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Council, successor agency approve ROPS and consent calendar; public protests tow contract award
Summary
On Jan. 22 the Montebello City Council and successor agency approved the successor agency ROPS and the council's consent calendar (items 8–14). Several residents used public comment to protest a tow contract awarded to a company with a yard outside Montebello and asked for a procurement review.
The Montebello successor agency approved its Recognized Obligation Payment Schedule (ROPS) and administrative budget for fiscal year 2025–2026 in a unanimous roll call during the Jan. 22 joint meeting. The successor agency vote was recorded as Aye for Member Torres, Member Peralta, Vice Chairperson Tamayo and Chairperson Melendez.
Later in the meeting the City Council approved the consent calendar (items 8–14) in a single motion and roll-call vote. The consent calendar included a towing services contract that drew public comment prior to the vote. The council voted to approve items 8–14 with all present members voting aye.
Several public commenters urged the council to revisit the towing procurement and evaluation. Rania Hassan Juliet, the owner of Helms and Hill, told the council she had not been notified of the proposed contract award and asked the city to commission a review of the procurement process. She said changes between the 2019 and 2025 RFPs — including changes to maximum response-time language and the elimination of mandatory facility inspections — disadvantaged Helms and Hill and local yards. "We request that you commission an evaluation into the sufficiency of the procurement process and the potential benefit to the residents of Montebello if a second tow service provider were added to the rotation," she said.
Other public speakers said the winning vendor's closest facility is outside Montebello and warned of longer response times and additional burdens on residents and police officers. Commenters suggested alternatives such as awarding two tow contracts so that at least one vendor maintains a yard inside city limits.
Formal votes recorded at the meeting: - Successor agency: Approve ROPS and administrative budget for fiscal year 2025–2026 — Passed, 4–0 (Torres, Peralta, Tamayo, Melendez — all Aye). - City Council: Approve Consent Calendar (items 8–14), including towing services contract (item 10) — Passed, unanimous roll call (all present voted Aye).
The council did not pull item 10 for separate discussion at the Jan. 22 meeting; public records requests and petitions related to the procurement were raised by members of the public and will remain part of the public record.
