1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: Can't. I am six forty. 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:05,480 Speaker 2: You're listening to the John Cobel Podcast on the iHeartRadio app. 3 00:00:06,320 --> 00:00:09,440 Speaker 2: We're on every day from one until four o'clock, and 4 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:13,000 Speaker 2: then after four o'clock it's a podcast, John Cobel's Show 5 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:15,560 Speaker 2: on demand on the iHeart app and you can listen 6 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:20,360 Speaker 2: to everything that you missed. We have a surprise coming 7 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:23,360 Speaker 2: up in the two o'clock hour. We're gonna have a 8 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:26,440 Speaker 2: co host hanging out and we'll tell you all about 9 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:28,320 Speaker 2: that in a few minutes. 10 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 1: But it's the winner of the. 11 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:36,760 Speaker 2: Caterina's Club contest with Chef Bruno from last fall and 12 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:40,839 Speaker 2: the high bidder, just like last year, gets to co 13 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:42,920 Speaker 2: host the show for a period of time, and we'll 14 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:45,720 Speaker 2: tell you all about that coming up after two. 15 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:47,560 Speaker 1: That starts now. 16 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:55,280 Speaker 2: Almost every day something astonishing comes out of Sacramento, something abnormal, 17 00:00:55,960 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 2: often weird, deviant, and sick. First, the good news, the 18 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 2: California Assembly actually passed the new law that will make 19 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:13,039 Speaker 2: it easier for prosecutors to charge a felony for those 20 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:16,200 Speaker 2: of you who buy sixteen and seventeen year olds for sex. 21 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:18,840 Speaker 2: You know that was a big racket a couple of 22 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:21,840 Speaker 2: weeks ago, because the Democrats were trying to block the 23 00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:26,200 Speaker 2: bill because many of them wanted to continue buying teenagers 24 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 2: for sex, and Carl Demio, the Republican Assemblymen, shamed them 25 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:36,400 Speaker 2: out of it. It got extensive media coverage. Gavin Newsom said, no, 26 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:39,360 Speaker 2: we need to make this a felony. How it wasn't 27 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:43,400 Speaker 2: a felony every other state in the Union, it was 28 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:47,560 Speaker 2: a felony not here. So this vote was seventy four 29 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:51,280 Speaker 2: to nothing. Seventy four to nothing, And not only does 30 00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 2: it make it a felony to buy a sixteen and 31 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 2: seventeen year old for sex, it also makes it a 32 00:01:57,440 --> 00:02:02,880 Speaker 2: crime again to loiter with the intent to buy anyone 33 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:08,360 Speaker 2: for sex. So somewhere along the line, the perverts, pedophiles 34 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:15,200 Speaker 2: and predators in Sacramento had legalized prostitution, and now it's 35 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 2: going to be illegal again. 36 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 1: So we've got a string of these things. 37 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 2: Remember they had made shoplifting legal, and then Prop thirty 38 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:28,359 Speaker 2: six reverse that. They had made public drug use illegal. 39 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:32,119 Speaker 2: Prop thirty six reversed that as well, and now they're 40 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:35,040 Speaker 2: reversing the idea that prostitution. 41 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 1: Is legal in California. 42 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:40,880 Speaker 2: Not only that, boy, they must have gotten fiery blowback 43 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:45,400 Speaker 2: from normal people. The perverts have now created heftier fines 44 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 2: for businesses like hotels that allow these crimes to take 45 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:54,560 Speaker 2: place on their property. So no longer if hotel management 46 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:59,040 Speaker 2: sees middle aged men dragging teenage girls by the hair 47 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:01,680 Speaker 2: up to the room for sex, will the will the 48 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:04,679 Speaker 2: managers look the other way and just shrug their shoulders 49 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:06,680 Speaker 2: and say, hey, it's legal. What do you want me 50 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:09,400 Speaker 2: to do? That's not going to happen. And there's now 51 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:17,120 Speaker 2: a new fund to support victims of these crimes. So also, 52 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:21,639 Speaker 2: if the adult is more than three years older than 53 00:03:21,639 --> 00:03:25,920 Speaker 2: the minor victim, they'll face a felony as well. Seventy 54 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:30,040 Speaker 2: four to nothing. Though there were some absent legislators, well, 55 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:33,280 Speaker 2: the only one present, and this is according to the 56 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:38,120 Speaker 2: only reporter in California who covers the legislator, Ashley Zavala 57 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:43,480 Speaker 2: for KCR TV in Sacramento. Ashley on Twitter wrote that 58 00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 2: the only lawmaker here who would not vote for it 59 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:53,960 Speaker 2: was the Democratic assembly woman Mia Banta. That name familiar. 60 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:58,480 Speaker 2: Mia Bonta is the wife of Rob Bonta, the attorney general. 61 00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:03,240 Speaker 2: So get this, the attorney General's wife. And by the way, 62 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:05,760 Speaker 2: if you look at her voting record, she is a 63 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:12,080 Speaker 2: whack job who and this proves it. She's sitting there 64 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:15,560 Speaker 2: and the vote is, hey, you want to make buying 65 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:18,720 Speaker 2: a sixteen year old for sex of felony. She got 66 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:23,160 Speaker 2: her arms folded. She's afraid to vote no. She doesn't 67 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:26,480 Speaker 2: want to be the only no vote, so she just 68 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:31,279 Speaker 2: declines to vote abstains. So she's not only crazy, she's 69 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:38,480 Speaker 2: a coward. I mean, how did your your husband's the 70 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:42,920 Speaker 2: attorney general. I mean, just just for basic decency appearances, 71 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:46,760 Speaker 2: all right, So she's on the side of the side 72 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:47,359 Speaker 2: of the pimps. 73 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:49,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, I guess. 74 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:54,640 Speaker 2: I guess they're perverts, predators, pedophiles, and pimps. The four 75 00:04:54,680 --> 00:04:58,520 Speaker 2: p's those that's the assembly. That's the assembly in the 76 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:04,240 Speaker 2: state Senate. You choose your p. Then there's another nut. 77 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:09,360 Speaker 2: This is an assembly woman named this is a good 78 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:16,400 Speaker 2: one Lechee sharp hyphen Collins. Lechee is la capital s 79 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:20,960 Speaker 2: h Ae lache sharp Collins, and she worries how the 80 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:26,160 Speaker 2: proposal could impact the LGBTQ community and people of color. 81 00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:30,839 Speaker 2: Why would that be there's no specification about color or 82 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:34,840 Speaker 2: sexual orientation. You can't buy a teenager for sex, that's 83 00:05:35,160 --> 00:05:39,200 Speaker 2: what it says. The law says it's a felony if 84 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:44,400 Speaker 2: you buy teenagers for sex. Why would that impact gay 85 00:05:44,480 --> 00:05:48,440 Speaker 2: people or or blacks any different from everyone. Well, it doesn't. 86 00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:53,880 Speaker 2: It's just nonsense. She's just an idiot. She also claims 87 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:57,479 Speaker 2: it could be against the California Racial Justice Act. I 88 00:05:57,520 --> 00:05:59,760 Speaker 2: don't know what that is. It passed in twenty twenty. 89 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 2: Anything that passed in twenty twenty is not good. Is 90 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:06,640 Speaker 2: usually like crazy stuff. But I don't think the California 91 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:13,400 Speaker 2: Racial Justice Act says it's legal for certain races or 92 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:15,960 Speaker 2: ethnicities to buy teenagers for sex. 93 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:16,360 Speaker 1: Does it? 94 00:06:18,839 --> 00:06:22,640 Speaker 2: I doubt it very much, so I lache Sharp Collins. 95 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:26,119 Speaker 2: I always keep track of people who who are willing 96 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:29,600 Speaker 2: to go on the record pretty much. It's as if 97 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:33,719 Speaker 2: they're standing on the roof going I'm really crazy, I'm 98 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:40,560 Speaker 2: a psycho. The assembly woman who filed this was a Democrat, 99 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:44,120 Speaker 2: Maggie Krow, and she was a prosecutor, a prosecutor, she'd 100 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:49,719 Speaker 2: investigated human trafficking, sex trafficking for two decades and she 101 00:06:49,839 --> 00:06:53,440 Speaker 2: was a prosecutor for the California Department of Justice, so 102 00:06:53,480 --> 00:06:59,160 Speaker 2: she worked for the state and she originally wrote the bill, 103 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:01,839 Speaker 2: and then her name stripped off the bill when it 104 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:06,080 Speaker 2: ran into all that ran into all that commotion. Remember 105 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:11,200 Speaker 2: the moron from Burbank, Nick Schultz, this twelve year old 106 00:07:11,200 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 2: who's the chairperson, the chairman of the Assembly Public Safety 107 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:18,560 Speaker 2: Committee committee. He took he took the bill away from 108 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:21,800 Speaker 2: Maggie Crell, stripped her name off it, put his name 109 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:24,640 Speaker 2: on it, and then filed it away for some other 110 00:07:24,720 --> 00:07:30,480 Speaker 2: time until the blowback was overwhelming and he had to 111 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:35,679 Speaker 2: stick his tail between his legs and resubmit the bill 112 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:40,800 Speaker 2: and put Maggie Crell's name on the bill again. And 113 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:45,840 Speaker 2: Maggie had told the other Well had told the perverts, pimps, predators, 114 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:49,720 Speaker 2: and pedophiles in the Assembly about a human trafficking victims 115 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:54,000 Speaker 2: that she dealt with who had suffered an injury at 116 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:58,600 Speaker 2: the hands of her buyer. So this is a young 117 00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:02,280 Speaker 2: girl teenage or who had some kind of an injury, 118 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:07,440 Speaker 2: maybe got beat up in some way, or the sexual 119 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:11,800 Speaker 2: attack was so vicious, she's hurt and the buyer, the guy, 120 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:16,880 Speaker 2: didn't face any consequences for the crime. And Crell said 121 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:19,960 Speaker 2: that moment haunted me the way she felt so disposable. 122 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:24,520 Speaker 2: Now that Crell explained this to the Assembly, members right, 123 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:29,560 Speaker 2: and still they ripped the bill away from her and 124 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:36,040 Speaker 2: blocked it for a time. And we also have to 125 00:08:36,160 --> 00:08:39,440 Speaker 2: one of the other bad guys, Assembly Speaker Robert Reevis. 126 00:08:40,160 --> 00:08:43,520 Speaker 2: He removed her as the main author him and Chultz 127 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:48,000 Speaker 2: after she spoke out against Revus's decision to block the 128 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:54,400 Speaker 2: felony proposal. Breevous also was one of these sikos who 129 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:59,440 Speaker 2: ran ads lying claiming that the Republicans were the one 130 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:03,200 Speaker 2: blocking the proposal, just out and out lies. He had 131 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:06,440 Speaker 2: a woman who ran one of these public relation companies 132 00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:10,800 Speaker 2: and they started running all these ads that were just 133 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:17,480 Speaker 2: complete garbage, smearing Republicans. So that's what Revs is about again. 134 00:09:18,120 --> 00:09:22,160 Speaker 2: We're talking about sixteen year old girls and boys being 135 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:25,719 Speaker 2: bought for sex, and the Republicans were on the right 136 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:28,680 Speaker 2: side of this. The Democrats were on the side of 137 00:09:28,679 --> 00:09:34,319 Speaker 2: the pimps and the pedophiles and the predators. And Revas 138 00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:38,920 Speaker 2: got mad at Kroll and Revs got mad at the Republicans. 139 00:09:39,559 --> 00:09:41,200 Speaker 2: Maggie Crow was a Democrat, and I think there were 140 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:46,440 Speaker 2: two others as well. Revas didn't speak on the Assembly 141 00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:49,200 Speaker 2: floor about the proposal because he's a coward, and he 142 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:52,040 Speaker 2: would not speak with reporters after the vote because he's 143 00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:54,960 Speaker 2: a coward. These are really tough guys when they're hiding 144 00:09:55,040 --> 00:10:01,240 Speaker 2: behind fake ads online, when they're bullying people trying to 145 00:10:01,400 --> 00:10:02,320 Speaker 2: do the right thing. 146 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:05,480 Speaker 1: Uh. You know, when you're the speaker, you have all 147 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:05,920 Speaker 1: the power. 148 00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:09,280 Speaker 2: So Maggie Crow as great as a prosecutor she is, 149 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:11,880 Speaker 2: she's got no power up against the Breevus and so 150 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:16,000 Speaker 2: Revs is this big billy bully and pushes pushes Krell around, 151 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:21,040 Speaker 2: runs these these fake lying ads online. But now after 152 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:23,800 Speaker 2: he lost the war, reporters want to talk to him. 153 00:10:23,840 --> 00:10:27,760 Speaker 2: He's not talking. Uh, he doesn't. He doesn't speak on 154 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:30,840 Speaker 2: the floor about it. So you just remember Robert Reeves 155 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:35,520 Speaker 2: because he's he and Nick Schultz created this disgusting mess 156 00:10:35,559 --> 00:10:40,240 Speaker 2: trying to protect the rapists. I'm sorry, these what these 157 00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:43,520 Speaker 2: what these these guys were doing, these middle aged men, 158 00:10:43,640 --> 00:10:46,160 Speaker 2: they were grabbing sixteen year olds and seventeen year olds 159 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:49,800 Speaker 2: off the street, taking them to some disgusting hotel and 160 00:10:49,840 --> 00:10:53,240 Speaker 2: then raping them in the rooms. That's why there's a 161 00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:57,360 Speaker 2: provision now that says, uh, you know, the the hotels 162 00:10:57,960 --> 00:11:00,800 Speaker 2: or the uh yeah, the hotels can be find for 163 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:04,480 Speaker 2: allowing the sort of behavior. So Revis and Schultz were 164 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:10,760 Speaker 2: in favor of middle aged weirdos raping teenage boys and 165 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:15,080 Speaker 2: girls and dragging him to motels. All right, and now 166 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:18,839 Speaker 2: suddenly they go quiet, well, gonna hang this around their 167 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:24,880 Speaker 2: necks forever, forever, because this is what you have, Schultz, 168 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:27,160 Speaker 2: is right here out of Burbank. You live in Burbank. Here, 169 00:11:27,559 --> 00:11:29,600 Speaker 2: this is your district. This is what you've got here. 170 00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:31,680 Speaker 2: You know, they're trying to clean up the mess, but 171 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:34,080 Speaker 2: this is a permanent stain, and we're going to make 172 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:37,680 Speaker 2: sure that you can always hear and see the stain. 173 00:11:38,920 --> 00:11:41,600 Speaker 2: All right, we got something good coming up after one thirty. 174 00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:49,040 Speaker 2: Freddie Escobart was the Los Angeles Fire Department union president. 175 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:52,200 Speaker 2: I say was because he's currently under suspension, and we 176 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:55,319 Speaker 2: first had him on the show shortly after the Palisades fires, 177 00:11:55,400 --> 00:12:00,480 Speaker 2: and he was quite honest and forthcoming about how the 178 00:12:00,520 --> 00:12:04,120 Speaker 2: fire department's gotten screwed by Karen Bass and Eric Carcetti 179 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:08,800 Speaker 2: and really gotten screwed for decades. They're wildly underfunded, only 180 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:12,319 Speaker 2: half the department. They only have half a department. I've 181 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:15,240 Speaker 2: said that many times and it's still true. Well, you know, 182 00:12:15,320 --> 00:12:20,199 Speaker 2: Freddy was went on the air, and was quite detailed 183 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:24,320 Speaker 2: in his characterization of what was going on. And then 184 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:33,280 Speaker 2: somebody decided to publicize that he has hundreds of thousands 185 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:37,080 Speaker 2: of dollars on Fire Department credit cards or Union credit cards, 186 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:41,200 Speaker 2: and he doesn't have the receipts for all his charges, 187 00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:46,560 Speaker 2: and it's hundreds of thousands of dollars. Freddy Escobar claims 188 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:49,640 Speaker 2: that he's innocent of this. He's coming on the air 189 00:12:49,640 --> 00:12:52,920 Speaker 2: with us coming up after one thirty because he's trying 190 00:12:52,960 --> 00:12:54,640 Speaker 2: to clear his name, so we're gonna hear what. 191 00:12:54,600 --> 00:13:02,600 Speaker 1: He has to say. Then, Debra Mark, Yes, you have 192 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:07,400 Speaker 1: this deep I know. Gosh, I don't know this cold allergies. 193 00:13:07,480 --> 00:13:10,400 Speaker 1: I'm dying here. It's getting worse every day every day. 194 00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:14,600 Speaker 1: I don't understand it. Don't go to your Conway heat 195 00:13:14,640 --> 00:13:15,080 Speaker 1: free cat. 196 00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:15,400 Speaker 3: I know. 197 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:18,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, he's even. He probably wouldn't come to work. Yeah, 198 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:20,320 Speaker 1: I know. I'll stay away from him. Because you had 199 00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:22,719 Speaker 1: kind of a rich, deep Yeah. 200 00:13:22,800 --> 00:13:25,360 Speaker 3: I always wanted that smoker kind of voice, because I 201 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:28,680 Speaker 3: never smoked, So I think that when I first started 202 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:30,079 Speaker 3: out in the business, I wanted. 203 00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:32,120 Speaker 1: That deep voice, and I think I have it now. 204 00:13:32,240 --> 00:13:35,760 Speaker 2: I think you could do a whole other line of commercials. Now, yeah, 205 00:13:35,880 --> 00:13:36,880 Speaker 2: they might qualify for. 206 00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:42,120 Speaker 4: You're listening to John Cobelt on demand from KFI AM 207 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:43,320 Speaker 4: six forty. 208 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:45,440 Speaker 1: Josh Moody has arrived. 209 00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:49,520 Speaker 2: Josh is an attorney and he won the uh Katerina's 210 00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:52,840 Speaker 2: Club contest when we did that fundraiser for Chef Bruno 211 00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:56,040 Speaker 2: last fall and he had the winning bid and he's 212 00:13:56,040 --> 00:13:57,840 Speaker 2: going to co host the show. He'll hang out with 213 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:01,080 Speaker 2: us beginning in the two o'clock hour and three o'clock hour. 214 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:03,560 Speaker 2: We're going to talk about whatever Josh wants to talk about. 215 00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:07,280 Speaker 2: So he was the winner for the pastathon. And his 216 00:14:07,320 --> 00:14:10,840 Speaker 2: wife Marie, who's a prosecutor, is also going to be 217 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:13,760 Speaker 2: sitting in with us. And that's coming up starting after 218 00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:18,520 Speaker 2: two o'clock. And like I said, Freddy Escobar, the suspended 219 00:14:18,880 --> 00:14:21,920 Speaker 2: LA Fire Department union president, is coming on. He's being 220 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:27,400 Speaker 2: accused of not documenting all of two hundred and sixty 221 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:31,240 Speaker 2: five thousand dollars in union money he spent on union 222 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:36,640 Speaker 2: credit cards and they're doing an investigation. He's got to 223 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:40,160 Speaker 2: produce some receipts. They say, we'll talk to Freddy on 224 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:45,920 Speaker 2: the phone coming up. You know what I like about 225 00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:49,200 Speaker 2: the way immigration law is suddenly being enforced for the 226 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:50,280 Speaker 2: first time since. 227 00:14:51,880 --> 00:14:54,440 Speaker 1: Probably this country was established. 228 00:14:55,520 --> 00:14:59,960 Speaker 2: Is that the guy running the enforcement operation is Tom Homer. 229 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:04,880 Speaker 2: And Tom Homan, if you've seen him on TV. He 230 00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:09,840 Speaker 2: is this big, burly bald and it's got like this 231 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:13,440 Speaker 2: bullet head, looks like a slab of cement on his neck, 232 00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:18,560 Speaker 2: and he is tough and gruff and is not afraid 233 00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:22,680 Speaker 2: of anything, and he has you know, most of the 234 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:27,400 Speaker 2: time when officials talk, they're just trying to intimidate and 235 00:15:27,480 --> 00:15:31,040 Speaker 2: deter you. They're not actually going to carry out their threats. 236 00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:34,120 Speaker 2: Homan is carrying it out. And he had said that 237 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:37,359 Speaker 2: if anybody gets in the way of his immigration officers 238 00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:40,520 Speaker 2: when it comes time to round people up and deport them, 239 00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:43,400 Speaker 2: then they are going to be prosecuted with federal crimes. 240 00:15:43,720 --> 00:15:46,800 Speaker 2: And that's what's happened to this South Los Angeles couple, 241 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:54,840 Speaker 2: Gustavo Torres and Jamie Flores. Gustavo's twenty eight Kia is 242 00:15:54,880 --> 00:15:59,880 Speaker 2: thirty four, and they're facing federal criminal charges for trying 243 00:15:59,880 --> 00:16:04,640 Speaker 2: to use their car to impede and pursue federal immigration agents. 244 00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:09,760 Speaker 2: The agents were serving search warrants, and federal prosecutors announced 245 00:16:09,800 --> 00:16:16,760 Speaker 2: this on Wednesday. Of course, advocacy groups are squawking and 246 00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:21,520 Speaker 2: are claiming this is an intimidation tactic. No, that that's 247 00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:24,600 Speaker 2: the law people are the law has not been enforced 248 00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:29,960 Speaker 2: for so long in so many ways, federally, statewide, locally 249 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:34,280 Speaker 2: in the city of la and other towns, that people 250 00:16:34,360 --> 00:16:37,480 Speaker 2: don't recognize the law and they think you're doing something 251 00:16:37,520 --> 00:16:40,560 Speaker 2: illegal when you enforce the law. You know this this 252 00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:44,680 Speaker 2: this just hit me like today, It's like, how how 253 00:16:44,720 --> 00:16:47,640 Speaker 2: could they say something that's written in black and white 254 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:51,200 Speaker 2: very clearly, like if you do this, you've broken the 255 00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:54,240 Speaker 2: law and there are consequences. How can you argue with that? 256 00:16:54,320 --> 00:16:57,640 Speaker 2: And then I realized, because it hasn't been enforced in 257 00:16:57,720 --> 00:17:02,160 Speaker 2: so long, people don't wreck recognize this. It doesn't make 258 00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:05,800 Speaker 2: any sense to them. You have people like this, this 259 00:17:05,840 --> 00:17:09,480 Speaker 2: is like late twenties, early thirties. Yeah, the last thirty years, 260 00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:13,320 Speaker 2: increasingly it's been lawless in this state. Sold they how 261 00:17:13,359 --> 00:17:16,760 Speaker 2: would they know? The advocacy and the advocacy groups were 262 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:20,680 Speaker 2: so used to getting their way with weak, silly, stupid 263 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:25,880 Speaker 2: politicians that they're they're they're a gas. It's like, well, 264 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:27,560 Speaker 2: what do you mean you're enforcing the law a wait, 265 00:17:27,600 --> 00:17:30,080 Speaker 2: wait a second, Nobody ever did that before. 266 00:17:30,560 --> 00:17:32,640 Speaker 1: What's this? What does that mean in forcing the law? 267 00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:35,600 Speaker 2: Well, you know read, Oh I forgot three quarters of 268 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:41,399 Speaker 2: Californians can't read, so maybe triy sign language. This happened 269 00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:45,640 Speaker 2: on February twenty eighth. You had Homeland Security agents, Custom 270 00:17:45,680 --> 00:17:48,639 Speaker 2: and Border Protection agents. They were serving search warrants in 271 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:52,359 Speaker 2: South Los Angeles. Small crowd gathered outside of home in 272 00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:56,640 Speaker 2: the Florence neighborhood, and at nine thirty or so, three 273 00:17:56,760 --> 00:18:00,760 Speaker 2: law enforcement vehicles left the scene with some evidence and 274 00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:05,200 Speaker 2: an agent recorded Jamie Flores, the woman outside the house 275 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:08,560 Speaker 2: standing next to a Honda, and then that same car 276 00:18:08,600 --> 00:18:11,639 Speaker 2: was blocking the agent's vehicles at sixty first in Broadway 277 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:14,960 Speaker 2: and they could drive around the Honda and then Torres 278 00:18:15,200 --> 00:18:17,440 Speaker 2: the man drove in front of one of the government 279 00:18:17,520 --> 00:18:22,359 Speaker 2: vehicles and then aggressively pumped his brakes and then pulled 280 00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:25,320 Speaker 2: into the gas station and then followed the agents for 281 00:18:25,359 --> 00:18:31,040 Speaker 2: about two miles. So this is these are federal crimes, 282 00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:33,280 Speaker 2: and I hope they go to federal prison. I hope 283 00:18:33,280 --> 00:18:35,800 Speaker 2: they're all bent over in federal prison, both of them. 284 00:18:36,359 --> 00:18:40,120 Speaker 2: And you know, the woman had it expired driver's license 285 00:18:40,720 --> 00:18:43,760 Speaker 2: and you know their boyfriend and girlfriend. 286 00:18:45,119 --> 00:18:47,200 Speaker 1: I don't know why they aren't working. 287 00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:54,119 Speaker 2: And she asked if she was being questioned in relation 288 00:18:54,359 --> 00:18:57,080 Speaker 2: to an incident connected to immigrations, and I think she 289 00:18:57,560 --> 00:19:02,879 Speaker 2: knew what she did. Anyway, they've got the evidence. She 290 00:19:03,359 --> 00:19:07,800 Speaker 2: had photos with writing on the photos. You know, they 291 00:19:07,840 --> 00:19:10,840 Speaker 2: looked at her phone and the photos had writing that said, 292 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:13,040 Speaker 2: we try to stop, but I can't do it alone. 293 00:19:13,080 --> 00:19:14,840 Speaker 2: We need to stick together to stop them from as 294 00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:17,320 Speaker 2: long as we can. Let's fight together in a good way. 295 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:20,359 Speaker 2: And then some Spanish stuff. Anyway, they should all go 296 00:19:20,440 --> 00:19:24,960 Speaker 2: to prison, zero tolerance. Enough of this nonsense. When we 297 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:28,920 Speaker 2: come back. Freddy Escobar, the Los Angeles Fire Department union president, 298 00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:32,120 Speaker 2: currently suspended, spend a lot of money on credit cards 299 00:19:32,160 --> 00:19:34,240 Speaker 2: and they say you can't back it up. We'll talk 300 00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:35,280 Speaker 2: to Freddy next. 301 00:19:36,520 --> 00:19:40,560 Speaker 4: You're listening to John Cobel's on demand from KFI A 302 00:19:40,880 --> 00:19:41,440 Speaker 4: six forty. 303 00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:46,320 Speaker 2: Just a reminder cause it's posted. It's the on YouTube 304 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:51,720 Speaker 2: and Facebook. I appeared on my wife's video podcast demo 305 00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:56,399 Speaker 2: cobet Live, and it's on YouTube now and Facebook, like 306 00:19:56,440 --> 00:19:58,960 Speaker 2: I said, and you could watch it. We talk more 307 00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:01,280 Speaker 2: long form about all the hot issues of the day. 308 00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:05,240 Speaker 2: So when you get a chance later today, it's called 309 00:20:05,240 --> 00:20:08,320 Speaker 2: Debra Cobet Live. It's on YouTube, it's on Facebook, and 310 00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:11,600 Speaker 2: I think you'll enjoy it. And it's video. It's even 311 00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:17,240 Speaker 2: more exciting than radio. We are going to have a 312 00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:21,920 Speaker 2: guest host, co host Josh Boody coming on after two o'clock. 313 00:20:22,200 --> 00:20:25,960 Speaker 2: He's the pastathon winner Katerina's Club with Chef Bruno last 314 00:20:26,040 --> 00:20:28,639 Speaker 2: fall he had the winning bid and he and his 315 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:30,960 Speaker 2: wife Marie are going to come on and he's going 316 00:20:31,040 --> 00:20:32,199 Speaker 2: to hang out with us for a while, and then 317 00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:35,040 Speaker 2: eventually he's going to control topic selection. 318 00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:38,240 Speaker 1: And we will see how that goes. 319 00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:41,800 Speaker 2: Coming up right after two o'clock in a moment, we're 320 00:20:41,840 --> 00:20:45,280 Speaker 2: going to Freddie Escobar on the LA Fire Department union 321 00:20:45,320 --> 00:20:48,200 Speaker 2: president who's been suspended. He ran up two hundred and 322 00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:51,439 Speaker 2: sixty five thousand dollars worth of credit card bills on 323 00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:55,480 Speaker 2: the union credit card, and the national Union is saying 324 00:20:55,520 --> 00:20:59,480 Speaker 2: that he has not provided documentation to substantiate this and 325 00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:02,800 Speaker 2: they're invested standing him and he suspended. To get a 326 00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:06,080 Speaker 2: real clear rundown of the story, here's ABC seven reporter 327 00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:07,360 Speaker 2: Kevin Uzbek. 328 00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:10,000 Speaker 1: That's the gentleman to please leave three times Now. 329 00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:13,760 Speaker 5: The day began with Freddie Escobar being escorted out of 330 00:21:13,800 --> 00:21:16,760 Speaker 5: the union parking lot, and the morning didn't get any 331 00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:20,840 Speaker 5: better for this now suspended president of the United Firefighters 332 00:21:20,840 --> 00:21:22,080 Speaker 5: of Los Angeles City. 333 00:21:22,320 --> 00:21:24,480 Speaker 3: All of a sudden, they're not allowing me to park in. 334 00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:28,399 Speaker 6: The gate codes were changed after the International Association of 335 00:21:28,440 --> 00:21:30,720 Speaker 6: Firefighters took control of. 336 00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:31,719 Speaker 1: The local union. 337 00:21:32,119 --> 00:21:35,600 Speaker 6: It accusedes Escobar not fully documenting how more than two 338 00:21:35,720 --> 00:21:38,679 Speaker 6: hundred and sixty five thousand dollars in union money he 339 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:42,360 Speaker 6: spent was for union business. Did you ever once use 340 00:21:42,400 --> 00:21:46,440 Speaker 6: any penny of the union money for anything personal? Escobar says, 341 00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:49,320 Speaker 6: this thumb drive holds all of the receipts proving the 342 00:21:49,400 --> 00:21:53,359 Speaker 6: money was properly spent. After holding a press conference, he 343 00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:58,800 Speaker 6: went to drop that thumb drive off, but he wasn't 344 00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:00,160 Speaker 6: allowed in the front door. 345 00:22:00,520 --> 00:22:01,480 Speaker 3: I don't know what to say. 346 00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:06,960 Speaker 7: An organization that I would have died for has not 347 00:22:07,119 --> 00:22:12,479 Speaker 7: given me an opportunity now to present to them what 348 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:13,480 Speaker 7: they've been looking for. 349 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:15,800 Speaker 1: He then tried the back gate. 350 00:22:16,160 --> 00:22:17,639 Speaker 7: How come you guys don't want it? 351 00:22:19,080 --> 00:22:21,159 Speaker 3: Explain to me, Matt, how come you don't want it? 352 00:22:21,480 --> 00:22:22,480 Speaker 7: What have I done to you? 353 00:22:22,560 --> 00:22:22,919 Speaker 1: Guys? 354 00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:26,440 Speaker 6: Escobar says he was never told he was being audited, 355 00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:30,400 Speaker 6: and says investigators never questioned him, but the IAFF tells 356 00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:34,480 Speaker 6: us mister Escobar was repeatedly urged and written communication and 357 00:22:34,560 --> 00:22:38,280 Speaker 6: face to face meetings to fulfill his fiduciary duties and 358 00:22:38,320 --> 00:22:43,880 Speaker 6: submit proper documentation for all expenditures. Escobar eventually could hand 359 00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:46,520 Speaker 6: over his thumb drive in hard copies was allowed in, 360 00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:49,159 Speaker 6: but said when inside he had a hand over his 361 00:22:49,359 --> 00:22:52,520 Speaker 6: Union phone. He then sat in the parking lot for 362 00:22:52,560 --> 00:22:55,320 Speaker 6: about an hour before driving off. 363 00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:57,240 Speaker 5: Escobar no longer. 364 00:22:57,000 --> 00:22:58,840 Speaker 6: Maybe head of the UNI, but he is still an 365 00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:02,040 Speaker 6: LAFD fire fighter. He says. This week he goes back 366 00:23:02,040 --> 00:23:05,200 Speaker 6: to being a full time captain at fire Station number 367 00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:07,040 Speaker 6: two in Boyle Heights. 368 00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:10,159 Speaker 1: All right, let's get pretty askomar on ready. 369 00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:14,399 Speaker 3: All right, Hey, John, Hey, thank you for thank you 370 00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:16,600 Speaker 3: for having me on. I know it's been a while. 371 00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:19,679 Speaker 3: I was doing little research and you said, hey, you 372 00:23:19,720 --> 00:23:22,200 Speaker 3: had me on. When this happened, I thought I was 373 00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:25,119 Speaker 3: a good guy. I am a good guy, and I 374 00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:29,280 Speaker 3: first this is you know, a personal issue, and it's 375 00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:31,399 Speaker 3: a life issue for me. And I know there's a 376 00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:34,320 Speaker 3: lot of other horrific things that are happening to people 377 00:23:34,359 --> 00:23:38,000 Speaker 3: outside of this world that I'm living in right now, 378 00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:41,560 Speaker 3: I mean Pacific Pola Seeds. You guys know five thousand 379 00:23:41,600 --> 00:23:42,600 Speaker 3: homes were destroyed. 380 00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:46,160 Speaker 2: Well, I appreciated you coming on and telling what seems 381 00:23:46,200 --> 00:23:49,719 Speaker 2: to be the truth about the massive underfunding of the 382 00:23:49,760 --> 00:23:52,439 Speaker 2: Los Angeles Fire Department and how that played into the 383 00:23:52,520 --> 00:23:56,560 Speaker 2: response to the Palisades fire. You know, the fire stations 384 00:23:56,600 --> 00:23:59,000 Speaker 2: we don't have, we have the same number basically that 385 00:23:59,040 --> 00:24:01,760 Speaker 2: we had in the nineteen six these you know, the 386 00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:06,680 Speaker 2: massive number of fire calls that are majority are from 387 00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:09,520 Speaker 2: homeless people now, So you know, that was a lot 388 00:24:09,520 --> 00:24:13,040 Speaker 2: of great information to have now on this matter, On 389 00:24:13,080 --> 00:24:17,119 Speaker 2: this matter, I guess the obvious question you know everybody 390 00:24:17,160 --> 00:24:20,080 Speaker 2: who just heard that report is they say they kept 391 00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:24,080 Speaker 2: asking you for the receipts and documentation. Why did you 392 00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:26,199 Speaker 2: not give it to them all along? Why did it 393 00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:28,120 Speaker 2: come down to the thumb drive yesterday. 394 00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:31,560 Speaker 3: Well, first, no one ever interviewed me, no one ever 395 00:24:31,640 --> 00:24:34,000 Speaker 3: asked me, no one even told me I was being audited. 396 00:24:34,480 --> 00:24:38,240 Speaker 3: We and when I say, we are executive board at 397 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:41,280 Speaker 3: UFLEG invited the ISS to come in and do an 398 00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:43,680 Speaker 3: audit and see if we could we have nothing to hide. 399 00:24:44,119 --> 00:24:45,760 Speaker 3: To zero, we'd say, by the rules. 400 00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:49,920 Speaker 2: So this is the international union making these charges against 401 00:24:49,960 --> 00:24:54,200 Speaker 2: you as the head of the local union. And they 402 00:24:54,320 --> 00:24:57,960 Speaker 2: never called you into a meeting, contacted you in any 403 00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:00,879 Speaker 2: way by mail, email, nothing. 404 00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:05,920 Speaker 3: Nothing formal. Zero. I had an informal conversation with one 405 00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:08,040 Speaker 3: of the top two members, who happens to be an 406 00:25:08,119 --> 00:25:12,400 Speaker 3: LAFD Captain Frank Lima, who's a dear friend of mine. 407 00:25:13,240 --> 00:25:17,280 Speaker 3: Never officially, he told me, like in early April we met. 408 00:25:17,359 --> 00:25:20,720 Speaker 3: We ran into each other at burdbankut Or doing union 409 00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:23,720 Speaker 3: business traveling. He says, hey, do you have your receipts 410 00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:28,440 Speaker 3: in I go, yeah, I take a picture, I put who, what, where, 411 00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:32,119 Speaker 3: and why. It goes into the cloud and then the 412 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:35,920 Speaker 3: staff reconciliates him. And I've never ever been brought up 413 00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:41,760 Speaker 3: on anything regarding reconciliation for six years, for seventeen years 414 00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:44,800 Speaker 3: I've been on the board, We've had good audits. This 415 00:25:44,840 --> 00:25:47,879 Speaker 3: is I don't know why this is happening, but I 416 00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:51,680 Speaker 3: have absolutely nothing to hide, and wenately. 417 00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:52,080 Speaker 1: What is the normal process. 418 00:25:52,119 --> 00:25:55,040 Speaker 2: I know in places I've worked, if you run up 419 00:25:55,080 --> 00:25:58,119 Speaker 2: bills and you're eligible for reimbursement, you fill out a 420 00:25:58,119 --> 00:26:04,199 Speaker 2: company form, you stay receipts, and you send it into 421 00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:09,320 Speaker 2: whatever bureaucrat handles it, and you what what was the 422 00:26:09,359 --> 00:26:11,720 Speaker 2: process you went through? Because this is a number of years, 423 00:26:12,200 --> 00:26:14,359 Speaker 2: so it should have been dozens of forms that you 424 00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:19,080 Speaker 2: filled out and hundreds and hundreds of receipts. Well did 425 00:26:19,119 --> 00:26:21,800 Speaker 2: you do all that along the way? Were they just trying? 426 00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:24,800 Speaker 3: No? No, no, no, So we were. We did hard 427 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:28,480 Speaker 3: copies when I first started, and I believe in twenty 428 00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:32,560 Speaker 3: and sixteen, we went to an app because you know, technology, yeah, 429 00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:35,360 Speaker 3: was taking its course, and we have an app called 430 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:38,600 Speaker 3: doc link. So we take a picture of our expenditure, 431 00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:41,639 Speaker 3: we put take a picture of it, and then on 432 00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:44,600 Speaker 3: the attachment of the app it says who, what, where 433 00:26:44,600 --> 00:26:48,359 Speaker 3: and why, and then we fill it in. And since 434 00:26:48,359 --> 00:26:51,080 Speaker 3: I've been president, I fill it, I send it, It 435 00:26:51,119 --> 00:26:54,320 Speaker 3: goes to a cloud and then the staff reconciliates them. 436 00:26:54,359 --> 00:26:56,720 Speaker 2: So all these bunch of years you were filling out 437 00:26:56,760 --> 00:27:01,199 Speaker 2: those forms and documenting every credit card charge that you 438 00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:05,120 Speaker 2: used for union business. 439 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:07,760 Speaker 3: Correct and then if the treasurer, who's responsible for the 440 00:27:07,800 --> 00:27:10,560 Speaker 3: oversight of that, if there was any issues, they would 441 00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:12,840 Speaker 3: bring it up to me. We have a very good 442 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:15,920 Speaker 3: checks and balance. Obviously we could do better, like in 443 00:27:16,280 --> 00:27:19,520 Speaker 3: any type of business, and that's why we welcome the iff. 444 00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:23,119 Speaker 3: But for what they're accusing me of, the way that 445 00:27:23,160 --> 00:27:26,840 Speaker 3: they slandered my name, the deflemation that came out. This 446 00:27:27,000 --> 00:27:29,760 Speaker 3: is a union that is supposed to have due process. 447 00:27:30,320 --> 00:27:33,600 Speaker 3: They never interviewed me. There's no emails. They'll say they 448 00:27:33,640 --> 00:27:37,280 Speaker 3: talked about email. There's no emails. This, I believe is 449 00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:38,040 Speaker 3: a wight hut. 450 00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:42,960 Speaker 2: I believed if you're right, okay, because it was a 451 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:46,200 Speaker 2: pretty broad based charge. Two hundred and sixty five thousand. 452 00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:48,760 Speaker 2: That adds up to a lot of transactions there. It's 453 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:51,320 Speaker 2: not like you know, one or two fell through the 454 00:27:51,320 --> 00:27:54,480 Speaker 2: cracks over the years. It's such a broad paced charge. 455 00:27:54,840 --> 00:27:58,520 Speaker 2: And you claim you're entirely innocent, then somebody's had to 456 00:27:58,560 --> 00:28:01,280 Speaker 2: get you. And who would that be and why would 457 00:28:01,280 --> 00:28:05,159 Speaker 2: they be out. 458 00:28:04,359 --> 00:28:07,120 Speaker 3: I have I do not know, but I can tell 459 00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:11,840 Speaker 3: you this, since they've tried to silence me. They silenced 460 00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:16,680 Speaker 3: Chief Crowley, they removed her. I was huge on opposing 461 00:28:16,680 --> 00:28:19,639 Speaker 3: the first time a general manager came out to speak 462 00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:24,680 Speaker 3: the truth. We're locked arms. I've been very vocal about 463 00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:28,200 Speaker 3: our budget. I've been very vocal about the LAFD. We 464 00:28:28,359 --> 00:28:32,520 Speaker 3: can't afford to take a one person off of tailboard, 465 00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:38,000 Speaker 3: lose one position. We're very thankful that she that Mayor Bass, 466 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:43,080 Speaker 3: excuse me, Mayor Bas, has given the LAFD raised in 467 00:28:43,160 --> 00:28:44,480 Speaker 3: their operating budget. 468 00:28:44,720 --> 00:28:47,080 Speaker 2: But let me ask you about her, because she got 469 00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:50,920 Speaker 2: rid of Kristen Crowley, primarily because Crowley was so publicly 470 00:28:50,960 --> 00:28:53,880 Speaker 2: critical of Bass. Do you think Bass could have been 471 00:28:53,880 --> 00:28:56,640 Speaker 2: behind your situation here? 472 00:28:57,760 --> 00:29:01,920 Speaker 3: Well, I'm not gonna add that. I'm gonna let everybody 473 00:29:02,680 --> 00:29:06,760 Speaker 3: just build their own theories on it. But I could 474 00:29:06,800 --> 00:29:09,920 Speaker 3: tell you they've tried to silence me. And since they 475 00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:14,000 Speaker 3: silenced me, has anyone gone to the budget committee and 476 00:29:14,560 --> 00:29:18,640 Speaker 3: say we can't afford to cut anything on the proposed 477 00:29:18,640 --> 00:29:21,960 Speaker 3: budget for mayor baths? No? Do we have a fire 478 00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:24,640 Speaker 3: chief saying hey, we can't cut anything. 479 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:25,080 Speaker 1: No. 480 00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:29,080 Speaker 3: I don't see anyone laying it out there for the 481 00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:32,160 Speaker 3: men and women. I'm still elected. I'm a captain two 482 00:29:32,360 --> 00:29:35,280 Speaker 3: in the field. I've been elected by my peers to 483 00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:38,640 Speaker 3: fight for them, and I've been very vocal about it. 484 00:29:38,720 --> 00:29:42,040 Speaker 3: We are finally on the front page, the front line, 485 00:29:42,360 --> 00:29:44,600 Speaker 3: first at bat, whichever way you want to look at it. 486 00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:48,720 Speaker 3: On saying we are woefully understaffed fire department. We need 487 00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:51,200 Speaker 3: to be double the size. And now they've gone away 488 00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:55,080 Speaker 3: from that and they're talking about cutting our eits. Who 489 00:29:55,160 --> 00:29:59,000 Speaker 3: is the number one support for a commanding control at 490 00:29:59,040 --> 00:30:02,800 Speaker 3: an incident? Something bad is going to happen and nobody 491 00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:04,120 Speaker 3: is speaking of Freddie? 492 00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:06,840 Speaker 1: Can you hand for another segment? Yes, you got time? 493 00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:07,120 Speaker 1: All right? 494 00:30:07,160 --> 00:30:11,480 Speaker 2: Freddie Escobar, the suspended LA Fire Department union chief. We'll 495 00:30:11,480 --> 00:30:14,320 Speaker 2: continue with him, and then we're gonna have Joshu Moody, 496 00:30:14,760 --> 00:30:18,800 Speaker 2: an attorney who won the Pastathon contest last fall, and 497 00:30:18,840 --> 00:30:22,080 Speaker 2: he's gonna be helping to co host for the rest 498 00:30:22,120 --> 00:30:22,560 Speaker 2: of the show. 499 00:30:23,560 --> 00:30:29,200 Speaker 4: You're listening to John Cobelt on demand from kfi. 500 00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:31,920 Speaker 2: A John Cobelt coming up after two o'clock. We're gonna 501 00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:35,000 Speaker 2: welcome a co host for the show, josh Moody, an attorney. 502 00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:38,560 Speaker 2: He won the Pastathon prize which is getting to co 503 00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:43,720 Speaker 2: host the show for Chef Bruno Caterina's Club last fall. 504 00:30:43,840 --> 00:30:45,560 Speaker 2: His wife Marie will be in here as well. 505 00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:48,400 Speaker 1: Are you gonna be nice? Of course, I'm gonna be nice. 506 00:30:48,720 --> 00:30:49,880 Speaker 1: He don't need a lot of money. 507 00:30:49,880 --> 00:30:58,400 Speaker 2: Oh I know you behavior my a rude to anybody. 508 00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:03,200 Speaker 2: We've got Frey Escobart on the line here. He's the 509 00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:08,520 Speaker 2: suspended Los Angeles Fire Department union president. The National Union 510 00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:11,720 Speaker 2: is accusing him of not documenting more than two hundred 511 00:31:11,760 --> 00:31:15,560 Speaker 2: and sixty five thousand dollars in union money that he 512 00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:18,680 Speaker 2: charged on union credit cards. And he said he's given 513 00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:23,760 Speaker 2: him now a thumb drive with all the receipts on it. 514 00:31:23,840 --> 00:31:26,680 Speaker 2: He says he'd been doing it all along, had no 515 00:31:26,760 --> 00:31:29,760 Speaker 2: idea he was being audited, and he's nobody ever came 516 00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:32,920 Speaker 2: to him about this. They claim that they repeatedly told 517 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:37,440 Speaker 2: him about it. So one of either you or the 518 00:31:37,520 --> 00:31:39,960 Speaker 2: National union heads, one of the two is not telling 519 00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:40,440 Speaker 2: the truth. 520 00:31:43,440 --> 00:31:45,640 Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean I could tell you. I'm telling the truth. 521 00:31:45,640 --> 00:31:48,000 Speaker 3: They say they got emails. He showed me the emails. 522 00:31:48,280 --> 00:31:50,360 Speaker 3: They said that they've called me, show me the phone 523 00:31:50,360 --> 00:31:53,880 Speaker 3: call that they've called me. It is simply it's mission 524 00:31:53,920 --> 00:31:57,920 Speaker 3: communication and why they're doing it. I do not know. 525 00:31:58,160 --> 00:32:00,520 Speaker 2: The implication is is that you spent the money on 526 00:32:00,960 --> 00:32:02,959 Speaker 2: private purchases. 527 00:32:03,680 --> 00:32:08,080 Speaker 3: Not true. I have, I had the thumb drive. All 528 00:32:08,120 --> 00:32:14,880 Speaker 3: the private All the of the alleged private charges are fuel, hotel, 529 00:32:15,360 --> 00:32:20,200 Speaker 3: travel expense for union stuff and like going with members. 530 00:32:20,200 --> 00:32:25,000 Speaker 3: When we're dealing with widows or PSD interviews or budget 531 00:32:25,320 --> 00:32:28,680 Speaker 3: it is all union business and it's all documented. 532 00:32:29,760 --> 00:32:31,880 Speaker 1: Uh. Have they asked for the money back? 533 00:32:33,200 --> 00:32:35,320 Speaker 3: No? Well no, I mean at the end of it 534 00:32:35,360 --> 00:32:38,600 Speaker 3: is when they realize they made a mistake. I want 535 00:32:38,640 --> 00:32:40,760 Speaker 3: to see if they're mad enough and they have enough 536 00:32:40,840 --> 00:32:42,600 Speaker 3: leadership to apologize. 537 00:32:42,920 --> 00:32:45,280 Speaker 2: Well, if it's not true and you have all the 538 00:32:45,280 --> 00:32:48,240 Speaker 2: receipts and it's on the thumb drive, uh, and you 539 00:32:48,360 --> 00:32:51,080 Speaker 2: followed all the protocols, then yeah, they all are for 540 00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:54,520 Speaker 2: a huge apology or because I mean they've they've really 541 00:32:54,560 --> 00:32:56,680 Speaker 2: spared you. 542 00:32:57,360 --> 00:33:01,120 Speaker 3: I mean they not only spared me, they My name 543 00:33:01,200 --> 00:33:04,400 Speaker 3: is ruined. I can't consult, I can't move forward. It's wrong, 544 00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:08,120 Speaker 3: my wife, my kids, this is this is terrible, and 545 00:33:08,120 --> 00:33:10,840 Speaker 3: this is the way our union, our brothers are supposed 546 00:33:10,840 --> 00:33:11,680 Speaker 3: to treat one another. 547 00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:14,520 Speaker 1: Look, if what you're saying is true, and I have 548 00:33:14,600 --> 00:33:15,080 Speaker 1: no idea. 549 00:33:15,480 --> 00:33:21,360 Speaker 2: If what you're saying is true, you pissed somebody off, Well. 550 00:33:21,160 --> 00:33:25,120 Speaker 3: I think it's upset. I think that the reality of 551 00:33:25,280 --> 00:33:31,120 Speaker 3: La city politics, we were becoming powerful. We're very powerful 552 00:33:31,120 --> 00:33:33,800 Speaker 3: in the city of Los Angeles because we're telling the 553 00:33:33,840 --> 00:33:39,800 Speaker 3: truth and this homeless crisis, this socialist movement, this is 554 00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:43,520 Speaker 3: what I believe. It's all about socialists and everybody scared. 555 00:33:43,800 --> 00:33:46,760 Speaker 3: But you got to give the socialist credit. You got 556 00:33:46,760 --> 00:33:50,920 Speaker 3: to give them credit. They're organized, right. 557 00:33:50,920 --> 00:33:53,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a vicious crowd. 558 00:33:53,520 --> 00:33:55,800 Speaker 2: And and you know they've got four or five seats 559 00:33:55,800 --> 00:33:58,600 Speaker 2: on the city council now and they've in filtrated much 560 00:33:58,600 --> 00:33:59,080 Speaker 2: of government. 561 00:33:59,160 --> 00:34:01,800 Speaker 1: The Socialists are brutal what they do. 562 00:34:03,400 --> 00:34:06,040 Speaker 3: Not only are they brutaled, they I mean, I'm a 563 00:34:06,120 --> 00:34:07,880 Speaker 3: registered damn. I'm sorry. 564 00:34:08,440 --> 00:34:11,480 Speaker 1: Okay, you're burning out our a delete button. 565 00:34:12,480 --> 00:34:16,600 Speaker 3: I'm sorry. I'm tired of the party going. And I mean, 566 00:34:16,680 --> 00:34:19,000 Speaker 3: look at the budget. Look how much money they're spending 567 00:34:19,120 --> 00:34:22,160 Speaker 3: on homelessness, right, which is an abyss in the city 568 00:34:22,160 --> 00:34:26,040 Speaker 3: of Los Angeles. Yeah, where everyone's talking about we're going 569 00:34:26,120 --> 00:34:30,040 Speaker 3: to cut union jobs. People are going to lose the job. 570 00:34:30,360 --> 00:34:33,320 Speaker 3: But look at what they're spending on the homeless crisis. 571 00:34:33,560 --> 00:34:36,480 Speaker 3: Look at our fire department. What I'm concerned about? Who's 572 00:34:36,480 --> 00:34:37,040 Speaker 3: talking about? 573 00:34:37,200 --> 00:34:40,040 Speaker 1: They're spending half a billion dollars more on. 574 00:34:40,560 --> 00:34:43,000 Speaker 3: Now how's that working out? 575 00:34:43,400 --> 00:34:43,720 Speaker 1: Freddy? 576 00:34:43,840 --> 00:34:45,800 Speaker 2: We'll talk with you again. I got to do the news. 577 00:34:45,840 --> 00:34:46,640 Speaker 2: Thank you for coming on. 578 00:34:46,760 --> 00:34:48,160 Speaker 3: Thank you very much. I got it. 579 00:34:48,239 --> 00:34:51,200 Speaker 2: Hey, you've been listening to The John Cobalt Show podcast. 580 00:34:51,280 --> 00:34:53,760 Speaker 2: You can always hear the show live on KFI AM 581 00:34:53,760 --> 00:34:56,760 Speaker 2: six forty from one to four pm every Monday through Friday, 582 00:34:56,800 --> 00:34:59,960 Speaker 2: and of course, anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app