HMG Exposé Results in Recall of Jose Lara and Leanne Ibarra

Jose Lara and Leanne Ibarra were part of a corrupt pay-to-play scheme exposed by HMG in a series of articles.

STAFF REPORT

An long-running investigation and expose by Hews Media Group has resulted in a landslide recall of El Rancho Board Members Jose Lara and Leanne Ibarra.

The seven article expose started with outlining the corruption and pay-to-play politics involved with the El Rancho School Bond and went from there, resulting in Bond Construction manager Jaime Ortiz and ERUSD Superintendent Karling Forts’s resignations and the eventual recall getting started.

PAY TO PLAY? Fired El Rancho Unified Bond Construction Management Firm Rehired After Donating Thousands to Board Member’s Election Campaign

ERUSD Corruption Part II: Widespread Conflicts of Interest, Cover-Up Inside El Rancho Education Foundation

L.A. County Office of Education Calls for ‘Extraordinary Audit’ of El Rancho Unified School District

El Rancho USD Board President Jose Lara and Superintendent Aguilera-Fort in Caught in Web of Outright Lies and Cover-Up

Jaime Ortiz and HPLE Resigns From El Rancho Unified Bond Program Management Contract

El Rancho Unified Superintendent Karling Aguilera-Fort Will Resign

Complaint Alleges Wide-Ranging Retaliation Scheme by El Rancho Unified Board Members to Rid District of Administrators and Teachers

Of the nearly 4,000 votes, over 91% were in favor of removing Lara from office and 86% were in favor of removing Ibarra.

El Rancho board and committee member Joe Rivera, who won over 69% of the mail-in ballot vote, will take one seat and Esther Mejia who won nearly 31% of the vote, will take the other seat.

The investigation also triggered an audit by the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, FCMAT, which is ongoing.