WATCHDOG: HMG-LCCN Exposé Results in ‘Removal’ of Jhonny Pineda From Consideration as Bell Gardens City Manager

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STAFF REPORT

Two exclusive articles written by Hews Media Group-Los Cerritos Community News Publisher Brian Hews has, according to sources, caused the “removal” of Huntington Park Councilman Jhonny Pineda from his unlikely consideration as city manager of Bell Gardens.

HMG–LCCN learned last week that Pineda was being considered for the city manager position, but he only had two votes, Mayor Alejandra Cortez and Councilman Marco Barcena.

From (l-r) Councilman Marco Barcena and Mayor Alejandra Cortez schemed to hire Los Angeles City Councilman Gil Cedillo’s Field Representative, Johnny Pineda.

Cortez and Barcena’s motives to hire Pineda were uncertain given that he has no upper-level municipal management experience.

Just days after the first article published, Hews published a picture that strongly indicated the relationship Pineda had with Mayor Cortez, and why she was fighting to get Pineda appointed.

The picture, from Montebello Councilman Sal Melendez’ Facebook account, showed Mayor Cortez with Pineda and east Los Angeles political operative Mario Beltran in Tijuana. Also seen in the picture was Beltran’s good friend Montebello Mayor Jack Hadjinian and Lynwood Mayor Jose Solache.

Just hours after that, Hews was informed by another source that Pineda had been “removed from consideration.”

“This is what being a community newspaper is all about,” said the HMG-LCCN Publisher Brian Hews, “we are the watchdogs for communities that are not covered by the large daily newspapers due to their limited resources. There’s no way Pineda should have ever been considered for the job, it was very questionable of Cortez and Barcena to even consider him.”

Mayor Cortez with Pineda and Beltran.

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