (Frank) Gutierrez has resigned in the wake of allegations by a mobile home residents group that he voted for and profited from a residential development project in the city. Gutierrez, in a letter delivered to Carson Mayor Michael Mitoma over the weekend, said the accusations made by Homeowners Against Rent Decontrol are "full of falsehood and innuendo."

After having his performance scrutinized for months, Carson City Manager Larry Olson has announced that he will resign, effective Jan. 23. The City Council has held at least three closed-door meetings in recent months to evaluate Olson, including one last week. That meeting was adjourned until Wednesday night when Olson announced his resignation. "It just seemed like a mutually desirable time for me to leave," said Olson, who held the post for the last seven years.

The Carson City Council is scheduled to discuss the future of City Manager Larry Olson during a closed meeting Tuesday. A special meeting that was held in private to discuss a performance review for Olson was adjourned earlier this week. Officials would not comment on the closed session. Olson was out of town and did not attend. Olson, a former public safety director, was named city manager in 1991. The council has reviewed his performance in closed session twice in recent months.

City Hall politics in Carson has gotten so wacky that one high-ranking city official has taken to calling it Peyton Place. Earlier this month, the mayor was arrested on charges of violating his probation when he reentered the country after two months overseas. He remains in federal custody. A months-long debate about the hiring record of the city manager has boiled over again, prompting renewed tension among the city's ethnic groups--and placing his job in jeopardy.

A libel suit against Carson council members Sylvia Muise and Tom Mills and council candidates Aaron Carter and Leon Cornell moved a significant step closer to trial when a judge rejected a motion to throw out the case. The suit stems from the hard-fought council election of 1986, in which Michael Mitoma ran against Muise and Mills, who won. Mitoma won a council seat a year later in a special election.

A former mayor of Carson and three others were indicted Thursday for an alleged scheme to bilk the state out of more than $2 million in workers' compensation funds, federal prosecutors said. The 41-count grand jury indictment adds new charges to a case filed against the defendants and others in 1991, scheduled for trial in March. Named in the new complaint are ex-Carson Mayor John L. Junk, 57; Robert J. Anderson, 50, of Alameda and Peoria, Ariz.; Howard J. Laird, 61, and Alyce L. Laird, 32.

Carson Mayor Pete Fajardo was arrested Thursday on charges that he violated conditions of his probation by leaving the country, federal authorities said. Fajardo, 58, last month surprised his constituents by issuing a statement from the Philippines via speaker phone saying he would not be a candidate for reelection in the March election. Thursday's arrest was a consequence of that trip.

When Pete Fajardo became mayor of Carson in 1997. he did what elected officials often do. He returned the favor to those who helped him get elected. Many of them happened to be members of his own ethnic group. One of a few Filipino Americans in elected office nationwide, Fajardo appointed unprecedented numbers of Filipinos to city commissions, helped them win city contracts and urged city officials to give them careful consideration in hiring.

Mayor Pete Fajardo has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of accepting attorneys fees although he's not a lawyer and had signed a pledge that he would not be paid. After the plea, entered last week, he was sentenced to one year of probation. He will also have to return the $4,600 he collected in fees from two women he represented in the mid-1990s for claims they had with the federal Social Security Administration, according to his attorney.

The City Council has voted to hire Jerome G. Groomes as its new city manager, starting Aug. 31. Groomes, 49, left his job as the city manager of East Palo Alto, a San Francisco suburb with 23,000 residents,to accept the $113,000-a-year position in Carson. The population in Carson is about 90,000. Carson Mayor Peter Fajardo said that Groomes "has an impeccable background and an impressive track record."

After having his performance scrutinized for months, Carson City Manager Larry Olson has announced that he will resign, effective Jan. 23. The City Council has held at least three closed-door meetings in recent months to evaluate Olson, including one last week. That meeting was adjourned until Wednesday night when Olson announced his resignation. "It just seemed like a mutually desirable time for me to leave," said Olson, who held the post for the last seven years.

The Carson City Council is scheduled to discuss the future of City Manager Larry Olson during a closed meeting Tuesday. A special meeting that was held in private to discuss a performance review for Olson was adjourned earlier this week. Officials would not comment on the closed session. Olson was out of town and did not attend. Olson, a former public safety director, was named city manager in 1991. The council has reviewed his performance in closed session twice in recent months.

In the hopes of healing racial wounds that threatened to divide the city nearly a year ago, Carson elected officials and community leaders gathered Saturday, but lingering tension among City Council members may have impeded the dialogue. Missing were some of the city's most important leaders embroiled in the controversy: two City Council members and a former mayor. "I see this division between our City Council.

Carson Mayor Pete Fajardo was arrested Thursday on charges that he violated conditions of his probation by leaving the country, federal authorities said. Fajardo, 58, last month surprised his constituents by issuing a statement from the Philippines via speaker phone saying he would not be a candidate for reelection in the March election. Thursday's arrest was a consequence of that trip.

A former mayor of Carson and three others were indicted Thursday for an alleged scheme to bilk the state out of more than $2 million in workers' compensation funds, federal prosecutors said. The 41-count grand jury indictment adds new charges to a case filed against the defendants and others in 1991, scheduled for trial in March. Named in the new complaint are ex-Carson Mayor John L. Junk, 57; Robert J. Anderson, 50, of Alameda and Peoria, Ariz.; Howard J. Laird, 61, and Alyce L. Laird, 32.

Carson Planning Commissioner Francisco (Frank) Gutierrez has resigned in the wake of allegations by a mobile home residents group that he voted for and profited from a residential development project in the city. Gutierrez, in a letter delivered to Carson Mayor Michael Mitoma over the weekend, said the accusations made by Homeowners Against Rent Decontrol are "full of falsehood and innuendo."