Feldman Up For Retroactive Pay Raise, After Positive City Council Review

City manager Reva Feldman has been found to be doing a good job … and will likely get a 6 thousand dollar pay raise.

Meeting behind closed doors last week … the city council apparently rejected demands that she be fired because the city supposedly mishandled the Woolsey Fire … and the aftermath.

Lie most small cities in California … Malibu does not elect the person who runs day to day operations at city hall.

Rather … the city council sets policies and goals … and hires professionals to run the city.

And the city council meets behind closed doors to evaluate the city manager’s performance in meeting those goals and following those policies.

There have been two such meetings this fall.

And in 10 days … the council will step out in public to take a public vote … to conform that Feldman received a positive evaluation within the meaning of her employment contract.

This decision was on hold … while an independent fact finder evaluated the city manager’s performance after the fire.

That report found that she basically did a good job…. given that Malibu has no direct control over the county fire department or the elected county sheriff.

This is a small town … and like all small town … there are critics. Like city planning commissioner John Mazza.

NEWSCART 75364 MAZZA

“Your main job, since you’re not here everyday running everything, is to establish trust in the city government with the public.

“And basically on the west side of Malibu you don’t have that.

“You need to establish trust in  people.

“You need to have repercussions for not doing things.

“You need to have a reason to reward somebody.”

That is a planning commissioner John Mazza … claiming the claim for everyone in western Malibu that the city manager is not trusted.

Mazza was appointed to the planning commission by city councilman Jefferson Wagner.

Wagner has been the lone voice of opposition to Feldman … he says he was elected as part of a slate to remove her.

His fellow slate members … Rick Mullen and Skylar Peak … voted in favor of Feldman’s contract in the most recent vote.

That triggered a recall campaign … organized by Malibu political operative and newspaper publisher Cece Woods … a petition drive that flopped.

The exact number of recall signatures gathered … never disclosed.

There are also supporters of the City Manager … like former Mayor Andy Stern.

Stern incidentally also lives in western Malibu.

NEWSCART 75362 STERNENDORSE

“Sadly there’s a small band of people that come before these meetings.

“I’ve watched them and they complain when I used to have the privilege of sitting up there like you all do.

“I used to think if I said ‘white’ they would say ‘black’ and if I said ‘black’ they would say ‘white.’

“There is a large majority of people in this town I am certain that really appreciate what you do and are very grateful for your efforts for what you do.

“And to the city manager: thank you … you have done an outstanding job.”

Andy Stern … preceded by John Mazza.
Reva Feldman’s retoractive pay increase will go before the city council a week from Monday