West Covina Council delays tree-contract award after bidders and council raise fairness concerns

Mayor Tony Wu opened a lengthy discussion of the city's tree trimming and maintenance contract after several local bidders and residents raised concerns about the procurement process. Staff recommended awarding a maintenance agreement to West Coast Arborists, citing the firm's scale, prior experience and emergency-response capacity; council instead voted to delay final action and direct the city's newly appointed public works director to review the file and bring recommendations back.

The issue began during staff's presentation on the request-for-proposals, when Public Works staff said they had received seven proposals, interviewed the top five finalists and concluded West Coast Arborists was the highest-ranked bidder by qualifications and capacity. "We conducted a very thorough, interview process," Public Works Superintendent Mike Cressa told the council. "Everyone presented their case ... and at that point our team felt West Coast was the most qualified." (Cressa, 01:24:16)

Bidders who lost the award argued the city's process was unfair. Scott Griffiths of Great Scott Tree Care and other firms told council they were surprised that West Coast was permitted to confirm or hold its existing rates after the public bid opening while other bidders were not given the same opportunity. "We were never given an opportunity to go negotiate our price, but the large company was," Griffiths said during public comment. He asked the council to pause the award and either rebid or allow the top-ranked firms an equal chance to submit final sealed offers. (Griffiths, public comment)

Councilmember Gutierrez pressed staff for the raw evaluation materials and said he had independently reviewed the scoring sheets for RFP 2026-01. Gutierrez raised specific concerns about identical wording and missing narrative justifications on multiple evaluators' score sheets, and cited the need for written support for numerical scores. "The RFP instruction specifically states 'provide comments to support your score,'" Gutierrez said, and asked whether evaluators received common written guidance and whether cost was independently verified before scoring. (Gutierrez, council discussion)

City staff and the city attorney responded that the procurement at issue is a maintenance agreement and not a public-works capital project governed by Public Contract Code competitive-bidding rules; staff also said the city's municipal code provides authority to negotiate professional services. Assistant City Manager Nilesh/Neil Mehta said the interview panel had tally sheets and that the panel's recommendation followed department procedures. "We did not show rates of other vendors to West Coast," Mehta said, "and the negotiation was based on our current financial situation." (Mehta, staff response)

After an initial motion by Councilmember Ollie to reject all bids failed to carry, the council considered the competing demands for fairness and continuity of service. With significant public criticism from multiple bidders, Mayor Wu moved to defer the item and direct the newly appointed public works director to review the procurement records and report back. The motion passed 4-0 (Councilman Contos absent). The council's action paused the award and asked the incoming director to verify that the evaluation followed the RFP criteria and to recommend any corrective steps. (Council vote 4-0 to continue)

What the council asked staff to do - Place the item back on a near-term agenda after the public-works director's review. - Provide the council with the full evaluator score sheets, interview notes and a written explanation of how the recommendation was reached. - Document any negotiations, the legal basis for them, and whether any post-opening adjustments were permitted under the RFP terms or municipal code.

Why it matters The contract covers trimming and maintenance for the city's approximately 16 parks and the urban forest; council members and residents said tree failures have caused property damage and safety concerns. Multiple bidders argued that the appearance of selective post-bid negotiations could discourage local small businesses from bidding in the future. Councilmember Gutierrez framed the matter as one of public trust: "This is about protecting the city of West Covina, its taxpayers, its credibility, and its long term legal integrity." (Gutierrez, council comments)

Next steps The council asked staff to schedule the item for follow-up once the new public works director, Ramon Habib, has completed a review. Council members said they expected the review to include the evaluation materials, interview transcripts, the RFP language, and written documentation of any post-opening negotiations. The item remains pending.

Speakers quoted (first reference with role/title) - Councilmember Gutierrez (01:37:52) — councilmember who reviewed evaluation materials and asked for documentation. - Mike Cressa, Public Works Superintendent (01:24:16) — presented the RFP process and recommendation. - Scott Griffiths, owner, Great Scott Tree Care (public comment) — disputed fairness of post-opening negotiations. - Assistant City Manager Nilesh/Neil Mehta (01:53:35) — described negotiation as financial-need driven and denied disclosure of other vendors' prices to West Coast.

Authorities cited - statute: Public Contract Code Section 2162 (referenced by Councilmember Gutierrez in discussion) - other: West Covina Municipal Code (referenced by city attorney/staff in explanation of authority for professional services negotiations)

Actions [{"kind":"other","identifiers":{"agenda_item_id":"6"},"motion":"Defer award of RFP 2026-01 (tree trimming/maintenance) and direct the newly appointed public works director to review procurement documentation and report back to council.","mover":"Mayor Tony Wu","second":"Mayor Pro Tem Letty Lopez Viado","vote_record":[{"member":"Mayor Tony Wu","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Mayor Pro Tem Letty Lopez Viado","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Councilwoman Diaz","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Councilmember Gutierrez","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Councilman Contos","vote":"absent"}],"tally":{"yes":4,"no":0,"abstain":0,"absent":1},"legal_threshold":{"met":true,"notes":"Staff cited municipal code authority for negotiation; matter is a maintenance agreement not subject to Public Contract Code public-works bidding in staff's view."},"outcome":"referral","notes":"Council requested full evaluator materials, interview notes, and a written justification; item to return after director review."}]

Provenance (selected transcript excerpts) - topicintro: block_id "5056.76", local_start 0, local_end 120, evidence_excerpt: "Good evening, Mayor Wu, council members. So, the city went out to bid for its tree services. We sent out an RFP..." - topfinish: block_id "8923.516", local_start 0, local_end 130, evidence_excerpt: "Roll call for item 6. A motion made by Mayor Wu and a second by Mayor Pro Tem Lopez Viatto... Aye. Approve 4 0 and come back next week..."