IS LIZZARAGA OUT?
2012 DECEMBER 11 -- It has been rumored by reputable sources that Jose Lizarraga is resigning as Quartzsite's Mayor. Lizarraga had already indicated that he did not intend to run for office past the election in March but, instead, would serve as Mayor only for the brief period following the recall of Ed Foster.

He resigned his seat on the council to run for that seat.

Now, it appears, Lizarraga may not follow through on his commitment to stay until the election in March..

"In light of the investigations, the accusations, the evidence that people are compiling," stated Jennifer Jones, publisher of the Desert Freedom Press, "I can't believe anyone that  hopes to preserve their reputation would remain involved.

"It's one thing for people who have never done anything or been anyone -- but for people who may have a real future, it's professional suicide to be involved in all of this 'funny business."

Quartzsite officials have faced a deluge of community concern since the placing of three more town employees on administrative leave pending dismissal. Already, eight of the original ten Quartzsite police who stood in opposition to the town have been fired in spite of the court having issued an order not to fire the officers.

Shortly thereafter, Town Clerk Karen Norris was also placed on administrative leave and then terminated.

Today, three more prominent town employees have been placed on administrative leave pending termination.

"These are people that were trained and employed by the town for a long time. We paid for that training. They are competent and trustworthy. Why are they allowed to fire them?" asked one business owner.

With a lawsuit pending against the town for firing the Quartzsite 10 -- eight of which still stand -- and a realistic expectation that those suits will settle for close to $1 million each as wrongful terminations -- and three more suits on behalf of Michael Roth, Jennifer Jones and Ed Foster that are also expected to settle for large sums of between $350,000.00 and $450,000.00 each, it is easy to see that the town will finally face the status of being 'uninsurable.' Could bankruptcy be far behind? See:  MAYWOOD UNINSURABLE

Similar situations have led to extensive fallout for cities and towns who have ventured into similar territory. Far from being protected by rules and regulations, Quartzsite's officials have faced investigations and accusations of malfeasance and misconduct, many of which have already issued findings showing that the town's officials were in the wrong.

Thus, it may be no great surprise that Lizarraga is leaving now.

 

Stay Tuned.

QUARTZSITE TOUTED AS 'LAWSUIT CITY' in NATIONAL MEDIA

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of people are following what's happening in Quartzsite. 'Lawsuit City,' a phrase coined by national media analyst and reporter Alex Jones, [INFOWARS.COM] seemingly represents the opinion of those weighing in across the globe. The WASHINGTON POST STORY HERE.

The county Sheriff, Don Lowry, has reportedly advised that the Sheriff's Office will be 'standing down' and will not be answering calls for dealing with the situation in Quartzsite.

The big story today is whether or not the town is under martial law. As Ed Foster, the Mayor, reported in the MINESHAFT, there is no difference between a State of Emergency and Martial Law since law is suspended as are citizens' rights during such an incident. Jennifer Jones made an appearance on national media again today and has won the support of hundreds of those people  studying in detail what has transpired in Quartzsite. Quartzsite is being reported in the media as a perfect example of what a corrupt town liks like.                           READ MORE


OATHKEEPERS AND ACTIVISTS SHOW SUPPORT FOR THE QUARTZSITE10
27JUNE2011 -- People from throughout the U.S. have come in to show support for the ten police officials that sounded the alarm about what was happening within the department.

As the situation unfolded, the town's council moved to suspend and then fire the officers, until the court intervened and prevented the town administrators from continuing.

The claims of corruption have escalated in recent years as people have come forward to describe various methods of harassment from the town's officials -- most of whom stand accused of having obtained their positions through dubious methods. Unprofessional and even criminal conduct is said to be the accepted standard according to insiders who have related stories that include virtually every form of misconduct and malfeasance.

Detractors are typically fired in spite of having maintained their positions longer than those now in positions of authority. Morale is described as deplorable.

Citizens have complained loudly -- and even officials at various state agencies have reported that they've been receiving letters pleading with them to intervene.

Goldwater Institute, alone, has an extensive file on Quartzsite -- but earlier this year they were advised by officials at the state level that they were not planning to investigate citizens' accusations of corruption.  A staunch advocate of the people, Goldwater Institute was planning alternative action when the political climate in Quartzsite escalated to dramatic levels, driven -- in part -- by the arrest video of Jennifer Jones and shot by realtor Doug Guilford that went viral within hours of its posting.

FOSTER'S POWERS RESCINDED  23 AUGUST 2011 -- QUARTZSITE AZ   Foster has gone straight to the Attorney General's office with concerns about today's actions by the Quartzsite Town Council -- and with good reason, according to those looking on. Intended to be a swipe at Foster, the revision of the Town Code to reign in the Mayor they accuse of exposing all the problems within the town comes almost as the recall election is getting underway.

HARRIS-JONES QTC ARREST  28 JUNE 2011 -- QUARTZSITE AZ   When Jennifer Harris-Jones moved to speak at the Call to the Public portion of Tuesday's council meeting, Councilman Joe Winslow wasted no time in demanding her silence.

OLDHAM WORKS TO SAVE COUNTY MILLIONS  22 JUNE 2011 -- LA PAZ COUNTY AZ  
Can La Paz County residents afford to shoulder the burden placed upon them by the Yakima judgment? Is the handling of that burden their 'punishment' for the jury that handed down that judgment in a jury trail that pitted the county's officials against the Yakima business owners?
That is the question that the county's taxpayers will soon find discussed by fellow residents and business owners, faced with a particularly large  [and quickly escalating ] debt that will damage their property values and burden not only their children but their grandchildren as well.

Although the group represented by La Paz Disposal LLC [with Charles R. Oldham as spokesman], made efforts to reach out to the past supervisors and those presently in office with the far reaching remedial program they hoped would be well-received, all were shocked to discover that neither the county supervisors nor county manager Daniel Field  would even return  calls concerning the transfer of the Yakima debt  now totaling $14,000,000.00.

"I was very surprised," Oldham explained Wednesday. "We had what we believed was a fantastic option for the people of La Paz County that would essentially allow them to just walk away from the Yakima disaster and its vast financial ramifications with little or no negative impact for the county itself -- and we found ourselves ignored to the point that no one would even call us back."

"All we were essentially asking of the county supervisors was that they would consider this, set it for a work session where the community would be allowed input, and let the attorneys for the group explain the fine points of how it would operate."

Those that knew this was an option, though, seemed intent upon avoiding the release of this information to citizens throughout the county so that they could voice their own opinions concerning the fate of the county -- and, thus, their properties.

Oldham's group has now issued press releases pertinent to the Yakima debt that nearly caused a shut down of the county's governmental and other county services just a few months ago and is working to see that the tax issue is not decided without county residents hearing at least one sound option beforehand.

They are asking county residents to 'weigh in' and let the county's Board of Supervisors know that there is -- at least -- one choice before passing yet another tax that is very likely to remain on the books permanently, yet another burden that taxpayers are expected to bear.

"These are trying financial times for us all," Oldham stated. "I would like an option myself -- as a property owner and businessman -- that makes some sound fiscal sense."

"The math involved in this issue hasn't been clearly defined," Oldham continued."If we are ever to put this debt to rest, and see this county operating in the black again,   the county will have to be run more efficiently and business income expanded with professional management. Utilizing the tax and bond approach just doesn't make financial sense -- it would seem an impossible task even to clear the mounting debt -- let alone the outstanding sum owed to t debt to just Yakima.  There are, according to Mr. Field, other shortfalls involved here.

"Without knowing the amount of sales tax collected monthly -- lately -- in our country it's difficult to know for sure what 1/2 percent of that amount will ultimately be. How would that figure reconcile the massive 14,000,000.00 debt  -- even if the country was already flush? You still have to pay the 10% interest on the balance of $14,000,000.00 if it is to make any sense at all. We have some very savvy businesspeople in La Paz County. They should have an opportunity to  decide for themselves whether or not other options should be considered.

"As I have mentioned earlier, if you put this into an actuarial chart and study it, it seems near impossible without expanding  the county's businesses.

"If the taxpayers of La Paz County are okay with this impending tax then we will at least know that it was their decision to make," he concluded.


AZCOPS to press for investigation -- loss of CDBG Grant looms 14 JUNE 2011 -- QUARTZSITE AZ   Can a Town mired in the level of controversy and discontent that plagues Quartzsite still operate effectively?

It came to light Monday that while the town is under fire for failure to properly address the pending investigation of Police Chief Jeff Gilbert they are also on the verge of losing the CDBG grant for the town manager's failure to prepare and present timely reports in the face of  fallout from other politically motivated decisions reaching far beyond the realm of Quartzsite.

Revelations of significant lapses in judgment on the part of Quartzsite's town council have resulted in a series of lawsuits as well as accusations of ethics violations, wrongdoing and malfeasance in office -- and  the huge turnout at Tuesday's meeting as well as the number of outsiders reviewing their activities is indicative of the level of interest in the activities of the town's council -- which have now  resulted in investigations of the town and various officials.

Even as the AZCOPS representative  attended to address the council, and notification that the town stands to lose the $250,000 CDBG Grant that would have provided a recreational center and community building for citizens had yet to be given, the council avoided the more serious problems facing them. Instead, they focused on efforts to censure Mayor Ed Foster for asking too many questions pursuant to the number of checks the town has been writing to employees. Fully 8-10 of those individuals receiving checks every two weeks, it turns out, are not identified. All efforts on the part of Mayor Foster to ascertain just who is receiving those monies have been stonewalled -- and may have, according to Foster, have played a part in his arrest, as those persons intent on withholding the information he has requested desperately sought a means of discrediting him and forcing his from office.

Jerry Lukkasson, councilman, put forth an agenda item calling for the censuring of Foster for calling a special meeting -- although he is already under fire for  his vocal support of censures against Foster and other politically motivated activities.  Now, though, Foster has raised concerns that  the council is attempting to retaliate against him for taking his complaints about being stonewalled in his efforts to obtain the identities of those receiving missing checks Foster uncovered to the Ombudsman's office at the state level.

It was what been what have been described as retaliatory  actions Everett's Towing that initially precipitated the outburst at Tuesday's meeting. Everett's Towing is a Quartzsite business the owner of which refused to charge reporter/publisher Jennifer Harris Jones for impounding her car when she was arrested in May. When the story of his refusal to charge her impound fees had circulated, the town moved to 'put out for bid' the contract for handling the town's impounds and towing.

When Foster questioned the timing of such a move, he was shouted down by council members who echoed each others', "Point of Order,' to his remarks.

When Town Manager Alexandra Taft was questioned by the Mayor concerning the lack of any proper documentation on payroll amounts the council was approving Tuesday evening, it was pointed out that this was  a deviation from standard protocol.

"We don't get any documentation on the payroll record at all now?" Foster asked. Taft retorted, "No you will not."

Foster later pointed out, "The Ombudsman's office has a quite different opinion than that of Ms. Taft."

6 JUNE 2011 -- QUARTZSITE AZ
Foster has been very straightforward in his attempts to change the way Quartzsite has been 'doing business.' this week's ongoing battle over control of the town, the financial issue was raised again when Foster attempted to establish himself as part of the fiscal management team by implementing his right to be on the town's checking account.

He was denied access and advised that Quartzsite's Mayors are not given such 'privileges.'

"This town is broke," Foster stated, "that much is known. Without a comprehensive understanding of how we were fiscally mismanaged into this corner we're now in, we cannot hope to put aside this crisis and move toward solvency once more."

The council, at Taft's suggestion, also moved to remove the town clerk, Karen Norris, from the direction of the Mayor. Taft indicated that this effort was underway in July of 2008 but was never completed.

In July of 2008, the council was working to disempower Quartzsite's last elected Mayor, Steven Bennett.

Citizens have been very vocal in their frustration with the council, and recall efforts are currently underway. [One of the documents currently being circulated can be viewed here.]

Kelley made his position clear in his letter to the Mayor and Council [click to read]  wherein he explains his willingness to listen to the voters of Quartzsite and make every effort to support Foster  and welcome his input as Mayor.

"I would like to see us have a briefing or work session or whatever we can by law and be brought up to date on where we stand with our finances, grants and etc. So we are all on the same page going in the same direction that the citizens of Quartzsite demanded in this election," Kelley wrote.

"A lot of the problems we have were not of our making, but the citizens of Quartzsite want answers from us, the present Mayor and Council. In order to get anything done we need to have all the information we can get in order to make the best decision of what is good for the town. I feel that the more informed we are, the better informed the citizens can be, and maybe we can stop some of the unrest we have presently," Kelley concluded.

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DISEMPOWERED:

QUARTZSITE -- 24 MAY  2010 Continued from Page 1

In two separate  votes, the following council members voted to go along with Taft's unusual proposals: Lukkason, Anderson, Winslow and Cowell.

Bob Kelly voted against the measure and Lizarraga abstained.

While the council was told that the powers removed from the Mayor were being awarded to the council, this information was not entirely correct. The emergency  powers now are distributed throughout the council and no action can be taken in an emergency without a quorum.

 

Non emergency actions now allow Taft to develop emergency plans [something she has consistently failed to accomplish in the past]with no input from the council.

The mishandling of these issues has cost the town sizable amounts of money. Taft has yet to make available  publically any reports detailing the extent of these damages.  She is to act as the principal adviser during an emergency -- her and her alone.

Taft, who has no history as a Town Manager [and no training as an emergency official] has held the position of Town Manager in spite of strong opposition over the last few months.

 

Onlookers were stunned Monday when the agenda -- prepared much later than usual -- was finally seen, after Taft explained the delay by saying the town's website had been hacked.

This statement, however, did not explain why the agenda was not available Friday before that incident, or why the packet was not presented to Foster in a timely manner.

 
                                                   READ MORE

 

QUARTZSITE -- 24 MAY  2010 As the issues in Quartzsite continue to boil, a new Mayor plans to establish an improved attitude when it comes to serving his constituents: and he's determined to make it work.

 

Ed Foster, to be installed Tuesday evening, faces a tough battle with a council that may or may not be behind him as he begins his four year term.

"I hope that they will work with me," Foster stated Monday, "I hope that I can earn their respect in spite of what politics in Quartzsite has come to entail."

 

Foster's assessment may not be too far off.

Over the last few years, Quartzsite has been a battleground of dissatisfaction and suspicion -- fostering more antagonistic feelings from those who claim that they have been disenfranchised under the current [and past] councils while spending has been rampant and unabated, despite loud and constant complaints concerning the handling of the town's affairs.

"It would probably not have been this way, had people understood that the town was financially underwater," Foster stated. "We can only work with what we have to work with -- and it will now take some major care to turn the situation around. I think it can be done," he said, "and Quartzsite can thrive again."

 

Foster's major win in last week's run off Mayoral election against Wesley Huntley represented a major turnabout in the town's history.

Huntley, repeatedly challenged by voters for assuming the position of Mayor -- including the pay for that position --when he was never elected to hold it but appointed by others on the council has a constant source of contention among his constituents.

 

Critics charged that he should not have taken the extra $100 per month but should have continued with his pay rate of $400 unless and until he was officially elected -- something that never happened.

Foster's candidacy represented a significant shaft away from 'politics as usual' in Quartzsite and toward a new -- and progressive -- reformation.

But the failure of the 'Reform Slate' across the board left Foster alone, facing a council of newly elected officials who have been on the council just long enough to establish a pattern consistent with the council strategies of the past.

Stay Tuned.

 

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QUARTZSITE -- 28 FEBRUARY  2010 As the issues in Quartzsite continue to boil, one Mayoral candidate and several candidates for council are bringing the truth into the open and asking pertinent questions as to how -- and why -- the town is broke -- and how long it's been that way.               READ MORE

QUARTZSITE -- 8 FEBRUARY 2010 Mayoral Candidate Ed Foster was surprised to find he would be receiving no support from La Paz County Superior Court when the case was tossed -- but he plans to take it before a new court... Story Coming Soon!

 

 

QUARTZSITE -- 27 JANUARY 2010 While difficulties have plagued the council over the years, at least two of Quartzsite's newer council persons hope to work on rectifying the difficulties and finding solutions to the issues. Story Coming Soon!

 

 

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QUARTZSITE -- 27 JANUARY 2010 It's official: The referendum now underway could forestall implementation of water and sewer rate increases until the matter can be brought before the people.

The brainchild of Citizen's Coalition  moderator Dean Taylor, the referendum is a means of blocking the implementation of actions or activities of the council that are unpopular with the people.

Citing 'unfair rate structures and a lack of response' when questioned concerning just how these increases will be handled and whom they will effect, Taylor tried questioning the council at open session and during the Call to the Public with very little success. "In fact," he said, "It was tantamount to stonewalling. Although I asked repeatedly for clarification, they would not or could not offer a definitive answer."

 "And, as with the appointment of the mayor, they just proceeded without allowing public input," Taylor stated.  

"I began the research to discover that any action they pass in open meeting can be brought to a referendum for the purpose of bringing that matter before the public. After being repeatedly denied, I took this course of action since there seemed to be little other available to me as a citizen.

"All I asked was equal consideration as a citizen," Taylor stated. "Now that we have been pushed to this point, we will continue utilizing this method."
 

Taylor reiterated his concerns, citing situations in which he attempted to work from within the system to make a difference.

"I volunteered for two non-paying positions and was publicly ridiculed and even accused of 'extortion' and I am in serious doubt as to whether this councilperson even understood the definition of the term nor its meaning."

That councilperson was almost immediately recalled, and the recall itself was immediately successful.

Wesley Huntley whom the council has officially appointed as Mayor did agree to be interviewed but rescinded the offer after reading this story. We will be contacting the other council people to make sure the position of the town's councilmen  is properly presented.

 

Stay tuned.
                            

 

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They're  back and the season is underway again in Quartzsite as the winter visitors return.

But how will the economy creating havoc from coast to coast effect Quartzsite's tourism?
                                                READ MORE