After her home is searched in corruption probe, Huntington Park mayor speaks out at meeting

After her home was searched in an ongoing public corruption probe, Huntington Park Mayor Karina Macias addressed the investigation during a special city council meeting Friday — alleging "misinformation" has surfaced since it was made public.

Just a day earlier, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced prosecutors were looking into allegations that millions of dollars in taxpayers' money was misused by city officials. "Operation Dirty Pond," as the probe is called, was launched in November 2022 to investigate the potential misuse of millions for a promised aquatic center. On Wednesday, the DA's office confirmed that Macias was one of three city officials whose homes were searched along with Huntington Park City Hall.

During a special council meeting, Macias suggested the DA's office collect evidence in the case another way while alleging "misinformation" has been spread since the investigation became public.

"Our hardworking city staff is working diligently with authorities to make sure they received any and all information related to the Salt Lake Park aquatic center," Macias said at the meeting. "This information could have been easily requested via public records requests and could have prevented all of the politically driven chaos and misinformation."

With amenities including an indoor pool, the planned aquatic center was expected to be built at Salt Lake Park, a 23-acre public park in the city that has several athletic fields and courts. In 2018, the city of Huntington Park released renditions of what it would look like.

But more than six years later, the site where it was supposed to be built remains an empty lot.

Vice Mayor Arturo Flores estimated about $14 million has been spent by the city. "And that from those funds, the residents of the city have only received an empty lot with dead grass — and nothing to show for those millions of dollars," he told reporters Wednesday.

Some of the concerned residents who spoke during the Friday's meeting slammed city officials involved in the project while others said the children of Huntington Park are who has been really affected.

"Millions of dollars gone. Not a single child in our city has been able to swim in that complex," one person said during the meeting, while another accused public officials of betraying the "hardworking people" of Huntington Park.

"And that's a shame. And you should be embarrassed," she told the council.

When the DA announced its investigation Thursday, Macias and another leading city official whose home was searched —Councilmember Eddie Martinez — did not respond to requests for comment. Prosecutors said their homes were among a total of 11 locations searched by investigators, including the homes of Huntington Park City Manager Ricardo Reyes and three former city officials.

In the statement released Thursday, the DA's office did not confirm any other details about the ongoing public corruption probe.

"My office is committed to ensuring that public officials uphold the highest standards of honesty, integrity, and transparency," District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in the statement from his office. "When concerns arise about the use of public funds or the actions of those in office, it is our duty to investigate thoroughly and protect the public's trust."