Just days after the mayor of South El Monte agreed to plead guilty in a federal bribery case, civic leaders called for his resignation and vowed to clean up City Hall. The contractor handed over the bundles of cash about twice a month until 2012, when the FBI caught Aguinaga accepting money at a South El Monte hotel bathroom. Councilman Joseph Gonzales expressed frustration and said he had long been trying to get state and county authorities to investigate what he said were "suspicious activities" at City Hall"This is a sad day for South El Monte," Gonzales said. Officials said they planned to review all contracts, most of which were approved without competitive bidding, according to Gonzales. The long-running corruption scheme involved a contractor that provided construction and engineering services to the city.

Source: Los Angeles Times August 01, 2016 21:08 UTC