![]() Similarly, he said he filed the paperwork for Kettle Tool & Supply in 2018 to help a woman named Sandra Smith. In a brief phone interview, Payetta said he owned only one of the three companies: Metro-Chem, which can supply “almost anything.” He said he filed paperwork with the secretary of state‘s office to create Decadenza in 2016 as a favor to a woman named Olivia, who was the daughter of a former employee. (The same brand of karaoke system is available online for $599.)ĭuring this period, his businesses received more than $600,000 by bidding solely against one another, according to county records. Decadenza won by bidding them at $745 apiece. For example, when the parks department wanted 34 karaoke systems in March, Metro-Chem sent in a bid pricing the systems at $750 each. Instead, certified companies were able to bid against just one other small business.īetween March 2022 and March 2023, Payetta’s companies bid exclusively against one another at least 26 times, according to county procurement records obtained by The Times through a public records request.Īll the contracts were awarded by the county Department of Parks and Recreation, which routinely asked Payetta’s companies to provide estimates for whatever supplies it needed - skateboard decks, karaoke systems, fragrance diffusers in exotic scents such as “ heart throb” and “ man cave.”īecause his companies were often the only ones competing, they effectively got to set the price for many of the goods the county wanted. County’s Department of Consumer and Business Affairs as a “ small business,” meaning they were local, independently owned companies with 100 or fewer employees.Īmong other benefits, the certification gave them the chance to avoid competing against an open field of companies for certain contracts worth between $5,000 and $100,000. His companies began winning work nearly every month with Los Angeles County, buoyed by its Local Small Business Enterprise preference program - an initiative created to boost small, local firms in competition for county contracts.īut Payetta, 54, had an extra edge: In more than two dozen bids, he was competing exclusively against himself.īy early 2022, Payetta had filed with the California secretary of state‘s office to form three businesses: Decadenza, Metro-Chem, and Kettle Tool & Supply Corp. Payetta’s luck started to change last year. “It’s easy to see for a layman that I am in trouble financially,” Payetta wrote in an April 2019 divorce filing. In 2016, the Seal Beach entrepreneur filed for personal bankruptcy, saying in a court filing that he was more than $1 million in debt with monthly income that barely covered his mortgage.Ī fraught divorce proceeding in Orange County - and the rotating cast of lawyers who went with it - pushed him deeper under what he would describe as a “tsunami of expenses.” Decadenza Inc., a high-end luxury bag business he founded two years later, had floundered fast. Metro-Chem Inc., the industrial supply company he launched in 2014, was hemorrhaging longtime customers. Simply put, we understand that obtaining your recovery is not the last step we are here for you through the entire process.David Payetta was on a years-long losing streak. At Emery | Reddy, that milestone is just one step in finalizing your case - we continue working to negotiate your outstanding medical bills, resolve any subrogation issues, resolve insurance premium issues and increases, and even work through collection issues that may arise as a result of lost earnings associated with an injury. Many firms consider a settlement check or injury award the end of their work, leaving clients with a number of loose ends to negotiate on their own. Our commitment to building close personal relationships is more than just a winning strategy for practicing law - it’s also the most rewarding part of our job.įrom the day we accept your case to the day you’ve received your recovery, we don’t stop fighting for you. ![]() ![]() Emery | Reddy‘s attorneys work one-on-one with each client to develop highly individualized strategies for their legal needs.
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