Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/sonia-carvalho/)
New concerns are being raised about whether the city has been illegally overcharging residents and businesses for trash collection and using the money for other services like police, firefighting, and parks.
City officials say they sought a reasonable balance that respected the trucks’ important role in the city, while reducing some of the negative impacts.
One of the officers has been given his job back by the city’s personnel board, and the City Council is slated to decide next Tuesday whether to appeal it in Superior Court. The other two officers are also seeking to have their firings reversed.
An outside investigation found that City Manager David Cavazos’ complaints of sexual harassment against Councilwoman Michele Martinez were unfounded. It also explored allegations that Cavazos ordered a staffer to monitor Mayor Miguel Pulido’s emails.
City Manager David Cavazos said he felt “jumped” when asked him to sign an ethics pledge that other city managers had not been asked to sign. It all relates to an investigation into Cavozos’ relationship with a city employee.
The public vote on a $17,000 bonus for City Manager David Cavazos came after questions were raised about a closed-session vote on the bonus last month.
In a letter to Mayor Miguel Pulido, David Cavazos argues his romantic relationship with a city staffer breaks no laws or city rules. But ethics experts say such relationships pose a conflict of interest and open the door to lawsuits.
Council members authorized up to $500,000 in legal services to defend against a growing number of lawsuits challenging measure BB, the new law that legalizes and regulates medical marijuana dispensaries in the city.
Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido claimed the city attorney gave him the OK to vote on an issue important to someone who loaned him $5,000. Turns out that’s not what happened.
Shirley Grindle has alleged to the California Fair Political Practices Commission that Mayor Miguel Pulido violated state law when he stopped disclosing thousands of dollars in campaign debt.