Just a month after he came down hard on the City of Industry after they had a troublesome state audit released in January, Sen. Ed Hernandez shows no sign of letting up.
Which city has his attention now?
Irwindale.
Just a short drive (depending on how the 605 is doing) north of Industry, Irwindale is home to only 1,425 residents and is best known locally for the Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area and the Irwindale Speedway.
This week, the senator has asked the state auditor to open up an investigation on the city.
In a statement, Sen. Hernandez described the past allegations that city officials have faced as the impetus for shining a spotlight on the city. Allegations include misuse of public funds, corruption, and embezzlement. Irwindale officials have even been charged with the latter two, but most cases were dismissed via expired statute of limitations.
“The alleged misconduct contained in these complaints erodes the public’s trust and belief in the institution of government itself,” Hernandez said. Hernandez describes the investigation request as part of a larger effort to “root out” public corruption in local government agencies.
More on Sen. Hernandez and Irwindale can be found here.
Image Credit: Derived from Flickr User JonAShaffer, https://flic.kr/p/nXVs1Z via (CC BY-NC 2.0)