Los Angeles Times, November 19, 2005: It Was Anything But a Snap Decision

L.A. council at last picks a supplier for red-light cameras. Lobbying by the top two bidders was intense, and the city seemed to be in no rush.

November 19, 2005 | Steve Hymon | Times Staff Writer

Nestor and the second-place finisher — Redflex of Sydney, Australia — both hired big-name lobbyists who had long been familiar with the city’s power corridors.

In Nestor’s corner was Arnie Berghoff, who worked on a monthly retainer that has paid him $54,000 since last year. Redflex hired Ken Spiker Jr., who worked on contingency and stood to receive $100,000 if Redflex won.

The adversaries are friends and share a suite of offices. Berghoff worked for Spiker’s father when the father was the chief legislative analyst for the city in the 1970s and ’80s.

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