EVEN FOR COMPTON POLITICS THIS TAKES THE CAKE

A candidate for Compton Mayor, Jamesette “Jim” Hays is astonishing even by historical standards in that city. As an example of all too typical people who run for office in the city and typical shenanigans that have characterized Compton politics see my past blogs at http://janbtucker.com/blog/2012/11/09/will-laura-richardsons-luck-follow-arturo-danaire-frazier/ and http://janbtucker.com/blog/2012/10/08/mervyn-dymally-the-good-the-bad-the-ugly/.

I go way back with all things Compton. I served in the leadership of Compton Branch NAACP under then-President Fred Shaw. Years before I was in the car one night when my late significant other, Attorney Valerie Monroe, got a call from Fred’s late mother and then-Compton City Council member. She was at a City Council meeting when then-Mayor Omar Bradley marched scores of big guys looking like thugs into the hall in an effort to intimidate the council. They called the Compton Police Dept which dispatched officers who tried to eject the thugs….until Omar Bradley’s Police Chief showed up and told his officers to stand down!

As Wikipedia later pointed out about Omar (who’s also running for Mayor this year):

After leaving office, Bradley was investigated and convicted of misappropriating public funds during his tenure as City Mayor. Bradley was convicted of using a city-issued credit card to pay for golf rounds, hotel rooms, clothing and in-room movies, among other things. He was convicted of taking cash advances for city business expenses and then charging those items to his city credit cards and pocketing the money. Bradley charged over $3,800 in personal expenses on his City credit card, double-billed the City over $3,700 and in addition failed to return travel advances for two conferences that the jury could infer he failed to attend.[8] The district attorneys office alleged that Bradley misspent closer to $19,000.[9]

City Manager John D. Johnson II and council member Amen Rahh were convicted on similar charges of misappropriating public funds and were sentenced to prison.[10]

On May 14, 2004 Bradley was sentenced to three years in state prison on felony corruption charges.[11] Bradley served his time in a halfway house, from which he was allowed to leave five days a week to work in a job-training program for the developmentally disabled in Carson, California. Bradley was released in August 2005 because he had served jail time while awaiting trial.[9] Bradley’s corruption conviction was overturned by an appeals court in August 2012.[12]

Now as soon as I heard that Jim Hays was running against Aja Brown, the first thing I thought was that Compton School Board member Micah Ali must have put him up to it…purely speculating at that point. Since then I’ve heard from a reliable source that I was right and that Micah was involved along with the Zurita sisters, Satra and Janna. The sisters (Satra serves on the Compton School Board with Micah and is currently running for City Treasurer) are listed as Micah endorsers on his website http://micahali.com/endorsements/.

That brings up a side issue. On June 25, 2016 and August 5, 2016 I sent California Public Records Act requests to Darin Brawley, Superintendent of the Compton Unified School District. I’ve never gotten a response even though the law gives him only 10 days to reply. Not even a denial. What was I seeking:

(June 25)

All writings concerning the Titan Group and/or Edward

Saucerman including but not limited to:

(a) the consulting agreement adopted by the CUSD Board as

Item “10. 14/15-2002 Ratification - Consultant Agreement The

Titan Group (Human Resources) [Board Calendar

4/22/14];”

(b) Any complaints and responses available as public records

under EC 35186(d) and 5 CCR 4686 investigated by the Titan

Group and/or Edward Saucerman;

(c) All invoices of the Titan Group and/or Edward Saucerman;

(d) Any tort claims concerning the Titan Group and/or

Edward Saucerman and/or investigated by the Titan Group

and/or Edward Saucerman;

(e) All representations made by the Titan Group and/or

Edward Saucerman concerning the qualifications of the Titan

Group and/or Edward Saucerman to do business with CUSD;

(f) Any writings that demonstrate whether CUSD vetted

and/or in any way verified the qualifications of Edward

Saucerman prior to hiring his services;

(g)

Any writings demonstrating any training and/or education

in methodology of detecting deception in investigative

interviews, including but not limited to any California

Association of Licensed Investigators (CALI) training seminar

conducted on October 3, 2006;

(h) Any writings demonstrating that Edward Saucerman has

ever been tested on his ability to detect deception in an

investigative interview including but not limited to any testing

at a CALI seminar conducted on October 3, 2006;

(i) Any writings demonstrating whether any law firm and/or

any of its employees represented to CUSD that Edward

Saucerman was competent to conduct investigative interviews;

(j) Any writings demonstrating whether Edward Saucerman

had any training in interviewing children;

(k) Any writings demonstrating whether Edward Saucerman

had any training in interviewing victims and/or witnesses

concerning sex offenses;

(l) Any writings demonstrating what Edward Saucerman was

assigned to do by CUSD;

(m) Any writings demonstrating whether anybody

represented to CUSD that Edward Saucerman was honest;

(n) Any and all rules, regulations, guidelines, policies and/or

procedures concerning when and under what circumstances

professional services sought by CUSD are subject to

competitive bidding;

(o) The minutes of any CUSD meeting at which contracting

for outside investigative services has been discussed within the

preceding 24 month period;

(p) The minutes of any CUSD meeting at which Edward

Saucerman’s services, including but not limited to the results

of his investigations, have been discussed within the preceding

24 month period;

(q) Any writings concerning whether CUSD considered the

role of Edward Saucerman in Los Angeles Superior Court Case

No. Case No. BC446304 prior to contracting for the Titan

Group’s services;

(r) Any writings concerning whether CUSD considered the

role of Edward Saucerman in San Bernardino Superior Court

Case No. Case No. SCVSS48176 prior to contracting for the

Titan Group’s services

(s) Any other communications between the Titan Group

and/or Edward Saucerman and any Trustee, agent, and/or

employee of CUSD;

(t) All policies, procedures, rules, regulations, and/or

guidelines concerning CUSD compliance with Penal Code

Section 165;

(u) All policies, procedures, rules, regulations, and/or

guidelines concerning the acceptance of gifts from CUSD

vendors by CUSD employees, agents, and/or trustees.

August 5

1. All invoices or other writings, including contracts and/or

purchase orders, explaining why payments are being made or

have been made for the previous 24 month period to Edna

Smith, who receives checks from the Compton Unified School

District at 325 E Compton Blvd, Compton CA 90221;

2. All writings demonstrating the source of the data base used

to mail Compton School Success Magazine Summer 2016

Edition to recipients, including invoices, purchase orders,

and/or contracts;

3. All writings explaining or relating to the selection process

for the mailing firm that mailed Compton School Success

Magazine Summer 2016 Edition using USPS Santa Barbara bulk

mail permit #800.

So, inquiring minds might want to know why CUSD hasn’t responded to my requests…..and what they have to hide.

Getting back to Hays he joins Omar as not being the only criminal in the race. On October 25, 1990 the Los Angeles times reported that:

Jamesette (James) Hays Jr., director of the Compton YMCA, was arraigned on forgery charges Tuesday in Compton Municipal Court. A hearing was set for Nov. 5 to determine if he will be bound over to Superior Court for trial. Hays entered a plea of not guilty.

According to Deputy Dist. Atty. Pamela Frohreich, Hays is charged with forging the name of a contractor on a $7,164 city check that was to help pay for renovations at the Y’s new facility on Long Beach Boulevard. Hays allegedly deposited the money in a YMCA account and wrote 56 checks with it.

In spite of that history Hays boasts on his website that:

As a YMCA Director he established outstanding youth sports and recreation as well as educational programs for Compton youth in the 1990s. James currently serves as President of the Board of Directors of the Drew Child Development Corporation.

That wasn’t Hays’ only brush with the courts. From 2005-2011 he was in Bankruptcy Chapter 13. At the time he owed back taxes of more than $77,000.

In 1998 in Arizona, Hays failed to pay a fine and wound up with a court order for driver license suspension from Tucson City Court. Also in 1998 Los Angeles County went after him fo child support:

Case Number: BY347108

Case Title: COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES VS. HAYS JAMESETTE II

Filing Date: 9/9/1998 12:00:00 AM

Case Type: Civil (General Jurisdiction)

Plaintiff(s)

COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES

Defendant(s)

HAYS JAMESETTE II

Then there are other criminal cases, but because there are three generations of Jamesette Hays, it’s not clear who’s who:

So, I’m still looking into other intriguing leads about Hays so say tuned. In the meantime if you have any information—good, bad, or ugly about the following people—email me at [email protected]:

Jamesette Hays

Edward Saucerman

Micah Ali

Satra Zurita

Janna Zuita

Omar Bradley

Darin Brawley

Edna Smith

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