Dispute Stalls Evaluation of $11-Million Anti-Gang Effort

No one knows for sure whether L.A. Bridges, an ambitious anti-gang program launched after the 1995 slaying of a 3-year-old girl in Cypress Park, is working. But a fight between Los Angeles city officials and a consultant, who also happens to be county Supervisor Gloria Molina’s husband, is keeping anyone from finding out.

While $11 million a year in public money flows into the after-school program, the city has not been able to hire a firm to evaluate its performance. That is because consultant Ron L. Martinez, whose firm was ranked second in the bidding for a $300,000 contract to evaluate L.A. Bridges, said the selection process was stacked against him and has made repeated appeals for another shot at the job.

Martinez said city officials who had poor relations with his wife--a former Los Angeles councilwoman--may have undermined his bid for the contract. “None of this would be happening to me if it wasn’t for who I’m married to,” he said.

Martinez’s opponents, including Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, argue that the consultant simply has obstructed a fair decision. “There is no merit to his claim. Once you lose fair and square, you should not try to deny people what they are due,” Ridley-Thomas said.

To try to break the gridlock, the council agreed Friday to reject the previous bids to evaluate the program and instead assign the task to the city controller. The controller is authorized to spend $100,000 on consultants to aid in the evaluation.

City Controller Rick Tuttle said he believes that his office can finish its evaluation by late winter, which will give the mayor and council information on the program’s performance during the city budget process, when the funding level for the program is set.

L.A. Bridges operates in 30 Los Angeles Unified School District middle schools, providing after-school activities intended to boost academic achievement and prevent gang membership among at-risk youth. The program was a response to the death of Stephanie Kuhen, who was shot in her family car by gang members.

Despite its scope and hefty budget, the program has not been evaluated since 1997. Tuttle said an evaluation is crucial because “two groups lose if it’s not working well, the taxpayers and the clients.”

Bidding on the contract to assess the program was opened in September 1998. In February, a city selection panel rated Behavioral Assessment Inc. first among those submitting evaluation proposals. Martinez’s firm, People Works Inc., ranked second.

Since then, Martinez has repeatedly contested the selection of Behavioral Assessment, prompting a review of the selection process by the city attorney and the convening of a second selection committee. That panel also chose Behavioral Assessment, and the city attorney concluded that the selection process was proper.

Martinez contends that city officials “are more hellbent on excluding me than finding the better firm” and said he plans to bid for the contract to assist the controller in his evaluation.

The council, however, passed an amendment Friday introduced by Councilman Joel Wachs to bar People Works and Behavioral Assessment from bidding for that job. Wachs said he wanted to avoid the controversy that has stalled the project thus far. Controller Tuttle said he will have to consult the city attorney on whether the city can legally ban the firms.

Juana Mora, a Cal State Northridge professor who would have directed the Behavioral Assessment evaluation, said her firm will not bid for the new contract and may avoid doing business with the city altogether. “I feel victimized. [People Works] railroaded the process. It was all about politics,” she said.