Once again, former councilman José Huizar has had his surrender date postponed to begin serving his 13-year sentence. He was supposed to surrender on Friday, August 30, but now the Federal Prosecutor’s Office has extended his surrender deadline until October 7. That means he will be free for one more month. He was initially supposed to begin serving his sentence in April, but the date has been postponed.
The reasons given for the postponement have to do with serious family matters. Apparently, they are related to the health of a very close loved one. This has allowed the former councillor to enjoy a few more months outside the cell, a time that must be torture knowing what awaits him.
It is a disgrace what has happened with Huizar, who was convicted at the beginning of the year for federal corruption, on charges of tax evasion and conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).
The man has publicly acknowledged his mistakes and pleaded through his lawyers for a sentence of eight to nine years, but the judge was unrelenting and did not give in, perhaps wanting to send a harsh warning to other public officials in the face of the growth of political corruption.
Many people have mixed feelings about the Huizar case.
Of course, the corruption in which he was involved is condemnable in every way and must be punished; but at the same time, it is sad to see how he threw his entire political career and personal life down the stairs.
He had overcome all odds to reach the position of councilor.
He was a much-loved councillor and a political star on the rise, who was unable to say no to the temptations that came his way, and fell vilely, sinking into the mire of corruption.
He was a Mexican migrant child who came to live in the United States at the age of three, the son of working-class parents, who grew up in poverty in the Boyle Heights neighborhood; as a teenager he was a newspaper delivery boy, and against all odds he graduated from UC Berkeley, earned a master’s degree in Princeton University and a Ph.D. from UCLA Law School. He became a U.S. citizen while in college.
He was the first Latino to serve on Princeton’s Board of Trustees; and the first immigrant to serve on the Los Angeles City Council. He defeated a politician of the stature of Gloria Molina who sought to unseat him and was reelected for a fourth term.
Even in 2005 he was considered one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the United States by the Hispanic Business Magazine; and was named by Los Angeles Business Journal as one of 25 figures in Los Angeles who stood out for their potential to shape lives.
Huizar had many accomplishments, but at the same time came the accusations of misconduct and sexual harassment that cost him a fortune to resolve, and the rest you already know, the federal investigation that ended with him spending more than a decade in prison.
The Huizar case is a tragedy for his family and especially for his four children.
His story is that of a man who had it all and lost it all.
And sadly, he is not alone. It was revealed this week that in the last decade, 576 public officials in California have been convicted of federal corruption.
When it comes to Latinos who fail, it hurts a lot, because this community has had a hard time gaining political representation in California.
Business under threat
When the owner of the iconic restaurant Langer’s Deli near MacArthur Park raised a hue and cry, announcing that he was about to close because crime, gangs and homelessness were threatening the survival of his business, and while the city did nothing, Mayor Karen Bass showed up.
Norm Langer was visited for lunch by Bass and they even exchanged phone numbers.
Hopefully Bass was truly committed to helping, and it wasn’t just a photo opportunity.
Let’s also remember that Langer’s restaurant is not the only one affected by the insecurity in that area. Many of the businesses around MacArthur Park suffer from the same problem, and their owners complain of being forced to pay a fee to the gang members so they can work in peace.
And where is Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez? This area is part of her district.