HUNTINGTON PARK — Ruling out arm wrestling or drawing a name from a hat, a deadlocked City Council Monday night asked two finalists for a Planning Commission appointment to decide for themselves.

Council members will ask Avygail Sanchez and Daniel Calderon if one of them would withdraw his or her application for three months, at which time there may be more openings.

Sanchez, who holds a master’s degree in planning; and Calderon, a Realtor, are seeking the remaining three months in the term of Planning Commissioner Marial Sanders, who recently moved from the city.

A frustrated Mayor Mario Gomez suggested the action after failing to get a
majority vote for the two applicants.

He and Councilman Andy Molina supported Calderon, noting he was recommended on a 3-0 vote by other members of the commission. But Councilwomen Elba Guerrero and Ofelia Hernandez would not switch their votes from Sanchez.

Vice Mayor Juan Noguez abstained on the advice of City Attorney Francisco Leal because one of the five applicants, Cuauhtemoc Moreno, is a relative, and a second applicant approached him privately seeking support. That could be illegal, Leal said.

Noguez did not name the second applicant but said he could vote only if Moreno and the one who made personal contact withdrew their applications.

The other two applicants are Sam Flores and Efren Martinez.

Because he could not break the tie, Gomez facetiously suggested arm wrestling or drawing one of two names from a hat. He got no support on that although Leal said the City Council could determine a procedure for selection.

Gomez repeatedly pointed out that it was the City Council which adopted a policy of commissioners recommending replacements for a vacancy on their board.

“I don’t want three Realtors on the commission," said Guerrero, referring to Calderon.

But Molina, a former planning commissioner, pointed out that Sanders was a Realtor and was the third member of that commission for many years with no problems.

Commission candidates are Sanchez, who recently announced her resignation from the Historic Preservation Commission; Flores, a member of the Health and Education Commission; Martinez, an unsuccessful City Council candidate three years ago; Calderon and Moreno, a volunteer with several civic groups.
Calderon, who has lived in Huntington Park for 13 years and has had an office here for 20 years, attended Gage Middle School and Huntington Park High School.

He is active with the Huntington Park High School Alumni Committee, was on the Huntington Park Centennial Committee in 2006 and takes part in the annual Chamber of Commerce Christmas parade.

Flores has lived in the city five years and is active with his church parish. He has worked in the city for two years and helps develop nonprofit organizations.
Martinez has lived in Huntington Park for 20 years, has worked for local businesses for eight years and with the Chamber of Commerce for nine. He is active with the Huntington YMCA, the Kiwanis Club and has donated more than 4,000 community service hours.

Moreno has lived in the city for 37 years and has been active with Sister Cities, Neighborhood Watch and the Oldtimers Foundation.

Sanchez has lived in Huntington Park more than 25 years and earned her master’s degree in planning at UCLA in 2004. She is employed with an engineering firm outside the city.

Besides the Historic Preservation Commission, she has been a member of the Central Committee of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party.

Current planning commissioners are Eddie Carbajal and Eddie Benitez, who are Realtors; Rosa Perez, a former city treasurer and widow of the late Councilman Raul Perez; and Veronica Lopez.