Margaret's Misdeeds

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(Some items appear under multiple categories)

Conflicts of interest

Harassment of city staff and discrimination

Vendettas and political moves

Brown Act violations

Micromanagement

Interference with city personnel system

Alienation of our state and federal representatives

Ethics

City climate of fear and distrust

Cronyism and favoritism

Conflict of interest

As an ATT retiree, Margaret must avoid participating in any city action relating to the company, but when ATT representatives came to the city to get permits for the big, ugly communication cabinets they put in all over town, Margaret came with them.
Margaret has pushed city staff to hire her close friends and use vendors who are her personal friends.

Harassment of city staff and discrimination

Margaret tried with other council members to have a particular person appointed captain of the Lomita Sheriff Station because of that person’s race.
Margaret has created a hostile environment for city employees. They feel Margaret’s wrath on a regular basis and fear retribution if they do not comply with her wishes – be they appropriate or not.
Margaret makes humiliating and disparaging comments about the physical appearance of city employees.
Margaret has violated the civil rights of city employees based on race and sexual preference by making ongoing attacks on these employees, opening the city to expensive legal attacks.
Margaret and her council allies conspired to keep the pay of one employee from being raised because Margaret did not like her. She continued harassing the employee until the person quit the city.

Vendettas and political moves

Margaret ran a smear campaign against Mark Waronek in the last election using Ponte Vista in San Pedro as her primary issue – even though she stated in the last council debate that she did not think Ponte Vista would have any impact on Lomita. Why did she do it? Because Mark would not go along with her desire to run the daily affairs of the city.
In the current election, residents report Margaret telling people in the Rolling Ranchos area that another candidate is on the board of Ponte Vista -- a complete fabrication.
Margaret tried to get city staff to hire a private investigator and follow a planning commissioner to gather information to use against him if he ran for city council.
Margaret has tried time and again to kill off the Lomita Chamber of Commerce even in these tough times when the city needs the chamber more than ever. Her reason? She doesn’t like the executive director.
Margaret and her council allies conspired to fire two public works employees to teach the public works director a lesson about disagreeing with Margaret.

Brown Act violations

Along with her council allies, Margaret has violated the state’s open meeting laws by meeting privately to discuss city business including the city budget, law enforcement and getting rid of certain city employees she did not like.
Margaret and her council allies conspired to fire two public works employees to teach the public works director a lesson about disagreeing with Margaret.
On several occasions, it appears that Margaret and her allies have discussed a matter prior to a council meeting. They make related statements with no discussion at the meeting.

Micromanagement

Margaret comes to city hall daily to micromanage the city. She argues over who attends meetings, how a parking lot is paved and how much people should be paid even though she has no related background or training.
Margaret gives direction directly to staff. She ignores city management and does not seek a vote from the council.

Interference with city personnel system

Along with her two allies on the council, Margaret has violated the state’s open meeting laws by meeting privately to discuss city business including the city budget, law enforcement and getting rid of certain city employees she did not like.
Margaret has pushed city staff to hire her friends over others judged more qualified by interviewers and frequently injected herself in the hiring process.
Margaret and her council allies conspired to fire two public works employees to teach the public works director a lesson about disagreeing with Margaret.
Margaret and her council allies conspired to keep the pay of one employee from being raised because Margaret did not like her. She continued harassing the employee until the person quit the city.

Ethics

Margaret strong arms city vendors to contribute to her causes and then pushes city staff to stop using Lomita businesses who don’t contribute.
Margaret makes up her mind ahead of time on matters on the city council agenda. This is a clear violation of the law that council members come to a meeting with an open mind. Dissenting views are dismissed with the public often treated very rudely by her if they say something she does not like.
When the city was discussing a possible high school in town, Margaret falsely told residents around Lomita Park that the park was going to be replaced with a high school and then completely denied it. Thanks to Margaret and her cronies, the council voted three to two to not even discuss a high school anywhere in Lomita in spite of a city survey showing residents strongly backed a high school for Lomita's kids.
Margaret claims to oppose the Ponte Vista development while she stated in the 2005 council debates that she did not think it would have a significant impact on Lomita.

City climate of fear and distrust

Margaret has created a hostile environment for city employees. They feel Margaret’s wrath on a regular basis and fear retribution if they do not comply with her wishes – be they appropriate or not.
Margaret screams at city management and employees until she gets her way. This is not a rare occurrence but is part of her attempt to coerce people to do what she wants.

Cronyism and favoritism

Margaret directed staff to use a particular vendor who was a friend of a city employee.
Margaret has pushed city staff to hire her friends over others judged more qualified by interviewers and frequently injected herself in the hiring process.
Margaret and her council allies conspired to keep the pay of one employee from being raised because Margaret did not like her. She continued harassing the employee until the person quit the city.
At the insistence of Margaret Estrada, the paving of one street was moved far ahead of other streets that were rated a higher priority by the pavement management consultant the city hired. Is your street one of the ones being skipped to please Margaret's friends instead?
In August, Margaret showed up at a sidewalk construction site and ordered city staff to stop work because a neighboring friend did not like it. She created such a scene that Sheriff’s deputies had to be called by neighbors, and the crew then finished the sidewalk.

Alienation of our state and federal representatives

Margaret has publicly criticized our Congress member's assistance to the city while at the same time submitting no requests for assistance.
After the city's consultant in Sacramento got the city a large grant for the railroad museum, Margaret tried to have them fired because she thought they were friends of Mark Waronek.
At an event by Assemblyman Ted Lieu earlier this year, Margaret thought she was nominated for an award. She verbally abused his staff and made the Lomita representatives walk out when she found out she was not nominated. All the other nominees were public safety personnel, and no one on the Assemblyman's staff had told her she was nominated. She even made the Lomita people in attendance pay their own way to cover it up.

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