During the 2018 election cycle, the Pomona Police Officers Association PAC (PPOA) made campaign contributions to three Pomona City Council candidates for around $9,000 each - Victor Preciado, Steve Lustro, Christina Carrizosa. Preciado and Lustro won their election that year and are currently sitting members of Pomona’s City Council today.
In recent days, it has come to the attention of the Pomonan editorial Board that these campaign contributions were not properly reported.
In the fall of 2018, the PPOA paid more than $41 thousand to the Freedman Public Affairs for mailers to support the campaign of Victor Preciado, Steve Lustro, who won their election, and Christina Carrizosa, who lost hers.
According to CalAccess, District 2 council member Victor Preciado received a total of $9,689.12, and District 5 council member Steve Lustro received $9.396.56 from the PPOA through contributions and late independent expenditures.
Before assuming office on Dec. 3, 2018, both officials filed a California Form 700, also known as Statement of Economic Interests form, but neither reported the amount received from the PPOA. The form is meant to prevent decisions made by public officials from being influenced by their personal financial interests.
Pomona Ordinance No. 4298 states any person holding a position in Government Code Section 87200 needs to file any required Statement of Economic Interests report online or electronically with the City Clerk.
The PPOA made 83 donations to Preciado’s campaign and 72 donations to Lustro’s campaign of different totals ranging from $72.54, $27.67, $26.86, $1,436.07 and $678.59 from Sept. 2018 through Nov. 2018.
On his 700 form, Preciado reported his salary working with the Kellogg Company and from the San Gabriel Valley Conservation Corps as in the range from $1,001 to $10,000, but did not report the amount donated to his campaign by the PPOA.
Lustro did not report any of the donations from the PPOA or any other salary that might influence his decision making. See both Form-700
Under the Pomona City Code, Article II, Sec. 10-34, it stated that a candidate shall not solicit or accept any contribution which will cause the total amount contributed by such person with respect to a single election in support of or opposition to a candidate that exceeds $500.00.
However, Section 10-36 of the same code states that all contributions, including campaign contributions, exceeding $25 needs to be reported.
During the same election, the PPOA also made 72 donations that equated to $9,449.49 to the campaign of Council member Christina Carrizosa of District. Carrizosa was currently on the Council at the time, but lost her position to current Pomona City Council member, Nora Garcia.
The Police Oversight Starts Today (POST), a coalition of Pomona and area residents, filed a complaint with the Fair Political Practices Commission in Aug. 2021 claiming the PPOA caused a conflict of interest when it donated sums of money to certain council members and not equally to every potential candidate.
Council member Preciado, recently contacted, said he wasn’t aware of the money. He also stated that, the form does not need to have that kind of payment on it:
“While [the PPOA] have to state who they are using it for, they actually can’t legally coordinate or talk to the candidate about it. In this example I wasn’t aware of this expenditure or what they used it for.”
To date, Pomona city council member Lustro has not responded to this reporter’s request for comment.
Update: Art Work Stolen from Gente Organizada A Community-Led social Action Non-Profit Organization
Gente Organizada front of building Holt Ave
Pomona, CA — At 8:30 AM, representatives of Gente Organizada noticed artwork on the front of their building on Holt avenue had been stolen overnight. The artwork was an enlarged photograph taken by Julian Lucas during the 2020 protests in the city of Pomona, during the global Black Lives Matter uprising protesting the police murder of George Floyd.
The artwork was installed a year ago, but was stolen a week after the the ACLU released a press release announcing they were suing the City of Pomona over code enforcement fines that the City had leveled on Gente Organizada. The ACLU said the City was in violation of Freedom of Speech. ACLU Press Release
Gente Organizada released a statement on an instagram post stating, “Art is supposed to be provocative and political, not stolen off of our building this morning. It seems like pro-police folks are the ones committing the crimes in our neighborhood.”
The artist, Julian Lucas, who has captured Pomona street culture for the last 23 years, took the news as a anazed, but laughed and stated, “It sucks because artists make art and it costs money, time, and effort. It also sucks because what people don’t usually understand is photography creates history, it’s a slice of life that happened in 2020, during the time of the pandemic, which can’t be repeated. Therefore, the image can also be viewed as a part of Pomona’s history for the future to come. On the other hand I’m flattered, the city of Pomona can now stand up and pat itself on the back, because instead of bikes or porch thieves, they now have someone who steals art. I think that this is a step in the right direction when it comes to what we think is valuable, as opposed to an Amazon package from someone’s porch”.
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BREAKING NEWS: Ballot Initiative Aims to Increase Youth Funding in Pomona!
The Pomonan
Published February 8, 2021 8:50 Am PST
POMONA, CA - On Saturday, February 12, 2022 at 12pm community leaders will host a campaign kickoff event and present background, testimonies, and an overview on the effort to place the Pomona Kids First Initiative on the 2022 ballot. Earlier in the month, on February 2, 2022, community leaders visited Pomona City Hall to submit the Pomona Kids First Initiative. The Initiative is a unique measure that aims to meet the urgent needs of Pomona youth and their families as they continue to struggle through the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Pomona Kids First Initiative would amend the City of Pomona Charter to create the Pomona Fund for Children and Youth (“Fund”), financed through the City of Pomona’s general purpose revenue and would also create the Department of Children and Families that would administer the Fund and ensure that the children, youth, and young adults of Pomona have the resources they need to thrive and excel. In the upcoming months, Pomona Kids First leaders will be working to collect signatures from Pomona voters to put this initiative on the 2022 Pomona City Election ballot. If approved by voters, the funds will be used for programs and services that promote health and well-being for Pomona families, provide youth development and leadership opportunities, offer alternatives to youth incarceration, and help strengthen Pomona’s families and communities.
At this time, Pomona does not provide significant funding for children and youth programs. In Fiscal Year 2020-21, during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, less than 1% of the City’s budget was allocated to special youth programming under the Neighborhood Services budget. In 2021-22, the line item was defunded by 100% midst the pandemic, and no longer exists as part of the city budget. Given the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the stability of youth’s mental, physical, and emotional wellness, now more than ever, youth need structural support from their city. This newly created Fund represents an exciting new opportunity to provide increased and dedicated funding for programs and services that address the needs of Pomona’s children, youth, and young adults.
WHO: Pomona Kids First is a community-led emergency response to the public health and economic crisis impacting our kids and families.
● Youth
● Parents
● Community members
WHAT: A presentation that will provide background, testimonies, and an overview on the effort to place the Pomona Kids First Initiative on the 2022 ballot.
WHEN: Saturday, February 12, 2022 at 12pm to 1:30pm
WHERE: Tony Cerda Park
400 West Grand Avenue, Pomona, CA 91766
VISUALS: Youth, speeches, parents, families
Pomona Kids First is a community-led emergency response to the public health and economic crisis impacting our kids and families. The initiative was inspired by the multi-year effort of youth organizers to increase city funding for kids in Pomona. Pomona Kids First is led by Pomona youth, longtime Pomona residents, and community members. Their work is inspired and informed by the efforts of Pomona youth and families coming together to improve the wellbeing of all Pomona’s children. If you want to learn more and support this initiative, visit www.pomonakidsfirst.com
