Huntington Park reverses course on no-bid contract

Investigative/Data Huntington Park reverses course on no-bid contract

By Erick Cabrera

After being challenged

over a no-bid contract of more than $24 million, the city of Huntington Park made a move on its Salt Lake Park redevelopment project recently.

The council approved a budget of nearly $100,000 for costs related to soil removal in February.

The project, which would refurbish Salt Lake Park with a new pool, gym and football field, has been in the works for a few years. It came under fire late last year because a contractor was allegedly chosen without competitive bidding procedures required by state law.

The city has allegedly “failed to advertise or bid out the project in accordance with the law and instead awarded it to a contractor of their choice,” wrote Tony Morelli, a regional compliance manager of the Construction Industry Force Account Council (CIFAC), a nonprofit group of concerned construction industry associations, contractors and labor unions. Morelli declined an interview because he said CIFAC

Images of planned aquatic center courtesy of city of Huntington Park. is in active litigation against the city about the project.

Originally, the contract was awarded to J.T. Construction on Aug. 6, 2019, during a council meeting, with the city saying that it had filed a “notice of exemption” to Los Angeles County on July 5, 2018, because it considered the project a “minor alteration” to the land, among other reasons.

The city backtracked during a city council meeting on Dec. 1, 2020, when it decided to competitively

bid the contract: “Such approval is without admission of fault or any lack of compliance by the city,” according to the meeting minutes.

Edvin Tsaturyan, the contact for J.T. Construction listed on a city agenda report, said in a phone interview that the group heard about the project from a website and wasn’t sure of the status of the project.

In terms of the allegations of a no-bid contract, he said, “I have no clue,” and referred to a manager who could not be reached despite multiple phone calls.

City of Huntington Park leaders could not be reached for context and about the status of the contract, despite multiple emails and phone calls. Read more: A story about an online petition to recall some city council members over the contract and other allegations can be read at this QR code. As of late April, Community News was awaiting public records from the city of Huntington Park that were requested on March 2. A representative for the city said delays have been related to the Covid-19 pandemic and related closures and reduced staffing.