HomeMy WebLinkAboutDirect Staff to Return to Council within 45 Days with Guidan 2000 Main Street,
Huntington Beach, CA
City of Huntington Beach /�'Rv✓ED461�1
File #: 22-659 MEETING DATE: 8/2/2022
Submitted by Councilmember Bolton and Councilmember Kalmick - Recommendations from
RWG Report to Council Action
Direct staff to return to Council within 60 days with guidance on how to effectuate the
recommendations from RWG report.
City of Huntington Beach Page 1 of 1 Printed on 7/27/2022
powere"Legistar-
iLEI I;
CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH
CITY COUNCIL MEETING—COUNCIL MEMBER ITEMS REPORT
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: RHONDA BOLTON, CITY COUNCILMEMBER
DAN KALMICK, CITY COUNCILMEMBER
DATE: 8/2/2022
SUBJECT: RECOMMENDATIONS FROM RWG REPORT TO COUNCIL ACTION
The Richards Watson Gershon (RWG) operational review made several recommendations to
foster improved organizational performance for the City.To implement these recommendations,
this Council should direct the following steps be taken:
• The City Attorney's Office should provide training to the City Council and staff
about their respective roles (e.g., as attorney and client) and the resources of the
City Attorney's office. There should also be an extensive dialogue with
Councilmembers and staff about how these relationships and resources can be
improved.
• Determine whether the City should take any additional actions concerning
potential violations of California Government Code sections 87407 and 1090 by
former employee Brian Williams. As recommended in the RWG report, to remove
any conflict of interest concerns, this determination should be made using
independent outside counsel.
• The City Attorney and City Council should evaluate the possibility that some or all
of the payments the City made to the Greenberg Gross law firm following Mr.
Williams' employment by that firm could be determined to be void by a court.
Additionally, fees charged by Greenberg Gross to the City for researching conflict
of interest and for hotel accommodations should be questioned. This evaluation
should be made using independent outside counsel as appropriate.
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Direct Staff to return to Council within 60 days with guidance on how to effectuate the above
recommendations.
City Council/Public Financing ACTION AGENDA August 2, 2022
Authority
14. 22-654 Considered positions on local policy issues, as recommended by the
Intergovernmental Relations Committee
Recommended Action:
Consider one or more actions on the following policy issues proposed by the IRC:
A) Adopt Resolution No. 2022-53 - "A Resolution of the City Council of the
City of Huntington Beach in Support of the Action for Spent Fuel Now
Coalition" and/or;
B) Submit a Letter of Support for Environment America's Solar on Superstores Initiative.
Approved as amended by revised Resolution- 6-1 (Peterson— No)
PUBLIC HEARING
15. 22-583 Approved for introduction Ordinance No. 4258 approving Zoning Text
Amendment No. 22-003 to Chapter 222 (Floodplain Overlay District) of
the Huntington Beach Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance
Recommended Action:
A) Find the Zoning Text Amendment No. 22-003 categorically exempt pursuant to
City Council Resolution No. 4501, Class 20, which supplements the California
Environmental Quality Act because the request is a minor amendment to a zoning
ordinance that does not change the development standards density or intensity and
does not authorize any physical development; and,
B) Approve Zoning Text Amendment No. 22-003 with findings per Attachment No. 1; and,
C) Approve for introduction Ordinance No. 4258, "An Ordinance of the City Council of
the City of Huntington Beach Amending Chapter 222 of the Huntington Beach Zoning
and Subdivision Ordinance Relating to the Floodplain Overlay District (FP1, FP2,
FP3) (Zoning Text Amendment No. 22-003)." (Attachment No. 2)
Public Speakers (None)
Supplemental Communications (None)
Approved 7-0
COUNCILMEMBER ITEMS
16. 22-659 Submitted by Councilmember Bolton and Councilmember Kalmick —
Recommendations from RWG Report to Council Action
Recommended Action:
Direct staff to return to Council within 45 6-G days with guidance on how to effectuate the
recommendations from RWG report.
Approved as amended 6-1 (Peterson— No)
COUNCILMEMBER COMMENTS (Not Agendized)—
Comments provided by Councilmembers Carr, Moser, Posey, Delgleize
Page 5 of 6
Moore, Tania
From: Steven C Shepherd Architect <steve@shepherdarchitects.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 2, 2022 11:39 AM
To: CITY COUNCIL; supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org
Subject: AGENDA ITEM #16—SUPPORT FOR THE RECOMMENDED ACTION
Any objective reader of the report prepared by Mr. Craig Steele of Richards Watson Gershon (RWG)can see the
problems: Poor professional practices and procedures by the HB City Attorney's Office and a lack of effective oversight
by the HB City Council.
While the accusations of two city employees and the HB City Attorney's Office's participation in the subsequent
litigations had always appeared to be troubling, Mr.Steele's report confirms the dysfunction. Even as a layperson, it
wasn't difficult to see what seemed to be an overt conflict of interest from a mile away.
As a competent legal professional,the HB City Attorney should have understood appearances and recused himself and
most of his office from this matter. Upon failing to recuse,the HB City Council should have insisted on these recusals and
hired independent counsel to represent the interests of Huntington Beach. Unfortunately, neither of these things
happens, and this can only be viewed as a failure for our city.
In hindsight, I hope the HB City Council and the City Attorney can agree that this matter could and should have been
handled differently and that changes are necessary. In my mind,the best place to begin ensuring that future issues are
addressed more appropriately would be the implementation of the recommendations outlined by Mr. Steele in his
report.
I strongly support the recommended action in this agenda item, and I sincerely hope this is only the first step in a
renewed effort to improve our local government.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Steve Shepherd
Huntington Beach 92646
SUPPLEMENTAL
COMMUNICATION
Meeft Date:
Apnda hem No.,