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Resident alleges Mayor Victor Linares has undisclosed business ties in downtown lease
Summary
At the Covina City Council meeting a resident alleged the mayor has undisclosed business interests tied to a downtown lease for a restaurant space and asked the city clerk to open an investigation; the council took no action and the mayor did not respond during the meeting.
A resident accused Mayor Victor Linares of undisclosed business relationships and asked the city to investigate a downtown lease approved in January 2024.
Neil Polzin addressed the council during public comment and said records indicate that the space once leased to Bear's Sausage and operating as The Good Company is being rented at a rate far below market. Polzin said the records show the space rented for $3,000 a month in 2015 and — according to his review of the files presented to the council — the recent lease set rent only about $100 higher than that prior amount. He alleged the contract the council approved included a 0% annual rent increase and that the tenant received nine months of free rent, later extended to a full year, while other city tenants get 3% annual increases.
Polzin also said business-license filings and campaign contribution records connect associates named Andy McIntyre and Elias Aguayo with the location and that an application listing the mayor's interest was withdrawn and replaced with a filing under Bear Sausage LLC. "What exactly is your business relationship with Bear Sausage LLC and Good Company?" Polzin asked the mayor, and he called on the city clerk to open investigations into "the mayor, directing city resources and influencing contracts for undisclosed business partners."
The allegations in the meeting were not followed by a public response from Mayor Linares during the session, and no investigation or formal action was recorded in the minutes presented at the meeting. The council did not vote or direct staff on the matter during the meeting.
The record cited by Polzin included specific contract features he said were atypical (no annual increase, extended free rent) and cited names of businesses and individuals he said appear in public records. The alleged connections and the interpretation of campaign filings were presented by Polzin as reasons for a formal inquiry; Polzin's assertions were not corroborated in the meeting record and therefore remain allegations in the public record.
The council moved on to other agenda items without public deliberation or referral related to the lease or Polzin's request. The city clerk confirmed no further public comments on the matter during that session.
