Hayden Seeks Probe of Riordan’s Support for Light Rail Project
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State Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica) called Thursday for a state agency to examine Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan’s actions affecting a company in which the mayor is an investor.
Hayden announced that he has asked the Fair Political Practices Commission to investigate Riordan’s actions as a Metropolitan Transportation Authority board member. A local transit activist filed a similar request Wednesday.
Riordan has said he had no way of knowing in August that his championing of a $97-million appropriation for the proposed Pasadena line rail project would affect the company, Tetra Tech Inc. The mayor said he sought the funding only to resolve a dispute among MTA board members.
The Times reported Sunday that Tetra Tech received $267,000 from the MTA for engineering services on the rail project within seven weeks of Riordan’s action. Tetra Tech had received a contract from the MTA in June, 1993, one month before the mayor took office. Riordan owns $9.75 million of the company’s stock and was a director of the firm from 1988 to 1992.
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