Foes of Proposed School Seek Probe
Opponents of a proposed downtown high school called Monday for an independent investigation of the project, saying they have found significant errors in financial records used to favor developer Kajima International over two other bidders.
Representatives of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Workers Union, which is embroiled in a battle with Kajima on other fronts, plan to unveil their allegations at a news conference today, joined by representatives of the Los Angeles teachers union and state Sen. Richard G. Polanco (D-Los Angeles).
Polanco said he will renew his push for investigative hearings in Sacramento into the proposed public-private partnership aimed at combining the $81-million Belmont Learning Center with commercial and residential development near Temple Street and Beaudry Avenue.
“The calculations that have been brought forth were in fact miscalculations that created a favored position to this firm,†Polanco said. “The school board has been hoodwinked.â€
Although the Los Angeles Unified School District has not officially signed a contract with the team headed by Kajima, it entered exclusive negotiations with the group more than a year ago, based on administrators’ advice that the deal offered by the developer was better than those of two other firms.
But the critics complained that the Kajima project’s value to the district was overstated by more than $20 million because of a mistake--the inclusion of the developer’s share of the profits.
The school board is expected to vote on whether to give the Kajima deal final approval early next month.
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