Board Seeks Belmont Probe to Bypass Wildman

The Los Angeles Board of Education sought Monday to bypass a state assemblyman’s investigation into the Belmont Learning Complex by asking for another probe to be conducted by the state auditor.

The board voted unanimously in closed session to ask the Joint Legislative Audit Committee to order the state auditor to open an investigation into the Belmont project, the costliest high school in the nation’s history.

The committee’s chairman, Assemblyman Scott Wildman (D-Los Angeles), has been conducting an investigation into the $200-million high school since last spring. Wildman expressed anger at the board’s action, calling it “subterfuge,” and an effort to kill his own probe.

“This is a clear affront to the committee,” Wildman said. “The district has absolutely no standing to do this. L.A. Unified is playing politics here.”

Two weeks ago, the Board of Education decided not to release a range of documents and contracts to Wildman--related to negotiations for the Belmont project--saying that such communications were protected by attorney-client privilege.

District general counsel Richard K. Mason said Monday that the state auditor is the appropriate agency to conduct such a probe. He said that, by state law, the auditor has access to normally privileged communications that are off limits to Wildman’s committee.