Houston Files: What Guy Houston doesn't want you to know before the election
Assemblyman Guy Houston can't run for the Assembly again because of term limits, and now he wants to be our next supervisor - but what Guy Houston doesn't want you to know before the election makes him a dangerous choice for County Supervisor.
A Web of Deceit
The Lodi News Sentinel reported "Houston's deep involvement in [an] interconnected web of family businesses." The East Bay Business Times reported allegations that Houston had been convincing senior citizens to invest their hard-earned savings in his family-owned firms . But the bankruptcies and lawsuits that followed allege that Houston left his own investors, some elderly, with nothing but empty pockets.
According to documents in the Superior Court's file, Guy Houston allegedly received hundreds of thousands of dollars from unsuspecting seniors and campaign donors by selling shares in an interlocking web of real estate companies. The East Bay Business Times reported that in one lawsuit settled by Houston with a payment for a secret amount on the eve of his campaign for Supervisor - the plaintiffs claimed "Guy Houston used his ‘position of trust as a public servant' to secure nearly $345,000 worth of investments."
Gerald Stefanski claimed to have lost his entire investment of $213,000, on which he depended to retire. Carol Tomasa claimed she lost her $43,332.21 investment, which she had saved for her retirement. According to the Oakland Tribune, in their lawsuit, Stefanski and Tomasa alleged that "Houston and others falsely represented the security of their investments, failed to disclose the risks, repaid themselves while abandoning their investors and failed to account for where their investors money had gone."
Houston allegedly promised seniors and campaign donors guaranteed profits secured by real estate. According to the sworn statement of Gerald Stefanski, Guy Houston guaranteed an 18% rate of return on IRA investments. But when it came time to collect his retirement savings, Gerald Stefanski was left holding the bag while court documents show more than $100,000 in checks were written for or to Guy Houston from Houston family companies.
In documents filed with the court, Houston denied responsibility for the plaintiffs' claimed losses and refused to answer certain questions under oath until a judge ordered him to talk and raised the possibility of fines. And when his attempts to prevent a trial failed on the eve on his campaign for Supervisor, Houston made a deal to pay off his accusers and settle the case.
Despite repeated calls by leading newspapers and others to come clean about the lawsuit and reveal the terms of his secret deal, Houston still won't talk. And that's just one of the reasons why the Contra Costa Deputy Sheriff's Association is asking you to vote NO on Guy Houston.
Don't let Guy Houston leave Contra Costa voters holding the bag:
On June 3rd, Vote Against Guy Houston for Supervisor
The Contra Costa Deputy Sheriff’s Association is asking you to vote NO on Guy Houston