Official Faces Charges of Stealing Campaign Signs

The head of the Hawthorne Youth Commission faces felony and misdemeanor charges after his arrest at City Hall for allegedly paying youths to steal campaign signs, including those of a rival for a seat on this South Bay city’s school board, authorities said Wednesday.

Hugo Rojas, 32, was scheduled to be arraigned today on one count of grand theft of property worth more than $400--a felony that could bring a prison sentence of up to eight years--and six misdemeanor counts involving petty theft and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Also among the signs taken were those of Mayor Larry Guidi, who had appointed Rojas to his commission post.

“Just last week, he asked me for one of my signs to put in his yard,” Guidi said of Rojas. “So this really hurts.”

Because the case involves the upcoming local elections, it is being prosecuted by the district attorney’s Public Integrity Division. Rojas, a karate instructor who runs a program aimed at keeping youths out of gangs, remained in jail in lieu of $25,000 bail since his arrest Monday night, when Hawthorne police took him into custody as he arrived at City Hall to attend a Youth Commission meeting.

Rojas told arresting officers that he was the victim of a “political setup,” said Lt. Wayne Salmon. Also facing the same charges in the case is Pedro Reales, who was released from custody after posting bail, Hawthorne police said.

Three boys--ages 12 through 15--reportedly spilled the beans to residents who caught them swiping signs from a neighbor’s yard over the weekend. The boys said two men offered them $2 to $5 apiece for the campaign signs of Nilo Michelin, a deputy Hawthorne city attorney, and Guidi.

Michelin and Rojas are among seven competitors for three seats on the Hawthorne School District Board of Education, and Guidi is seeking reelection in the Nov. 6 municipal elections.

“I’m saddened,” said Guidi, who is taking steps to remove Rojas from the Youth Commission. Guidi said he had considered Rojas a friend.

Guidi said one of the boys caught Saturday told him that Rojas had threatened to turn him in for an earlier graffiti incident if he did not participate in the sign-swiping.

Hawthorne has been known for its down-and-dirty city political campaigns, Guidi acknowledged, but said, “I never in all my life thought a school board race would be this dirty. That is really scary.”

Authorities are not planning to prosecute the youths.