Coalition for Justice in Hawaiian Gardens and Jerusalem
The Story of Moskowitz and Hawaiian Gardens
Letter to Attorney General Bill Lockyer Regarding the Certificate of Estoppel
June 24, 1999
Hon. Bill Lockyer
Attorney General
State of California
Dear Mr. Lockyer,
The latest chapter of Dr. Irving Moskowitz’s manipulation of the city of Hawaiian Gardens and the chicanery of his operations there will be written tomorrow morning (6/25) at 9 a.m., when the Hawaiian Gardens Redevelopment Agency meets in emergency session to discuss the material that follows in this fax.
It is vital that your office intervene to prevent the re-writing of all the documents, history, and legal facts of the Agency’s partnership in Moskowitz’s casino.
A Certificate of Estoppel is a guarantee that the signer will not deny or renounce previous acts. Why would Moskowitz’s lawyers want such a commitment if there wasn’t wrongdoing to hide?
Extracting an Estoppel Certificate from this poor, politically captive city is a blatant attempt to hide the truth about Moskowitz’s lopsided dealings with the Agency. Each of the 9 (nine) items in the enclosed draft, on which the agency will vote, attempts to cover up mountains of misinformation and skirting of the law. The Isenberg violations to which the draft certificate alludes are the most egregious, since they potentially involve the illegal use of public monies for a gambling venture. The casino deal and related litigation could end up costing the agency as much as $20,000,000.
The draft Certificate of Estoppel makes claims that demand your immediate investigation. For example, Item 5 (five) suggests that the Irving I. Moskowitz Foundation, which runs the monopoly bingo franchise in Hawaiian Gardens (The Bingo Club), has some involvement in the Agency’s and Moskowitz’s construction of the for-profit casino.
Item 7 (seven) will make the City of Hawaiian Gardens the ultimate investor in Moskowitz’s gaming venture -- with all the benefits going to Moskowitz.
Your urgent intervention is needed to halt the Agency’s adoption of the Certificate of Estoppel, or, if need be, to reverse it.
Sincerely,
Haim Dov Beliak, Rabbi
Coalition for Justice in Hawaiian Gardens and Jerusalem
cc: Assemblyman Wildman
Assemblyman Lowenthal
Division of Gambling Control,
Ron Diedrich and Harlan Goodson
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