Anaheim City Council members Tuesday, with no explanation, postponed a vote to appoint a controversial candidate to the city’s vacant city attorney post.
The Council was scheduled to appoint Arturo N. Fierro, the father of Councilman Jordan Brandman’s campaign manager and policy aide, and have him begin work immediately.
The City Council has not given staff any direction on the appointment, according to city spokesman Mike Lyster, and has yet to reschedule the appointment for a future agenda.
Arturo Fierro is the former city attorney for the cities of Coachella and Cudahy, and the assistant city attorney who counsels the Planning Commission for the city of Chino. He is also a partner at a small law firm, Gutierrez, Fierro and Erickson, which serves cities in South Los Angeles County.
Voice of OC reported Monday that Arturo Fierro’s son and daughter-in-law, Daniel and Felicia Fierro, currently work as part-time policy aides for Brandman. Daniel Fierro previously worked with Brandman as a field representative for state Assemblyman Ian Calderon.
Mayor Tom Tait has said he will vote against Arturo Fierro’s appointment because he believes members of the council majority, which includes Brandman and councilwomen Kris Murray and Lucille Kring, are attempting to bring in a city attorney before the November election changes the council dynamic.
“For the at-large-elected council majority to appoint a new city attorney on the eve of district elections is outrageous,” Tait said. “They’re trying to cram the decision in.”
In an email to Voice of OC, Brandman said the city has “too many pressing issues” to leave the position vacant.
“The City Attorney’s office needs leadership, and the people of Anaheim deserve to be represented by a competent professional who is appointed by their elected representatives,” Brandman said in the email.
Lyster said the city does not see any conflicts of interest that would disqualify Brandman from voting to appoint Arturo Fierro as city attorney.
Fierro, however, has another potential conflict that the city has yet to resolve: he is representing the plaintiff in a personal injury lawsuit against the city.
Contact Thy Vo at tvo@voiceofoc.org or follow her on Twitter @thyanhvo.