Mayor Louie Lujan Meets with USC Students to Discuss Los Angeles City Council Corruption
March 9, 2020
“Once a Mayor, always a Mayor” is how former Mayor Louie Lujan of La Puente started his lecture with USC students. Louie Lujan was invited as a guest lecturer to discuss the recent FBI investigation and charges filed against ex-councilman Mitch Englander. Former Councilman Mitch Englander allegedly accepted $10,000 in cash, services from a female escort, hotel rooms, $1,000 in casino gambling chips, $34,000 in nightclub bottle service and a $2,481 dinner during a Las Vegas trip.
As a former Mayor himself, Louie Lujan said that investigations are common and should not be taken lightly. Students listening in had a lot of questions about public corruption as Louie Lujan outlined the case against Englander.
Louie Lujan explained to the group of USC students that Former Los Angeles City Councilman Mitchell Englander surrendered to FBI agents Monday morning to face criminal charges that he obstructed an investigation into accusations that he accepted cash, female escort services, hotel rooms and expensive meals from a businessman during trips to Las Vegas and Palm Springs, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
RELATED STORY: Englander’s stunning departure from City Council was a complex farewell
Englander, who represented communities in the northwestern San Fernando Valley, is also accused of lying to the FBI about his conduct, according to a DOJ media release. If convicted of the seven charges in the indictment, Englander would face a maximum penalty of 50 years in federal prison.
Louie Lujan also shared a story that hit the same day as the Englander story. However this story related to corruption in neighboring Inglewood. Melanie McDade-Dickens, the Inglewood mayor’s highly paid assistant and former girlfriend of eight years, allegedly committed fraud by forging a fake bonus check and improperly changing her tax exemptions to appear more financially stable to a lender for her purchase of a home, according to a termination notice.
Two notices sent to McDade-Dickens before her firing late last year were released to the Southern California News Group through a public records request. Until now, the city would not provide the specific reasons for firing the longtime employee due to privacy laws.
Today, Mr. Lujan directs CIMA Law Group’s government relations department. He works with staff members from various local governments on matters such as planning, zoning and land use. Mr. Lujan graduated from the University of Southern California (USC) with a B.A. in Political Science and a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA). He also holds a Master’s in Secondary Education (M.Ed.) from Loyola Marymount University (LMU).
