Rudy Montiel Was Paid $1.2 Million to Leave L.A. Housing Authority: Who Will Hold Board of Commissioners Accountable?

By Simone Wilson Mon., Dec. 5 2011 at 10:20 AM

SoCal Connected

Looks like L.A. should have signed a prenup.

When Rudy Montiel, former CEO of the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, was fired last year, it appeared the agency's Board of Commissioners was finally holding him responsible for years of lavish spending.

But Montiel's lawyer tells the Los Angeles Times today that "Rudy blew the whistle on several of the commissioners for engaging in inappropriate conduct, and his termination was in retaliation." So Montiel sued, and was recently paid $1.2 million in settlement.

Jesus. Is there anyone left at HACLA who hasn't leeched of L.A.'s poor?

KCET revealed in March that Montiel had been throwing around the company card at $400 dinners and personal shopping sprees. And a new SoCal Connected segment last Friday showed that Montiel's executive staff -- all still employed -- were guilty of the same.

The LA Daily News warned in March that the newly terminated Montiel's contract "included a provision that he receive 18 months worth of benefits if he was fired."

That would have been $405,000. Tack on the "wrongful termination" and "whistle-blowing retaliation" settlements, and you've got a Robert Rizzo-worthy $1.2 million Christmas gift for the man who apparently instigated this wide-reaching culture of corruption at an agency who could have housed thousands for that incredible sum.

Mitchell Kamin, new president of the board, tells the Times that there's nothing HACLA can do about the insane provisions that somehow ended up in Montiel's contract, and everyone should just move on.

The commissioners who approved the settlement (all appointed by the office of L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa) are Kamin, Lucelia Hooper, Alicia Maldonado, Daisy Lopez, Dennis Hernandez, Kimberly Freeman and Margarita C. Garr.

Of those, Garr, Hooper and Maldonado were on the board when Montiel was fired. Props for firing him, of course -- but if Montiel's departing allegations held any weight, which the scared new million-dollar settlement would imply, commissioners' spending reports might not be any cleaner than the HACLA norm.

City Controller Wendy Greuel is trying her best to hold them accountable, reports the Times:

Greuel said she believed that the questionable expenses found by her auditors are "the tip of the iceberg" and that the agency's spending is marked by "multiple irregularities." She said authority officials have been hostile toward her inquires thus far, adding that a more comprehensive audit is needed.

In addition, a Deputy District Attorney for Steve Cooley's office says, "We're looking at multiple commissioners on conflict-of-interest issues and double-dipping issues."

Sounds more like a job for a fearless journalist without City Hall ties. Ahem, Laurel Erickson.

[@simone_electra / swilson@laweekly.com / @laweeklynews]

Tags:

board of commissioners, Housing Authority, Rudy Montiel, settlement, whistle-blowing, wrongful termination

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Karen R Scott

I understand if someone is trying to help another person to get off the street and especially help those during these hard trying times of our economic stress. But charging people a lot of money when you have 30 to 40 people in the same house, not managing it well, being mean & abusive especially to the disabled, while collecting too much rent for the environment they are in, and getting the proper reporting agency to help get you off and not be held accountable is cruel. Look at these people getting pay offs up in the millions. We reported several times of abuse throughout Los Angeles County for the last five years and it was covered up either by payment or corrupt influence. Many people got hurt. You would think that anyone doing this would not be aggressive & hateful to the tenants. They make a lot of money and give it to certain people within our County. They were not trying to help the tenants. I even filed a criminal report that was making threats. We were requesting to stop the aggressiveness, violence, and the intentional harm that ?? was carrying out on tenants. We were not helped.

Daestar21

Alot of "soldiers" called afsme employees working for Hacla are the ones being punished with benefits being taken away, no pay raises, furlough days, and we are facing lay offs for the 3rd year in a row. The work is there and the demand for us office workers is there, but we are the ones taking the hit instead of the board, the administration, or even human resources. It doesn't make any sense to have so many employees in h.r. when there's been a hiring freeze. It's all a bunch of bologne!

Gdav520

The people of Los Angeles will hold The Board of Commissioners accountable!! Then Fire all of them! Simple. Done! And so on, and so on, and so on.....we need to do the work because no one else we pay will do their job here and in Washington. This is over!

simondelao

Montiel FIRED Abel Ruiz and RIchard Carroll for looking into corruption at HACLA. We contacted LA Weekly and the Times 3 years ago and your reporters couldn't be bothered. If the press had done their job when we told you about it, all of this thievery could have been avoided!

Seth Harrington

Hey simon - did you also comment on the LA times article? Would love to know more about this. What actually IS going on?Seth

California Crimewatch

STEVE COOLEY IS JUST AS CORRUPT! If any of these guys he is investigating is tied to donations to his previous campaigns, Cooley won't investigate any of them. His 30% raise by the board of supervisors, led by Michael Antonovich who gave him some honorary award in the past is all good ol' boys patting each other on the backs and padding each others retirement. Cooley should be investigated by the feds and the DOJ for the scandles he is currently running in the DAs office, union busting, and running smear campaigns to try to destroy any one who could potentially get elected and expose him for who he is. Where are the journalist on Cooley. Why are they all protecting his malfeasance.