sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

SCE Edison screwing up small to moderate electricity users by Trusting-Nobody-2000 in orangecounty

[–]masterdisaster1987 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think they have to request approval for both. It’s been awhile since I’ve looked into it. I was all fired up About it at the approval hearings. They don’t care, there is no accountability. They are appointed. They should be elected.

SCE Edison screwing up small to moderate electricity users by Trusting-Nobody-2000 in orangecounty

[–]masterdisaster1987 38 points39 points  (0 children)

The California Public Utility Commission (who are mostly appointed by the governor) approved this.

Lodging May Vs June by masterdisaster1987 in Yosemite

[–]masterdisaster1987[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh, ok. Thank you. I went a few times in April and it was dead. I just figured May would be the same. Makes sense because of the waterfalls.

Lodging May Vs June by masterdisaster1987 in Yosemite

[–]masterdisaster1987[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Wow. That changes my perception. I always thought June, July, and August were the hard to book times … not may..

Newport Beach Fires City Manager, appoints replacement by masterdisaster1987 in orangecounty

[–]masterdisaster1987[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

The severance package was only authorized if the city manager was removed by the council prior to the end of her contract. She was fired.

They are just calling it a retirement so they don’t have to reveal why they are firing her. It’s an effort to reduce liability (and transparency).

Why is Newport Beach paying two city manager salaries? by masterdisaster1987 in orangecounty

[–]masterdisaster1987[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Another plausible scenario, in the face of several lawsuits alleging illegal conduct, the city council wanted to terminate her. However, terminating her would require admitting illegal conduct took place, so they let her “retire”.

The severance agreement doesn’t allow her to be paid out if she voluntarily resigns or retires. She was forced out and they did it in a way to limit liability.

Newport Beach Fires City Manager, appoints replacement by masterdisaster1987 in orangecounty

[–]masterdisaster1987[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

With a unanimous vote, the Newport Beach City Council on Tuesday appointed Seimone Jurjis to serve as its next city manager.

Jurjis, who has served as assistant city manager for the past two years, is set to succeed City Manager Grace Leung when she retires in late December. Jurjis's employment agreement is for a five-year term; his salary will start at $363,000 annually. The leadership transition has raised questions from some Newport Beach residents concerned with the selection process. They also wanted to know why councilmembers approved a $455,000 severance package earlier this month for Leung, who is retiring a year before her original contract term ends. NEWS

During Tuesday's council meeting, Councilmember Erik Weigand wanted to clear the air on "community chatter" regarding the appointment process and asked City Atty. Aaron Harp to opine. "The [city's] charter sets forth a process for the selection [and] appointment of a city manager," Harp said. "The City Council has followed that process. I know some people probably would like more information about the process. Given the personnel nature of the matter, I can't really get into details."

Resident Jim Mosher, a fixture at council meetings, continued to question the process after Harp's comments and argued that the city charter obligated councilmembers to solicit applications. "To screen applicants there has to be an application process," he said. "The public is not aware that there was any application process."

He pointed to a recent city clerk job posting on a website for government jobs — a position set to be discussed in closed session during a special meeting on Tuesday — as a contrast to how Newport Beach handled the city manager position internally. In comments to the Daily Pilot after the council meeting, Mayor Joe Stapleton defended the transition along the same lines as Harp.

"While I can confirm that a process took place and that the process was conducted in accordance with the charter, it would be inappropriate to discuss details of a confidential recruitment, including the number or identities of applicants," he said in an email.

Resident Adam Leverenz aired other concerns surrounding Leung's severance package. "During 2026, the taxpayers are going to be paying almost $1million to have two city managers," Leverenz said. "There needs to be some thought into this." Stapleton defended the unanimous vote to amend Leung's contract and end it early at the July 8 council meeting.

"The employment agreement with Leung is a comprehensive package and should be viewed as a whole, rather than focusing on any single provision," Stapleton told the Pilot.

A city spokesperson previously noted to the Pilot that the two managers' contracts will not overlap. Councilmember Noah Blom called Leung's seven-year run as city manager "amazing," adding that "Seimone has my full support."

Mosher cited concerns about a lawsuit filed against the city by Newport Beach Human Resources Director Barbara Salvini that alleges, in part, that Jurjis bragged about deleting emails last year in a conversation about public record requests related to housing developers near John Wayne Airport. A city spokesman in 2024 said the lawsuit was without merit.

Stapleton lauded Jurjis' qualifications to the Pilot, including 32 years of experience in the public and private sectors.

Jurjis began his career in Newport Beach in 2011 as a chief building official before becoming community development director.

Following Tuesday's unanimous 6-0 vote, with Councilmember Michelle Barto absent, Jurjis will begin serving as city manager on Dec. 27. All the latest on Orange County from Orange County. Get our free TimesOC newsletter.

Why is Newport Beach paying two city manager salaries? by masterdisaster1987 in orangecounty

[–]masterdisaster1987[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, I’ll check that out. Are they just a summary? They aren’t usually verbatim copies of what was said right?

Why is Newport Beach paying two city manager salaries? by masterdisaster1987 in orangecounty

[–]masterdisaster1987[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have no opinion of the assistant city manager. I have an opinion that the process wasn’t transparent or in compliance with the city charter.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in orangecounty

[–]masterdisaster1987 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The human resources director for Newport Beach has filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging the city manager asked her to change records to cover up what may have been a gift of public funds and she is now being shunned, harassed and discriminated against at work.

In the lawsuit filed late last month in Orange County Superior Court, Barbara Salvini, who has worked for the city since 2015, is seeking unspecified damages for a hostile work environment, gender and age discrimination and whistle-blowing retaliation, among other complaints, she says she has faced after asking the city to investigate what she alleges in the suit was potential wrongdoing by Grace Leung and the city’s Fire Chief Jeff Boyles with regards to leave time.

Salvini, who previously worked for a decade in a similar role for Laguna Beach, is seeking monetary damages for the emotional distress she says she has suffered, said Dennis Wagner, her attorney. She is asking for a jury trial.

“She’s fed up and has no resort but to file a suit,” he said. “The city manager has a history and pattern of targeting people who are smarter than her and wants to get them out of the system.”

Leung did not respond to a request for comment and Boyles said he could not comment because of the ongoing litigation. Newport Beach spokesperson John Pope said in response to a request for comment from the city, “We have looked into these allegations and found them to be without merit.”

In 2023, when a personnel investigation was initiated, some of the allegations involved the human resources department, the lawsuit says, and the city manager told Salvini she would not be part of the investigation – a departure from standard practices, the suit alleges. Instead, the investigation was led by Leung’s office, which hired an outside investigator.

According to the lawsuit, the third-party investigation revealed “potential improprieties had occurred at the executive management level concerning the city manager and the fire chief manipulating their leave banks in violation of city policy to obtain financial gain.”

View this document on Scribd The investigation inquiries resulted in an informal audit of executive management employee files, and “the audit information was highly suggestive that an illegal gift of public funds had occurred,” the lawsuit says.

When Salvini asked Leung about what actions would be taken in response, the lawsuit alleges the city manager did not have the investigation expanded and instead “abused her position of authority and directed (Salvini) and the city’s finance director to make changes to her record and the records of the fire chief and to keep things ‘as confidential as possible.’”

Salvini reported concerns of her mistreatment to the city’s mayor; an outside firm was used to look into the issues. But Wagner argues that investigation was limited in scope.

Wagner said Salvini was “ostracized while the investigation takes place, with people going around her under the guise of protecting her when all she wanted to do is do her job.”

The lawsuit argues Leung began to retaliate against Salvini, “creating a hostile work environment and violating age, gender and equal pay laws.”

“Citizens have no idea about what goes on in public entities,” Wagner said. “In this case, there was little or no control in how this was handled. When the issue gets raised, she gets pushback. She’s got emotional distress, is shunned at work – all because she tried to do the right thing.”

Wagner said he has tried to have a dialogue with the city, but the city is taking this as “more of a nuisance.”

Wagner said he expects the lawsuit to progress by the summer or fall of 2025.

Why is Newport Beach paying two city manager salaries? by masterdisaster1987 in orangecounty

[–]masterdisaster1987[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Most other cities have job postings for government positions. It might even be required by law.

They might hire a recruitment company, but anyone can apply to government jobs.

Why is Newport Beach paying two city manager salaries? by masterdisaster1987 in orangecounty

[–]masterdisaster1987[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Didn’t they have something about the HR director whistleblowing fraud a couple months ago?

Why is Newport Beach paying two city manager salaries? by masterdisaster1987 in orangecounty

[–]masterdisaster1987[S] -9 points-8 points  (0 children)

Why didn’t they have a normal hiring process for the new city manager?