California City Goes Broke Because it is a Sanctuary for Illegal Aliens-Unproven!
Summary of eRumor:
This is a forwarded article about the City of Maywood in California by radio talk show host Roger Hedgecock. Hedgecock describes the town’s history as being one of financial problems, scandals and corruption. He alleges that the town’s population is 97% Hispanic, 40% of which is undocumented and that it has become a sanctuary for illegal aliens. The article says that the town went broke, the Maywood Police Department has been dismantled, city employees were let go and only the the town council and city managers remained on the payroll.
The Truth:
It is not known if the financial problems of the city of Maywood, Ca resulted from illegal aliens but the town is in the process of restructuring, according to an official statement on their web site.
Roger Hedgecock’s article is real and appeared in the conservative newspaper, Human Events on June 26, 2010. Hedgecock is the former mayor of San Diego and a veteran broadcaster who currently hosts a nationally syndicated radio political talk show. Click for original text of the article.
According to a July 2, 2010 Los Angeles Times article, the city of Maywood had to let go of 100 employees and disbanded its 86-year-old Police Department. The duties of law enforcement were handed over to the Los Angels County Sheriffs department. City managers said that they were unable to obtain insurance citing past lawsuits, many involving the Maywood Police Department. At this time the city manager, city attorney and elected officials are the only ones left on the payroll and the operation of the city services are being handled by a neighboring city, Bell.
Maywood is the third smallest city in Los Angeles County, has a population estimated by the Los Angeles Times of close to 40,000. It is located just South of East Los Angeles near the Commerce area.
This is not the first time that the city of Maywood has been in the news over immigration in the US. In 2006, the city passed a resolution opposing a tough Congressional immigration bill.
updated 07/06/10