Building and Safety Chief Says Department Corruption Is Not Pervasive
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Two Los Angeles building inspectors were charged last month with taking bribes to sign inspection forms for houses they never inspected and the General Manager of the Department of Building and Safety inspectors says that has broken the public trust.
In his monthly newsletter to employees, General Manager Robert "Bud" Ovrom referred to the bribery charges against two Department inspectors, Raoul Joseph Germain, 60, of Altadena and Hugo Joel Gonzalez, 49, of Eagle Rock. Both men pleaded not guilty to charges involving accepting $6,000 in bribes to approve work at four construction sites in Los Angeles from undercover FBI agents between November 2010 and January 2011.
Both men have been fired.
"I apologize to the mayor, City Council, our customers and to all the people of Los Angeles for these alleged outrageous violations of the public trust," Ovrom wrote in a newsletter which is scheduled to be delivered this weekend.
"In the last two weeks I have often been asked if I believe this type of corruption is pervasive in the department. I do not!"
Ovrom said he first learned of the allegations from an anonymous tip in January and took swift action to investigate more than 50 relevant projects. The department then handed its internal investigation off to the city attorney and the police department.
Ovrom wrote that he was not aware of the simultaneous FBI sting taking place, but added, "The FBI's investigative resources are much more sophisticated than ours. We appreciate the work of the FBI because it will assist us in identifying and implementing corrective preventative measures at the local level."
Ovrom said those measures include enhanced supervisory practices, improved employee training, and increased resources for internal investigations and performance auditing.
The department's year-to-date building permit valuation is $2.48 billion, about 15 percent more than the same time last year. Housing starts are also up 35 percent from a year ago.
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