Judge keeps documents sealed

An Orange County Superior Court judge today upheld a previous ruling to withhold operating statements from the Huntington Central Park Equestrian Center, which City Council candidate Gregg DeLong had attempted to make public.

DeLong filed a claim in January alleging that the center owes the city more than $1.5 million in revenues. Businesses that operate on the grounds, he said, qualify as subcontractors, and therefore owe the city a portion of their revenues per an agreement signed in 1982 between the city and center.

To prove his point, DeLong demanded the release of the center’s annual operating statements from 2005 to 2009. However, Judge Kirk H. Nakamura ruled in the center’s favor today, saying the center had a right to keep the documents confidential. The court had issued a temporary restraining order against the documents in January.

“The court made the right ruling,� attorney Michael Lanphere, who represents the center, said after the hearing.

DeLong said he was disappointed by Nakamura’s decision, but noted that he would continue his push to make the information public.

“Obviously, i don’t agree with the ruling,� he said. “I feel it injures the residents of Huntington Beach, but this is just the first step of many steps in this process. I am not stopping or slowing down. This is just a bump in the road. I am going forward in my belief that the city has been underpaid by the concessionaire, and I will continue to fight to prove that fact.�