Whistleblower Physician Reinstated at West Los Angeles VA Hospital
July 29 - August 25, 2022
Local Real Estate Developer Guilty of Fraud, Bribery and Obstruction for Paying $500K to City Officials
In August 2016, after a labor organization filed an appeal that prevented the 940 Hill project from progressing through the city’s approval process, Lee called Justin Jangwoo Kim, a Huizar fundraiser, to request Huizar’s help in dealing with the appeal. At the time, Huizar was the chairman of the city’s Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee, a body that oversaw many of the city’s most significant commercial and residential projects.
Photo: Facebook (@losangelesva)
Defendant 940 Photo: Facebook (@jose.huizar)
In early 2018, Dr. Cameron disclosed two near-deaths of VA patients during the administration of anesthesia in thoracic surgeries.
United States District Judge John F. Walter scheduled a September 19 sentencing hearing, at which time Lee will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the honest services wire fraud count, 20 years for the obstruction count, and 10 years for the bribery count.
David Lee charged in connection to José Huizar bribes
By Sam Catanzaro
In September 2016, George Esparza, then Huizar’s special assistant, informed Kim that Huizar would not help the 940 Hill project for free and would require a financial benefit. In 2017, after several months of bribe negotiations, Lee provided cash totaling $500,000 to Kim to deliver to Huizar and Esparza, including in a liquor box. Two years after paying the bribe, Lee and 940 Hill LLC impeded a federal criminal investigation by altering accounting and tax records to falsely categorize the $500,000 bribe as a legitimate business expenditure for resolving the labor organization appeal.
A real estate developer and one of his companies were found guilty by a jury last week of federal criminal charges for providing $500,000 in cash to then-Los Angeles City Councilman José Huizar and his special assistant in exchange for their help in resolving a labor organization’s appeal of their downtown Los Angeles development project.
“Dr. Cameron had long raised concerns about GLA’s anesthesia staffing practices for complex thoracic surgeries, but the most recent adverse event, during which a patient suffered a near fatal tear of their windpipe, compelled Dr. Cameron to more emphatically express his belief that the past two complications were avoidable, had anesthesiologists with greater thoracic experience been present,” the OSC said in a press release announcing the reinstatement. Not long after his disclosures, the VA issued its decision to separate Dr. Cameron from service. Dr. Cameron involuntarily retired one day before of his separation date, an alternative suggested by the supervisor who had proposed his separation. Dr. Cameron then filed a prohibited personnel practice complaint with OSC alleging the VA had coerced his retirement in retaliation for his protected whistleblower disclosures. OSC investigated Dr. Cameron’s allegations after obtaining a formal stay of his retirement from the Merit Systems Protection Board. OSC then worked with the VA to facilitate a mutually agreeable resolution of the matter, including the permanent reinstatement of Dr. Cameron to his position, over $100,000 in back pay, and an additional $20,000 in damages.“The VA terminated Dr. Cameron for courageously blowing the whistle about multiple avoidable injuries he had witnessed during thoracic surgeries,” said Special Counsel Henry J. Kerner. “OSC’s investigation found that Dr. Cameron faced resentment by some of his colleagues for his whistleblowing and was coerced to retire before his termination date.”
Dae Yong Lee, a.k.a. “David Lee,” 57, of Bel Air, and 940 Hill LLC, a Lee-controlled company, each were found guilty of three felonies: one count of honest services wire fraud, one count of bribery, and one count of falsification of records in federal investigations.According to evidence presented at his nine-day trial, Lee, a commercial real estate developer, was the majority owner of 940 Hill LLC and was planning on building a mixed-use development located at 940 South Hill Street in downtown Los Angeles. The development was to include 14,000 square feet of commercial space and more than 200 residential units.
Dr. Robert Cameron gets his old job back, federal ByannounceofficialsSamCatanzaro
A whistleblower doctor who was pushed into retirement after raising concerns about anesthesia staffing during surgeries at the West Los Angeles VA hospital has got his jobTheback.U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) last week announced a favorable settlement reached between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Dr. Robert Cameron, Chief of Thoracic Surgery for the VA’s Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, West Los Angeles VA Medical Center. .
Former Los Angeles City Councilman José Huizar. José Huizar, see page 7
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The man, 50-year-old Gueorgui Hristov Pantchev, was found guilty of four counts of stalking.United States District Judge John F. Walter scheduled a September 26 sentencing hearing, at which time Pantchev will face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count. According to evidence presented at his fiveday trial, Pantchev’s conduct with respect to two of the doctors began in 2011 with numerous threatening communications sent to West L.A. VA doctors identified in court documents as Victim C and Victim D. As a result of this harassment, Pantchev was charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and was convicted in 2014 of nine counts of stalking and witness intimidation. After serving a state prison sentence, Pantchev was paroled in 2017 and he was barred from the West L.A. VA Medical Center. Pantchev then began seeking medical services at the VA’s Loma Linda facility, where he started stalking, harassing, and intimidating Victims A and NotwithstandingB. the parole conditions that prohibited him from going to the West L.A. facility, in 2020, Pantchev sought care there and began sending harassing and intimidating communications to colleagues of Victims C andPantchevD. deluged Victims C and D and their colleagues with hundreds of lewd, sexually explicit, and defamatory fliers bearing large pictures of Victim C and Victim D that Pantchev repeatedly distributed around the West Los Angeles VA facility and other locations.Onthe morning of Pantchev’s arrest in January 2021, he drove to Victim D’s home and her child’s elementary school and distributed more sexually explicit flyers that included the victim’s home address and contact information. During a search of Pantchev’s residence, law enforcement found more copies of the same flyers, along with printed copies of some of the letters and emails Pantchev sent to Pantchevvictims. has been in federal custody since his arrest in January 2021.
West LA Man Found Guilty of Stalking Charges for Harassment Campaign Against Female Doctors at the VA Gueorgui Hristov Pantchev faces up to 20 years in prison
By Sam Catanzaro
A federal jury this month found a West Los Angeles man guilty of federal stalking charges for his harassment campaign targeting two female doctors at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and two other female doctors working at the VA’s Loma Linda facility in San Bernardino County.
July 29 - August 25, 2022 | 3Brentwood NewsBRENTWOODNEWSLA.COM Enjoy Stellar Braids A New Kind of Pretzel Four Stellar Flavors • Simply Stellar 74 Effective Dates are 7/27-8/27/22 OrganicWoodstockCondiments20%off-Stock-upSale!
By Dolores Quintana
Full Proof Pizza, Upper Crust Pizza plan Brentwood restaurants
Brentwood is getting two new pizzerias!
The second pizza restaurant opening a new location is Upper Crust Pizzeria as reported by Toddrickallen.com. Upper Crust has their eye on the former Belle Vie space in Brentwood. Signs have appeared that announce Upper Crust’s plans to move in. Prior to Belle Vie, the space was a restaurant called Divita’s Pizzeria. Upper Crust is a chain with locations in Massachusetts as well as in Culver City in California. You can also find calzone, lasagna and wings along with the restaurant’s “sort of famous” pies.
In the first weeks of August, Full Proof Pizza plans on opening a third location in Brentwood in the former Lemonade space. Full Proof Pizza locations have simple menus that nonetheless have many choices for their customers. You can find a dozen types of pizza on the Full Proof menu as either 12 or 18-inch pies including pesto and sausage, prosciutto and shaved parmesan and wild potato and leek. The restaurant also has salad options as well. The Full Proof website describes the restaurant’s concept and says, “The idea behind Full Proof was first and foremost nostalgic — we thought of our favorite childhood memory, grabbing a slice with family at local pizza shops. Inspired by [our] bakery pizza nights in 2015, [our] love of pizza is not unlike anyone else’s. [We] are obsessed with the age-old, bakery-born classic and would love to share [our] style with the city.”
The naturally leavened sourdough New York-style pizza restaurant, Full Proof Pizza, will be opening a branch in Brentwood at 145 South Barrington Ave as reported by What Now Los Angeles. The founders of Lodge Bread Company, Or Amsalam and Alex Phaneuf, and Full Proof Pizza, as James Beard winners have worked very hard to not only make phenomenal pizza but to expand out of their Culver City origins. Full Proof Pizza’s original location is at 11918 Washington Blvd. According to What Now Los Angeles, Phaneuf said that Full Proof plans to open a second location in Beverly Hills at 371 South Doheny Drive early in July.
Pop’s Bagels now baking Challah
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Photo: Facebook (Full Proof Pizza)
Brentwood Getting Two New Pizzerias
Brentwood News BRENTWOODNEWSLA.COM4 | July 29 - August 25, 2022
Brentwood Bagel Shop Offering Challah Bread on Friday
By Dolores Quintana
A Brentwood bagel shop is now baking Challah bread every Friday. Pop’s Bagel’s in Culver City and Brentwood have added a new and exciting twist to their menu, which they announced recently on their Instagram page. Every Friday, they will sell Challah bread, in limited quantities, until they sell out. Each loaf will be on sale for $10.00 and you will have a choice of plain, sesame, or everything loaves. Via an emailed statement, Pop’s Bagels said, “Our owner Zach is digging into his roots to bring Challah to Pop’s. Our freshly baked challahs are available every Friday at both of our stores! We’re offering a limited number to start to grab one while you can! Other flavors like chocolate chip or olive, rosemary and sea salt are coming soon!!” Photo: Instagram (@popsbagelsla)
Brentwood NewsBRENTWOODNEWSLA.COM July 29 - August 25, 2022 | 5 Not eligible for all property types. Eligible for fixed rate, jumbo loans on primary or second homes only. Applicant subject to credit and underwriting approval. Not all applicants will be approved for financing. Receipt of application does not represent an approval for financing or interest rate guarantee. Restrictions may apply, contact Guaranteed Rate Affinity, LLC for current rates and for more information. Find your forever home faster. Call today to learn more about your options. Ryan Woodward O: (310) grarate.com/ryanwoodward791-6077 Ryan.Woodward@grarate.com 130 North Brand Blvd, Suite 207 Glendale, CA 91203 Vice President, Mortgage Lending NMLS ID: 700492, LO#: CA CA - CA-DFPI700492 Guaranteed Rate Affinity, LLC is a registered trademark of Guaranteed Rate, Inc., used under license. Guaranteed Rate Affinity, LLC is a subsidiary of Guaranteed Rate, Inc.; NMLS #1598647; For licensing information visit nmlsconsumeraccess.org. Equal Housing Lender. Conditions may apply Guaranteed Rate Affinity, LLC is a registered trademark of Guaranteed Rate, Inc., used under license. Guaranteed Rate Affinity, LLC is a subsidiary of Guaranteed Rate, Inc. CA: Licensed by the Department of Business Oversight under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act
Photo: Citizens for Los Angeles Wildlife P-22 as seen in an image from a Citizens for Los Angeles Wildlife camera.
An mountainuncollaredlion lives in the eastern Santa Monica Mountains
“For years in the making already, this city’s Wildlife Ordinance is our only hope to keep all wildlife populations east of the 405 Freeway viable into the future,” said Deputy Director for Natural Resources and Planning for the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Paul Edelman. “This is Los Angeles’ only potential tool to save its Santa Monica Mountains wildlife.”
The Wildlife District Ordinance is proposed to protect habitat connectivity in the very same range that this mountain lion, a regionally threatened species, shares with bobcat, gray fox, mule deer, coyote and a vast biodiversity that have also been captured on CLAW nature cams.
P-22 Ain’t the Only Cat in Town
B Y S AM C ATANZARO Citizens for Los Angeles Wildlife (CLAW) has released three minutes of new video footage of a mountain lion they have been following through their wildlife cameras since 2017. The City of Los Angeles is in the final stages of hearings on a pilot Wildlife Ordinance District, the first area in the city where the Wildlife Ordinance will apply, is the same as the home range of this uncollared mountain lion. The video includes CLAW’s first daylight footage of the puma in his natural habitat in Los Angeles. The uncollared male mountain lion’s most distinguishing feature is an L-shaped kink in his tail that is a sign of genetic inbreeding. This uncollared cougar’s range is in the eastern Santa Monica Mountains between the I-405 and the 101 freeways dividing him at the Cahuenga Pass from the home range of the City’s most famous mountain lion, P-22 (as named by the National Park Service.) The uncollared puma’s home range includes natural land that is twice as large as P-22’s in Griffith Park but while he still has hubs of natural habitat for his home, his range is shrinking and becoming more severed by development. National Park Service is among many organizations that have been aware of this puma, whose presence has been spotted throughout the area from Bel Air to the Hollywood Hills through the increased installation of home security cameras and CLAW’s nature cam program.“Iwas so excited that this cougar sat down right in front of one of our nature cameras and really let us enjoy his majesty,” said CLAW Co-founder Tony Tucci. “Our CLAW cams are critical for awareness and evidence of the wonderful remaining biodiversity that lives in our urbanized mountains and why our wildlife habitat needs to be protected. Our major concern is that every new building project in this area might bisect, bottleneck, or worse, completely sever his range. That’s why the City’s proposed ordinance is so important.”
Bruno Naylor, a lifelong resident in the Bel Air area said, “Nature is the luxury we choose to live with up here. When we got an image of that puma on our security camera several months ago we were just delighted to know that wildlife of this kind can still find a home in a city like Los Angeles as the earth is suffering major wildlife extinction. It is time for people to understand that what is left of dwindling open space is more valuable than a bigger and bigger home. I am really hoping the City passes the Wildlife Ordinance so that future building doesn’t continue to block his range let alone all of the other critters we see. If we protect their range up here they won’t get forced into the streets.”
BRENTWOODNEWSLA.COMBrentwood News6 | July 29 - August 25, 2022
José Huizar, From page 1 Hill LLC will face a statutory maximum fine of $1.5 million or twice the gross gain or gross loss from the offense. Kim pleaded guilty in June 2020 to a federal bribery offense. Esparza pleaded guilty in July 2020 to one count of racketeering conspiracy. Both men are cooperating with the investigation and are scheduled to be sentenced in September. The next scheduled trial in this case is against Shen Zhen New World I LLC, an entity owned by real estate developer Wei Huang – another defendant in the case. Both defendants are charged with bribing Huizar related to another downtown Los Angeles development project and are scheduled to go to trial on October 18. Huang remains a fugitive. Huizar and former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan are scheduled to go to trial February 21, 2023, on federal charges alleging they conspired to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Huizar allegedly agreed to accept at least $1.5 million in illicit financial benefits and faces dozens of additional federal criminal charges. Sentenced to Over 11
In the fifth robbery on May 14, 2021, Rodriguez, carrying a semi-automatic firearm, approached a USPS mail carrier in West Los Angeles and demanded his wallet. When the victim refused, Rodriguez cocked his firearm. Rodriguez and the victim then struggled over the firearm. During the struggle, Rodriguez fired the weapon in close proximity to the victim’s head, leaving gunshot residue on the victim’s shoulder. Rodriguez then stole mail from the victim and fled in a stolen Chevrolet Malibu along with an accomplice. A .40-caliber casing was recovered at the robbery’s location. As a result of the gun discharge, the victim was transported to a hospital and was treated for a ruptured eardrum.
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Rodriguez, who has been in federal custody since May 2021, caused USPS a loss of at least $1,805, one victim a loss of $60 and another victim a loss of $960.
Years in Prison for Robbery Spree of USPS Carriers
Special Assistant United States Attorney Kyle W. Kahan of the General Crimes Section prosecuted this case. Photo: USPS.com
July 29 - August 25, 2022 | 7Brentwood NewsBRENTWOODNEWSLA.COM
Elvyn By2021inRodriguezAntoniochargedconnectiontospreeSamCatanzaro
A Nicaraguan national illegally residing in the United States has been sentenced to 135 months in federal prison for a twoweek crime spree in which he robbed five United States Postal Service (USPS) employees – and fired a handgun so close to one victim that it caused him to suffer a ruptured eardrum, the Justice Department announced this week.
“While [Rodriguez] enriched himself at the expense of his victims, they remained traumatized and forever impacted by [his] actions,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum.TheUnited States Postal Inspection Service and the Los Angeles Police Department investigated this matter.
Man
Elvyn Antonio Rodriguez, 22, a.k.a. Elvyn Meneses Rodriguez, a transient who has lived in various locations in the San Fernando Valley, was sentenced late July 13 by United States District Judge Dolly M. Gee, who also ordered him to pay $2,825 in restitution to the USPS and two mail carriers.Rodriguez pleaded guilty on March 15 to three counts of robbery of mail and property of the United States and one count of aggravated identity theft. From April 30 until May 14, 2021, Rodriguez robbed five USPS employees in Encino, North Hills, Van Nuys and West Los Angeles, pointing a firearm at them and stealing their personal belongings, including their cell phones, credit cards and the keys to their USPS trucks. Rodriguez then used the victims’ credit cards at retailers, where he purchased various items including clothing, BB guns, a watch, a glass pipe, and gasoline.
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By Dolores Quintana Jeremy Zimmer, CEO of UTA (United Talent Agency) has already sold his Brentwood home a month after listing it for sale as reported by The Dirt.com. The buyers are Sophia Richie and her fiance Elliot Grange and they purchased the estate for the full price of $26.9 million.
July 29 - August 25, 2022 | 9Brentwood NewsBRENTWOODNEWSLA.COM
Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham Brentwood Mansion 10,779 square foot Park
Santa
Got News? Got a Photo? Send them to us! Email editor@smmirror.com or give us a call at (310) 310-2637 Sofia Richie and Elliot Grainge Buy $27 Million Brentwood Estate
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Photo: The Beverly Hills Estates Photo: Wikimedia Commons Lindsey Buckingham performing in 2018.
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property
The home has six bedrooms and nine bathrooms in 10,779 square feet of living space in the Brentwood Park area. The home originally dated back to the 1920s but was partly demolished and rebuilt fresh by architect Steve Giannetti in 2003. Zimmer purchased the estate the following year and has owned it ever since. While the home is luxurious, the most notable thing about the estate is that it is located on a double lot so the outdoor grounds are huge even by the standards of luxury mansions in Los Angeles and surrounded by hedges, tall trees, and security cameras nestled on three quarters of an acre of land. The home comes with a large swimming pool with cabana and sundeck, rose gardens, formal living and dining rooms, a movie theatre, a fitness center, and an outdoor living room with a fireplace and an outdoor entertainment center with a BBQ firepit and built-in banquette.
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Brentwood Park mansion bought in off-market sale for $14 million By Dolores Quintana In an off-market sale, musician Lindsey Buckingham of the 70s rock band Fleetwood Mac has purchased a mansion in the Brentwood Park neighborhood for $14 million as reported byBuckinghamNine.com.au.bought the estate from megaproducer Lauren Schuler Donner, who has produced a number of blockbuster films and television shows since the 1980s including “Pretty In Pink”, “Free Willy”, “Constantine”, all of the films in the “X-Men” franchise and the successful Marvel television series “Legion”. Schuler-Donner had not had the property in her possession for long since she purchased it herself in 2021. Buckingham was a singer/guitarist for Fleetwood Mac for two decades and is now working as a solo artist. The mansion was built in 1934 and spans 5,509 square feet with four bedrooms and five bathrooms on a .55 acre lot. The one story property does have a pool along with all the modern conveniences since the home has been extensively renovated in the decades since its construction. The estate comes with a state of the art security system with cameras and the property has hedges and trees planted to help the residents feel safe and secure as well as unwatched by prying eyes. The home also comes with a one bedroom guest house and a three car garage.
Duo buy
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Brentwood resident Tom Safran is known for being a world-class builder of affordable housing. He is really in the business of changing lives.Tuesday, July 26, marked the grand opening of Missouri Place, a new affordable housing complex built at the southeast corner of Missouri and Bundy. This is the site of a former animal shelter. Missouri Place has set aside up to 60 percent of the facility’s 74 units for formerly homeless individuals. I attended the grand opening of Missouri Place the other day and it was a lovely affair, with lots of people, food, speeches and tours of the new facility. Missouri Place is absolutely first class and anyone would be lucky to live there. But the part of the event that sticks out most in my mind was my chance meeting with Veronica Martinez, who now lives at Missouri Place. She was one of the tour guides on opening day. Veronica told me she had been living on the edge for quite some time, staying at family members’ places. She had never
THE
Photo: Jeff Hall Tom Safran, second from right, welcomes well-wishers to the grand opening of Missouri Place. Jordan Pynes, Brentwood resident and president of Brentwood-based TSA Architects (Tom Safran & Associates).11
Missouri
Founding Publisher Real Victory, see page
Place: Let’s Celebrate a Real Victory
Got News? Got a Photo? Send them to us! Email editor@smmirror.com or give us a call at (310) 310-2637
Brentwood stalwarts Robert Arbour, Marilyn Krell and Elise Arbour attended the grand opening.
Robin M. Keefe with Dan Withee, the architect whose firm, Withee Malcolm, designed Missouri Place. Missouri Place took top prize for the best affordable housing complex over 60 units. The award was given by the Pacific Coast Builder’s Conference. actually lived on the streets, but I could tell from listening to her that things could have easily gone that way.
July 29 - August 25, 2022 | 11Brentwood NewsBRENTWOODNEWSLA.COM
The rooms at Missouri Place are spacious and airy.
Feeling blessed: Veronica Martinez.
Mike Bonin was willing to push Missouri Place through, according to Tom Safran. Bill Rosendahl, said Safran, was nervous about potential neighborhood opposition.
Veronica just knew, she told me, that in order to really take control of her life, she needed her own place. She said she felt like she was down to two weeks left before her life would completely unravel. She said she prayed to God for a miracle and, two weeks later, she learned she had been accepted to move into Missouri Place. It was all very touching. Good luck to you, Veronica -- and to all your new neighbors at Missouri Place. May you all find health, happiness and prosperity in the years ahead. Thank you, Tom Safran, for doing God’s work here on earth. Tom didn’t build Missouri Place alone, of course. In his remarks, he recognized all the elected officials, financiers, builders, architects, social workers, tradesmen, the local neighborhood council and others who helped make Missouri Place possible. Building permanent supportive housing for the homeless requires jumping through a lot of hoops. Everyone pulled together on this project. There wasn’t the typical opposition from nearby residents. Mayor Eric Garcetti attended the grand opening and said, prior to the passage of HHH, the measure that raised taxes for the purpose of building housing for the homeless, going to a grand opening like the one at Missouri Place occurred maybe once every two or three months. Now he’s attending similar grand openings all over Los Angeles maybe once a week, he said. Progress really is being made, he asserted. City Council Member Mike Bonin said there are many things a formerly homeless person needs to get back up on his or her feet, but it all starts with housing. Services and mental health counseling and drug rehab programs really can’t work, he has argued for years, unless a person has housing stability first. While many today wonder why it’s so hard to provide enough shelter quickly for the homeless – and at an affordable cost –let’s set those discussions aside for today. Today, let’s take a moment to celebrate a real achievement: the opening of Missouri Place.
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