Castle Park Bidder Sues Over Rejection

Alleging that the city of Los Angeles violated its civil rights by unfairly rejecting its proposal, a bidder on the city’s Sherman Oaks Castle Park concession filed a lawsuit Monday, seeking $108 million in damages.

The suit was filed by Julian and Arita Montoya, owners of Burrito King Inc., who said they were denied a fair hearing by the city’s Recreation and Parks Commission and that the panel failed to follow the city’s rules to help minority firms.

The Montoyas, who have operated the food concession at the city recreation facility, said they spent $200,000 on renovations before bidding to expand their operations to include the facility’s miniature golf course, batting cage, go-cart course and arcade.

In the lawsuit, the Montoyas contend they can provide more revenue for the city than the city can provide if it continues to operate the miniature golf course itself.

Parks Commissioner Lisa Specht said the panel opposed the Burrito King Inc. bid because the lone bidder had never run a miniature golf course before and there were questions about whether the firm had the financial resources to take on the task.