Conflicts of Interests Are Rife in Huntington Park Contract With New City Attorney

March 19, 2025

By Brian Hews • [email protected]

Conflict of interest are rife in a deal between Huntington Park (HP) City Councilmembers and former La Mirada Councilmember Andrew Sarega, whom they contracted with on March 17 to become the city’s new attorney; the deal was signed by HP City Manager Ricardo Reyes.

The contract was approved HP Mayor Arturo Flores, Vice-Mayor Eddie Martinez, and Councilmembers Karen Macias, and Jonathan Sanabria.

Along with the conflicts, there are also likely violations of the Political Reform Act-FPPC and California Rules of Professional Conduct.

Macias, Martinez, and Reyes’ homes were recently raided by the L.A. District Attorney and the F.B.I. as part of a wide-ranging public corruption “Operation Dirty Pond” probe involving a $23 million aquatic center slated for the city’s Salt Lake Park.

Immediately after the raids, long-time Huntington Park City Attorney Arnold Glasman resigned.

Sarega had been hired, under contract, in December 2024 to conduct a questionable investigation of Councilwoman Esmeralda Castillo that led to her illegal removal by a vote of the City Council in February, just days before the raid.

Sarega’s investigation concluded Castillo did not live in the city. Castillo blasted the investigation as political retribution for her filing a harassment case against Flores, Martinez, Sanabria, and City Manager Ricardo Reyes in December 2024.

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Huntington Park Council Illegally Removes Councilwoman, HPPD Alleged to be Part of the Scheme

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Apparently satisfied with his work, the HP City Council moved to hire Sarega, which has many questioning the City Council’s motives and ethics.

Sarega was an extremely controversial councilman in La Mirada who missed several meetings annually and was passed over as Mayor several times due to his behavior at regular meetings.

An LCCN investigation found Sarega’s campaign committee deliberately concealed four $1,000 donations from La Mirada voters in the final weeks of his 2017 campaign, resulting in a fine by the Fair Political Practices Commission. In addition, Sarega was hit with two other violations, once again deliberately hiding campaign donations from residents by failing to file two pre-election statements.

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Campaign Committee for La Mirada Councilman Sarega Concealed Donations, Fined by FPPC 

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At the meeting, in line with Sarega’s past, the HP City Council approved a waiver of the conflict, allowing Sarega to personally represent City Manager Reyes and Councilmember Martinez in matters related to the “Operation Dirty Pond” investigation.

Apparently unaware of basic conflict laws, Sarega stated in the contract that the city manager and councilmember would be personally responsible for paying all costs associated with this case and their representation.

Under conflict laws, if Sarega is representing Councilmember Martinez and City Manager Reyes in their individual capacity and being paid by them, he is barred from representing the HP City Council and the city as the city attorney.

Councilwoman Macias, who was still Mayor, stated she was uncomfortable voting on the waiver and left the dais. Vice Mayor Flores motioned to take over as chair but was blasted by HP resident Linda Caballeros, who stated there was no quorum.

After her statement, Mayor Macias returned to the dais, Vice Mayor Flores seconded the motion, and the conflict waiver was approved.

The approval (and Sarega) violates California Government Code 41801, which states that a city attorney’s primary duty is to represent the city as a whole, not individual officials.

It also violates several California Rules of Professional Conduct (CRPC) sections, including 1.13(a), which states that a lawyer for a city represents the city, not its individual councilmembers. CRPC Rule 1.7 prohibits representation when the interests of the individual and the city differ or are adverse.

In addition, Sarega, who has violated FPPC laws before, is likely in violation of the Political Reform Act that prohibits public officials—including city attorneys—from using their positions for personal financial gain.

And Sarega will be given an office under his contract. A city attorney using city resources for a councilmember’s personal legal issues could be seen as an improper gift of public funds, another Political Reform Act violation.

Emails into Sarega went unreturned.