Lesli Gooch Ph.D.-Award, Coverup, Headfake, Scandal? Rest of the Story

Odds are excellent that most Americans have never heard of Lesli Gooch. Even if you have, but have read only her positive press clippings and official bio, it might seem like she is an accomplished lobbyist, what some in her corner might say is a respected figure in Washington, D.C. or beyond. Indeed, Gooch has been a nominee several times as a so-called “Woman of Influence.” Wow, sounds important, or impressive, doesn't she? But if people employed by the outgoing Biden-Harris (D) administration in Washington aren't exaggerating, and if her critics are correct, she may be playing a role in a claimed scheme that costs the average American thousands of dollars - every year. What’s the scoop? Heroine or...something else?

To answer that fairly or properly, we need to look back before we look at what's occurring today.

According to LegiStorm, Gooch earned her doctoral degree (Ph.D.) in 2006. Lesli's degree is in political science from the Carl Albert Center at the University of Oklahoma (O.U.). Lesli served as "the Chief Policy Advisor for Congressman Gary G. Miller (California), the Vice Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, until he retired from Congress at the end of 2014."

After Rep. Miller (CA-R) proclaimed he would retire, Gooch announced her candidacy to take his seat.

It was during that run for Congress when some of the more publicly visible fireworks surrounding lady Gooch’s colorful career began.

San Bernardino Citizens For Public Integrity said via a press release that they were launched as "a community action group of citizen volunteers formed in 2010 in response to a surge in public corruption allegations around San Bernardino." For whatever reasons they stated: "Lesli Gooch Scrubs Education Records from Website, Facebook Page."

What was she hiding?

Among the items found posted by those who claim to know her on Timetoast is the image below of a crowd of citizens who were 'angered and bewildered' - thus protesting Gooch's candidacy. The annotation in orange on the image below is by MHProNews. But the original caption shown is per Timetoast.

You see, during Gooch's campaign, word got out about her links to lobbying on behalf of purportedly corrupt behavior. In fairness, perhaps it was just opposition research being deployed by a rival Congressional candidate. We’ll provide, you decide.

Developer Jeffrey Burum and Lesli Gooch

According to the website of Jeffrey Burum's defense attorneys: "After a marathon trial that lasted nearly eight months, Rancho Cucamonga developer Jeff Burum was found not guilty in San Bernardino Superior Court on charges of aiding and abetting bribery in an alleged scheme to get county approval of a $102 million court settlement in favor of a developer.

Jennifer Keller and Stephen Larson were co-counsel for Mr. Burum.

The trial has received national coverage. Burum, along with former Supervisor Paul Biane, and Mark Kirk, former chief of staff for then-county Supervisor Gary Ovitt, were found not guilty by the jury. A separate jury for a fourth defendant, former Assistant Assessor Jim Erwin, continued deliberations on Monday. ..."

Burum's attorneys website also said this: "After a nearly three-year investigation by attorneys and investigators with the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s and state Attorney General’s offices, a grand jury in May 2011 had indicted Burum, Biane, Kirk and Erwin in connection with a controversial $102 million litigation settlement between the county and Burum’s investor group, Colonies Partners LP. ..."

"...Prosecutors alleged Burum paid $400,000 to Political Action Committees controlled by the three defendants and former Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Postmus, who later entered a plea bargain with prosecutors and testified at the Colonies trial. The money, investigators alleged, actually represented bribes or payments for delivering the settlement. ..."

This screen capture from 1.5.2024 reflects the first several Bing results for the search as shown below. There are more. The orange annotation and arrows were added by MHProNews.

According to that presentation posted about her on Timetoast, years before this writer met Ms. Gooch, an angry crowd formed to protest Lesli Gooch and her Congressional candidacy. What was the kerfuffle about?

Again, the screen capture that follows is from Timetoast, and was also part of a longer fact check and analysis later posted on MHProNews. Gooch and the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) leaders have repeatedly declined to comment on pages of these and other concerns.

To answer the last question posed in the orange call out box above, consider the following.

A tipster provided this writer for MHProNews with an envelop filled with documents. By the way, the photo below shows an old address, but I can be emailed here. That said, those documents were lobbying reports that Gooch is required by law to file. Her own "Lobbying Report" documents show, among other things, that while Gooch was being paid to work full time by MHI, she was also lobbying for another organization that represents conventional builders.

Put differently, it appears to be a clear conflict of interest.

Multiple years of documents from the "Clerk of the House of Representatives" indicate this pattern of lobbying for MHI's interests while lobbying for the interests of conventional housing builders was occurring not too long after she began her tenure with the Arlington, VA based MHI - located across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Sources at MHI have told MHProNews that this conflict of interest was well known in their office, and that the trade group's leadership didn't seem to care about it. If so, that may explain why it was sent to MHProNews in the first place, to draw the industry's attention to the conflicts involving Gooch.

Among those official lobbying documents filed by Gooch which were sent to MHProNews is the one shown below. There are pages and pages like them as a close look at the photo above reflects. That document looks like the following, with the arrows and annotation added by MHProNews so readers will better understand what they are looking at, why it is of interest, and reveals an apparent conflict of interest between the organization she was lobbying for in the report (Building Industry Association of Southern California, Baldy View Chapter) and her full time job at MHI.

According to LegiStorm, Gooch has been working for MHI since around 2015. That is the same year shown in the image above.

Here is another form below from 2019 of an annotated screen shot of a lobby report filed by Gooch while employed "full time" by MHI. It seems to be years of a clear conflict of interest, as the annotation explains.

Now, in America, we are supposed to be deemed innocent in the eyes of the law until proven guilty by a plea agreement or a valid judicial process. It has also been said that a prosecutor can indict a ham sandwich. That said, for whatever reason, the accused individual(s) Gooch represented did not get convicted of charges of corruption. They were found to be "not guilty" by a jury. A key witness "recanted." Per that KAS lawfirm website previously cited was the following.

"...former Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Postmus, who later entered a plea bargain with prosecutors and testified at the Colonies trial. The money, investigators alleged, actually represented bribes or payments for delivering the settlement. But after two days of cross-examination by Keller, Postmus recanted his testimony..."

Hmm, okay. So they said.

But that didn’t keep citizens in her area from protesting against Lesli. Why was that so?

Sometimes members of the public have a sense about an issue that is spot on, regardless of what media accounts, officials, those who hand out questionable awards, or even a jury trial may reveal. We are being reminded again by news media that in an entirely different matter on the opposite coast with no apparent connection to the matter mentioned here, that one Donald J. Trump (R) was found guilty in New York of what his attorneys said was an entirely lawful practice, that the case against him was an abuse of process. Tens of millions of Americans voted to elect Trump president. Meaning, millions don't believe the verdict.

Sometimes smoke really does reveal a fire. But sometimes, it doesn't. So, let's dig deeper.

For years, Gooch and her colleagues at MHI have collectively been paid over a million dollars annually to do lobbying for the manufactured housing industry that has routinely, almost magically, failed to achieve the organization's own claimed goals. Yet, she and others still got bonuses, per MHI's own filed federal tax records?

https://www.manufacturedhomepr...

To paint the picture, imagine the following. Visualize a football, basketball, baseball or other team coach and key assistants that for 10 straight seasons fail to get a winning record. They may seem to win a bit here and there, but the total game 'Won vs. Lost' record every season always reveals far more losses. How likely is it that such a coach would get bonuses on top of a fat year-after-year contract from the same team?

Perhaps even more important, after a few losing seasons, if winning was the goal, would such key coaches still have a job?

Yet Gooch and her colleagues have an analogous scenario.

MHI's top staffers, now "led" by CEO Gooch, keep losing at the most important thing that are supposed to be doing, which is to successfully lobby the federal government to implement laws that are already passed Congress.

Given that the laws Gooch and company are supposed to be advocating for are laws already on the books, if lobbying doesn't work, someone can always sue to get a law enforced. Curiously, as another manufactured home trade association has alleged with evidence, the latter hasn't happened either.

Per Danny Ghorbani, a former MHI VP, who is now a senior advisor to MHARR, are these remarks.

"...Given the fact...that HUD is a creation of the site-built housing industry and its allies, I would not hold my breath waiting for it to do so. But, HUD should be encouraged, cajoled or, in the worst case, forced to take action." Ghorbani is refering to litigation when he says "forced to take action."

The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) is the counterpart to MHI in the sense that they represent independent producers of HUD Code manufactured homes. MHARR is a producer's trade group, MHI claims to represent "all segments" of the industry, production and post-production issues, like zoning.

MHARR's Ghorbani continued: "And this brings us to the second part of your question as to “who” should lead this fight. Under normal circumstances, the ideal entity would be the industry’s national and independent post-production association, if one actually existed." That is an apparent reference by former MHI VP Ghorbani to MHI, which is being led by CEO Gooch. The same CEO Gooch who is in an apparent conflict of interest with conventional builders working against the interests of far more affordable manufactured home industry.

Ghorbani elaborated: "...maybe all is not lost because MHI, which continues to collect dues and serves as the industry’s de-facto post production [trade association] representation, knows only too well that these post production problems, and particularly the discriminatory and exclusionary zoning laws, not only are not being resolved, but are getting worse, blocking progress and prosperity for its own members and the broader industry as well."

Serious Charges

Those are serious allegations. When affordable housing is being blocked, it is costing taxpayers money. It is costing affordable housing seekers money too. A lack of competition, said the Biden White House website (this link may change after Trump takes office) stated the following.

> "That lack of competition drives up prices for consumers. As fewer large players have controlled more of the market, mark-ups (charges over cost) have tripled."

> "Families are paying higher prices for necessities..."

> "Barriers to competition are also driving down wages for workers. When there are only a few employers in town, workers have less opportunity to bargain for a higher wage and to demand dignity and respect in the workplace. In fact, research shows that industry consolidation is decreasing advertised wages by as much as 17%. Tens of millions of Americans—including those working in construction and retail—are required to sign non-compete agreements as a condition of getting a job, which makes it harder for them to switch to better-paying options.In total, higher prices and lower wages caused by lack of competition are now estimated to cost the median American household $5,000 per year."

Was Ghorbani exaggerating, perhaps? Are matters "getting worse?" as he claimed while MHI and conflicted CEO Gooch dither, posture and fail to get an existing federal law enforced? A law that the Biden-Harris (D) regime failed that Joe Biden, while Senator from Delaware, was the co-sponsor of years before? From left-leaning Bing's AI powered Copilot was the following.

They say that truth is stranger than fiction. If you've ever read or watched a 'who done it' mystery, where quirky plot twists keep popping up, join the club. But this tale isn't fictional. It is real life. HUD recently reported that hundreds of thousands - many with jobs - are sleeping in the streets because they can't get affordable housing. A lack of manufactured homes means more people are sleeping outdoors, in cars, boxes, tents, or wherever they can find shelter.

https://www.manufacturedhomepr...

The quote from Mary Gaiski with the Pennsylvania Manufactured Housing Association (PMHA) shown below is from yet another trade group. Her concerns about zoning discrimination are at the heart of a law that Gooch and MHI are supposed to be getting enforced to overcome zoning barriers to manufactured housing. Meaning, she is talking about the same concerns Ghorbani raised. The difference here is that Gaiski was and still is affiliated with MHI.

So, it sounds like Ghorbani was correct. That's Gaiski in the center of the photo below.

Mary Gaiski is another association executive clearly in the MHI 'camp.' Gaiski is another 'award winner' in the manufactured home industry. Gaiski has routinely attended MHI meetings, because her Pennsylvania Manufactured Housing Association (PMHA) is a state level affiliate of MHI.

Yet Gaiski told McCalls that discrimination against manufactured housing is getting worse, not better. The banner with logo over her head in the second photo above is an MHI banner.

What is lady Gooch getting paid those big bucks and bonuses for, anyway? Is it for her voice? Looks? For her writing skills? What? Gooch herself all but admits she hasn't gotten federal laws enforced (see further below), yet she has apparently made millions working for MHI, all while also getting paid to lobby for at least one competitor of the industry she is CEO of now? Who would believe it, if the documents Gooch filed weren't there to prove it?

MHI CEO Lesli Gooch, Ph.D.

While this article is focused on Gooch, in the backdrop of this vexing story of apparent corruption and conflicts of interest, close attention ought to be paid to others involved at MHI: its board and corporate leadership. The CEO of a trade group can't just do whatever she or he want to do. They are acting under the direction of a board of directors, or at least, that is how the bylaws of an organization like MHI routinely work.

Several questions ought to be asked and properly answered. For example.

Why did the MHI board hire Gooch in the first place?

The articles and posts about Gooch shown above were online years before she was hired by MHI to a senior role. Those online articles and posts reflected the kind of controversies Gooch was associated with. While Burum may have been found 'not guilty' after an 8 month trial where a key witness recanted, why would MHI hire someone with all that smoke associated with links to her behavior? Why would they hire someone where a crowd protesting her is there online for anyone to see that is looking?

That was then. But more recently Gooch hasn't bothered to answer for those revealing conflict of interest documents she electronically filed with the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

Some Warren Buffett quotes below illustrate why MHI's leaders should have looked elsewhere, IF their goal was to sincerely advance manufactured housing industry performance.

As was noted above, the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform represents independent producers of HUD Code manufactured homes. MHARR's president and CEO, Mark Weiss, J.D., told MHLivingNews that Gooch's handling of one of the biggest issues facing the manufactured home industry was "inexecusable and a major problem."

Gooch is supposed to be, according to her own press clippings and allied talking points, someone who is a person of influence. She is a Ph.D. in political science, someone who is supposed to understand very well how government operates. Gooch was "the Chief Policy Advisor for Congressman Gary G. Miller..." Gooch's cheerleaders claims she gets along with people in both major parties.

If all that is true, then why is it that more than two decades after the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 (a.k.a.: MHIA, 2000 Reform Law, 2000 Reform Act) was passed that Gooch can't get some of its key provisions enforced? Gooch, others at MHI, MHARR, and more involved in affordable housing advocacy well know that zoning discrimination against manufactured homes is common.

Those provisions in the 2000 Reform Law were written to overcome zoning barriers for manufactured homes - so why aren't they routinely enforced? Note that those laws DID NOT allow for the overcoming of zoning barriers for the trailer houses of yesteryear.

Could it be that Gooch is so amazingly effective that what she is actually working for something quite different that what is openly stated? Could she be working on behalf of consolidators of the industry instead of on behalf of "all segments," several of whom want to see the industry grow instead of the seasaw up and down at less than 1/3rd of the level it operated at in 1998?

Similarly, if Gooch is so persuasive and effective on behalf of "all segments" of the manufactured home industry's, then why is it that she can't get the FHFA to enforce its "Duty to Serve" (DTS) manufactured housing, passed by Congress in a widely bipartisan vote as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008?

Nor should there be any doubt or quibbling about these topics, because Gooch has said as much herself. She put her thoughts in writing. To federal officials.

The quote above from Gooch is about DTS under the HERA law. The following is from a letter to HUD regarding their "enhanced preemption" authority under the bipartisan 2000 Reform Law.

Not only has Gooch complained about the lack of enforcement by HUD of the "enhanced preemption" provision of the 2000 Reform Law, the man that was then MHI vice chairman and is now their chairman - William "Bill" Boor of Cavco Industries (CVCO) has said as much in comments to Congress on behalf of MHI.

https://www.manufacturedhomeli... and https://www.manufacturedhomepr...

If you or someone you know has been unable to access affordable housing in general, or mainstream manufactured homes more specifically, spend some time looking at the lack of enforcement by HUD of the 2000 Reform Law.

Despite the fact that the law was supposed to make it easy for HUD to overcome regulatory barriers unjustly placed by local towns, counties or states, as Mary Gaiski or Danny Ghorbani said above, the problem seems to be getting worse instead of better. This is what lobbysists like Gooch are supposed to be paid to fix.

But Gooch has been conflicted for years.

Per documents like those shown and sources at MHI, that conflict is okayed by her bosses? Whose side are they on anyway?

Because dues are being collected by smaller businesses, this has numerous legal implications.

Because publicly traded firms are involved, often multi-billion dollar corporations at MHI, they have potential legal liability too.

MHARR offered to litigate the lack of enforcement of the 2000 Reform Law with MHI and/or an MHI affiliated state association. But per MHARR, that offer was never accepted.

Is it a coincidence that the estimated number of affordable housing units in the U.S. is often similar to the number of manufactured homes that were never built due to the crash of the industry that occurred despite favorable federal laws?

If it were some other trade group besides MHI, perhaps this mysterious failure to get existing laws enforced could be attributed to the corporate board members at MHI all being too busy with other things to notice just how poorly CEO Gooch's work to fix these challenges seems to be. Perhaps they have missed each and every message and outreach for years that asked about these very topics.

Or maybe, as various researchers and critics over the course of years have alleged - individuals that include past and current MHI members - that several corporate MHI leaders corruptly want the status quo, regardless of what they or Gooch may say. Their motivation? To consolidate the industry and drive the little guy or gal out of business.

https://www.manufacturedhomepr...

Attorney Marty Lavin, J.D., an MHI award-winner himself, put his assessment in these terms.

"Pay more attention to what people do than what they say," advised attorney Lavin.

Because several special interests seem to like the status quo, it is perhaps no surprise that this only comes up on occasion in mainstream media. There are details and nuances that can't easily be captured in a 300- to 600-word length article. The velvety voiced Paul Harvey of radio fame took much longer to tell one of his famous "rest of the story" segments than was used for a quick news blurb.

But for specialized trade media like MHProNews or MHLivingNews, this is part of our bread and butter. For someone like myself that was an MHI member for years, and couldn't grasp for some time how they could keep failing to do the obviously necessary steps, perhaps someone must learn to think like those who have corrupt motivations in order to clearly understand how a corrupted system operates.

https://www.manufacturedhomepronews.com/frank-rolfe-denounces-special-interests-dont-tell-me-we-cant-solve-affordable-housing-truth-is-we-dont-want-to-solve-affordable-housing-

Gooch isn't the only one involved at MHI that has one or more higher education degrees.

Ms. Gooch isn't the only one at MHI that has years of experience doing what she (or others) are paid handsomely to do.

Yet, they all collectively manage to bungle getting existing laws enforced that could make millions of more affordable housing units available in relatively short order?

Who benefits from that kind of either years of incompetence and/or corruption? Those who think that they are winning while all others are losing. That's who.

https://patch.com/florida/lake...

Founding father and an early President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, was opposed to corruption of government officials as well as to monopolization and monopoly power. Millions were never clearly taught that the Boston Tea Party wasn't just a protest against the British tea tax. Rather, it was also a protest against the monopolists of the British East India Company that had royal governmental protection for their tea monopoly. Government and monopolists have worked hand-in-hand for centuries. But there have always been those who pointed that out and protested against it.

https://www.manufacturedhomepr...

https://www.manufacturedhomepr...

Why hasn't Gooch and others at MHI been properly investigated, much less indicted for their apparently corrupt behavior? Perhaps there isn't enough public outcry yet. Keep in mind that several 21st century multi-billion dollar and even multi-trillion dollar scandals were allowed to fester for years before federal officials acted.

https://patch.com/florida/lake...

This issue with Madam Gooch is worthy of a made for TV (or the big screen) movie, because it is a 'based on a true story' tale of how affordable housing in America has gone terribly wrong.

Thousands of smaller business and hundreds of thousands of employees have been harmed.

Millions of Americans that need affordable homes have been harmed.

Meanwhile, a few apparently corrupt insiders think they are benefiting and people like Lesli Gooch are paid well to fail at doing their jobs, all while some publicly pretend she is effective. That's a bit like pretending that inflation doesn't exist, right? How did that work out for the Kamala Harris (D) campaign? Sooner or later, the truth often emerges.

There is more to know. But that's enough for today to realize that there is a "rest of the story" to how Gooch has failed at her job, collected money from competitors of the association that pays her to work full time, and public officials are either missing it or looking the other way.

Welcome to MHVille.

And lest anyone think that I'm just dumping on an industry that I dislike, kindly keep in mind, that this writer thinks manufactured homes are a good, necessary, and even essential product - so long as it is done properly. But that is the problem. Too much corruption exists. The product is routinely fine, the complaints pale in comparison to millions of happy homeowners. One problem is that there aren't enough of them. Some (not all) researchers are missing the insider corruption that is obviously hobbling the industry.

https://patch.com/florida/lake...

https://patch.com/florida/lake...

https://patch.com/florida/lake...

Even a rigged system can work, but it often takes people of good will understanding what is happening and then demanding change to get it to work. Oh, by the way. That California contest that Gooch entered? Voters in her area let Gooch finish third. Now you know the rest of that part of the story.

PS: sometimes public protests pay off.

---

> Top 10 Global Companies by Year 2019-2024 What’s Revealed & Concealed

> Biden ‘Epic Scandal’ Dem Roginsky-Democrats Brought this on Ourselves’

> Panamanian Debate. Reclaiming Panama Canal a Payoff National Security?

> More Evidence God Exists? Christmas Miracle is more than Virgin Birth.

> Christmas Music and Videos for All of the 12 days of Christmas

--

> Shock Poll-41% Young Voters say UnitedHealthcare CEO Murder Acceptable

> ALG Unpacks Trump Pitch to Cut Drug Costs by Cutting PBM Middleman

> TAP's Robert Kuttner Smacks AARP: How AARP Shills for UnitedHealthcare

> $100 is only worth $89.70 in Miami-Fort Lauderdale metro area

> Bill Wilson Makes the Case: ‘Time for the U.S. to Dump Europe & NATO'

--

> Shock! Real Life Version of 'Minority Report' Right Here in Florida

--- Songs, music videos and lyrics ---

> The Rose - Bette Midler - Music Video - Behind the Scenes Insights

> Frank Sinatra - Someone To Watch Over Me (Remastered) - Old Blue Eyes

> 'Send In the Clowns' - Judy Collins, Frank Sinatra - Lyrics & Meaning

---movies and videos to spark thought and inspire ---

> POWER: Movie Buffs –Fictional Insights Into How Real Politicos Operate

> The Creepy Line-Peter Schweizer-Dr. Jordan Peterson-Dr. Robert Epstein

> Movie Buffs – Movie Classic - “Enemy of the State” – Lessons Learned

--- The backstory to big business scandals, political, economic, housing, and more subjects ---

> Stunning. Tracking Endowments to Top U.S. College and Universities

> Neighbors and Fellow Americans-You Could be Guilty of 3 Felonies a Day

---

> Niskanen Center Praises Manufactured Home ‘Cost Savings’ and ‘Quality’

> Investopedia on Housing plus Manufactured Housing Assoc US Production

---

> Thanking God and Promising a Golden Age for USA and National Healing

> Life Boils Down to Time, Risks, Rewards, Opportunities and Choices

> Top 10 States for Homelessness & Top Cities for Crime=Shocking Lessons

> Why do Liars Lie? Why do those Engaged in Paltering and Spin Palter?

> Controversy-Manufactured Housing Institute-Lesli Gooch-Mark Bowersox

• > ‘Mobile Home Values Rising Faster Than Single-Family’ House-Wow Fact$

--> Realtor-What Is a Manufactured Home? The Next Step Beyond Mobile Homes
> Orlando RE Agent Smith-Younger Adults Will Need $8500 Monthly for Rent
> Blankley-Goodbye American Dream? Only 10% Polled Can Buy a House; But
> Frank Rolfe-Special Interests ‘Don’t Want to Solve Affordable Housing'

> TARK-‘I’m a Teen and Know the Solution to Affordable Housing Crisis’
---> Renting? Rent too High? Odds Are DOJ Suit vs RealPage Matters to You
> New-Certified “Half Price Homes” - Affordable Housing Solution Redux
> Solution: “Would-Be Homebuyers Need 80% More Income Than 4 Years Ago”
---> L. A. “Tony” Kovach is a publisher who has earned multiple awards in history. He and his family live in a manufactured home on private property in Winter Haven, FL. He is the co-founder of Manufactured Home Living News.com (MHLivingNews.com) and Manufactured Home Pro News.com (MHProNews.com), trade publications serving segments of the manufactured home industry. Having worked in several segments of the manufactured home industry for over 3 decades, Kovach is a widely acknowledged and often praised expert on manufactured housing. ###