City Council Reverses Itself and Lets Towing Pact Stand

Los Angeles City Council members decided Tuesday to let stand a Police Commission decision that denied a lucrative towing contract to a business with long-standing ties to the city’s black community.

The decision, a reversal of an earlier vote, came after the towing company favored by the Police Commission filed suit against the council.

Led by Councilman Bernard C. Parks, the council earlier this spring refused to confirm the Police Commission’s vote to replace Keyser Towing with Alhambra-based Al’s Towing in South Los Angeles.

The Police Commission and a City Council committee had recommended the change, saying Al’s Towing received higher scores for its bid and that Keyser had drawn numerous complaints while it held the contract.

Parks argued the process used to award the contract had been unfair and persuaded 12 of his colleagues to side with him. In response, Al’s Towing sued, alleging political favoritism.

On Tuesday, after the council’s reversal, Eric Nishizawa, the attorney for Al’s Towing, said the company would file a motion to have the lawsuit dismissed.

Officials from Keyser did not return calls for comment.