Santa Ana Mayor Under Fire For Real Estate Deal
SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) — The mayor of Santa Ana is being investigated for what his critics are calling a questionable real estate deal.
Mayor Miguel Pulido's bought a house from Rupen James Akoubian, president of NAPA Orange County Auto Parts, and sold the property last year at a nearly $200,000 profit.
Meanwhile, the mayor joined other council members in voting to give the auto parts retailer an exclusive city contract valued at $450,000 a year.
City Attorney Sonia R. Carvalho is looking into whether granting the contract was a conflict of interest for Pulido.
The mayor said he did nothing wrong and didn't know who was behind the city contract.
"I didn't catch the vote," Pulido said. "In other words, I missed the vote when it came to us. It didn't say Orange County Auto Parts. It said Integrated Building Solutions, which I didn't know what that was. And the equity exchange that occurred on the house was not with the business. It was with the Akoubian Family Trust, which was a different legal entity."
At the end of a city council meeting Monday, Carvalho told concerned council members that her review of the mayor's dealings was almost finished.
