De La Fuente Scholarship Foundation rented space from notorious slumlords in 2017

De La Fuente Scholarship Foundation rented space from notorious slumlords

By Lynda Carson - August 31, 2022

According to a 2017 990 tax filing for the De La Fuente Scholarship Foundation, founder Ignacio De la Fuente, who is currently running for Mayor of Oakland, tax filing records show that the De La Fuente Scholarship Foundation was located at 276 Hegenberger Rd., Oakland, CA 94621, during 2017.

Ignacio De La Fuente is the founder of the De La Fuente Scholarship Foundation, and records failed to mention what unit that the De La Fuente Scholarship Foundation was operating out of at 276 Hegenberger Rd, in 2017.

The De La Fuente Scholarship Foundation was founded by Ignacio De La Fuente to increase the number of Oakland students enrolled in four year universities/colleges by providing financial assistance, through scholarships, and filed their last 990 tax filing for 2017, according to records.

De La Fuente Connection To Slumlords:

According to the City Attorney’s office that filed a lawsuit against the owners of 276 Hegenberger Rd., “The core of our complaint is a commercial storage warehouse at 276 Hegenberger Road that the defendants converted into 18 units and rented out as living space in violation of Oakland law. Defendants also illegally rented a 500-600 square foot storage shed attached to the warehouse as living space that at least two families shared. All of these units were unsafe and unfit for human habitation.”

Additionally, according to public records, the 990 tax filing records also failed to report in 2017 how much it cost the De La Fuente Scholarship Foundation to rent a space at 276 Hegenberger Rd., during 2017. Additionally, records did not report how much the De La Fuente Scholarship Foundation paid for utilities, or maintenance, phone service, internet services, salaries, printing, publications, postage, shipping, or other activities that occurred at 276 Hegenberger Rd. These are typical activities that are generally reported in detail by most nonprofit organizations in their 990 tax filings, but fail to be reported by Ignacio De La Fuente or the De La Fuente Scholarship Foundation in their 2017 990 tax filing.

At the time Ignacio De La Fuente and the De La Fuente Scholarship Foundation rented space at 276 Hegenberger Rd., it was owned by the Dodg Corporation, and notorious slumlord owners Baljit Singh Mann and Surinder K. Mann. Baljit Singh is listed as the owner of the Friendly Cab Company.

Slumlord Owners Of 276 Helgenberger Rd. Rented Space To The De La Fuente Scholarship Foundation In 2017:

According to public records, the owners of 276 Hegenberger Rd., in Oakland, were sued by the City of Oakland for operating a public nuisance, and being in violation of the Tenant Protection Ordinance. Some of the properties involved in the suit include 276 Helgenberger Rd., 1921 International BLVD., 5268 Foothill BLVD., 5848 Foothill BLVD., and 5213 International BLVD.

Additionally, according to the City Attorney’s office, “Since at least 2016, the defendants have rented uninhabitable or dilapidated units in buildings across the city to tenants who are often low-income immigrants and speak little to no English . Defendants have profited from this predatory business model by renting unsafe units to tenants who are desperate to find affordable housing, and often are unable to take legal action to defend their rights.

Code Enforcement issued a Notice to Abate the violations in February 2018 (at 276 Helgenberger Rd.), which stated that the uninhabitable conditions at the property presented a serious threat to the lives, health, safety and welfare of the tenants and the public. The owners failed to fix many of the above problems, and eventually Code Enforcement red tagged the property in June 2018.”

Considering that the 2017 990 tax filing reveals that Ignacio De La Fuente and the De La Fuente Scholarship Foundation rented space at 276 Hegenberger Rd., in 2017, but does not report that any rent was being paid during 2017, it appears that Ignacio De La Fuente may have received free rent from the Singhs at 276 Hegenberger Rd., in 2017.

Additionally, in addition to apparently getting free rent at 276 Hegenberger Rd., as a lobbyist Ignacio De La Fuente has represented Baljit Singh Mann, in Oakland, even though De La Fuente is not legally registered as a lobbyist, as is required by Oakland city law.

Reportedly, during 2017, while renting space from Baljit Singh at 276 Hegenberger Rd., apparently, Ignacio De La Fuente was well aware of the slumlord issues at the properties owned by the Singhs. As a lobbyist during March of 2018, Ignacio De La Fuente was reportedly at a meeting with Baljit Singh, Hermit Mann, and with city officials at the Planning and Building Department offices in downtown Oakland.

Reportedly, “Baljit Singh Mann and Surinder Mann, a married couple and members of an influential Oakland family that owns 130 commercial and residential properties, as well as a taxi company, had a “business practice renting dangerously converted spaces unfit for residential use to vulnerable tenants,” wrote Judge Brad Seligman in his Sept. 1 decision.”

Ignacio De La Fuente, a three time loser, is a former Oakland City Council member who lost his bid in 2012 to replace Rebecca Kaplan for the at-large seat on the Oakland City Council, and unsuccessfully ran three times for Mayor of Oakland during 1998, 2006, and 2018. Ignacio De La Fuente is reportedly running for mayor again in 2022.

Lynda Carson may be reached at newzland2 [at] gmail.com

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