LAX food fight gets even more political

Everything around the LAX retail concessions is about politics and the practice of influence — do you think services that disappointing and overpriced would fly in the real world? Now the fight over three dining contracts is heating up. From Art Marroquin in the Daily Breeze:

In an unprecedented campaign that's quickly heating up, one concession company recently placed a newspaper ad to solicit support from the business community.

And a second bidder is using the political clout of a former mayor in its effort to snag at least one of three dining contracts up for bid at LAX.

"Based on our experience last year, we fully expect this process to be politicized," said Michael Molina, deputy executive director of external affairs at LAX and one of five members on the selection panel who will ultimately submit recommendations to the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners.

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Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan was part of a recent presentation by HMS Host International Inc., which is hoping to maintain some sort of presence at LAX after failing to win a single contract in the last round of concession bids.

Riordan was included in the company's pitch in March because his downtown eatery, The Original Pantry Cafe, is part of HMS Host's lineup of restaurants and coffee shops hoping to open at LAX.