Bathhouse Lease Put Off Again

The Los Angeles Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners voted Monday to delay once again the granting of a long-term lease for the renovation of the Cabrillo Beach bathhouse in San Pedro.

With just three of five commissioners present, board members were unable to agree on a proposal by Commissioner Mary Nichols to reject the two bids for the lease and start the bidding process anew.

The board postponed its decision until Oct. 23, when all five commissioners are expected to attend. The board first took up the matter in August, but delayed a vote then because of questions about both bids.

In a report to the board, the recreation and parks staff has recommended granting the lease to Hurricane Gulch Development Co., a Pomona partnership that would pay the city $2.8 million over 10 years. The second bidders, a partnership formed by the San Pedro Bay Co. and the Santa-Monica based Janss Corp., would pay $241,000 over the same period.

Saying she was concerned about “the real inconsistency in the bids,” Nichols proposed scrapping them. Commissioner Dominick Rubaclava agreed, but Commission President J. Stanley Sanders said he favored the staff’s recommendation. Unable to reach the required three-vote majority, the commissioners decided to delay any action.