Hayden, Antonovich Urge Probe of Belmont Complex

A state senator and a county supervisor on Friday urged Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti to prosecute anyone who may have committed fraud by pushing forward the construction of the nation’s costliest high school, the Belmont Learning Complex.

“Part of the failure of the last decade has been the failure of oversight, which has created an atmosphere where too many people felt they could get away with too many things,” state Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Los Angeles) said at a news conference at the unfinished, $210-million school near downtown L.A.

Hayden said he has been careful to distinguish between irresponsible management and criminal behavior, but that media reports that district and construction officials tried to alter soil samples seemed to merit prosecution.

He was joined by Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who pushed through a motion this week calling for a grand jury investigation of the project.

Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for Garcetti, said: “We’ve had the matter under review for quite some time, and we’ve been working closely with other investigative agencies on this, and it would just not be appropriate to discuss details.”