Strange Times At Malibu City Hall
Written by 991KBU on January 25, 2021
Malibu’s city council will meet tonight under circumstances that we have never seen.
The city manager has asked to be bought out of her contract.
Reva Feldman has accused city council member Bruce Silverstein of being “unhinged” … of attaching a 100 page negative dossier to her employment file without any Council vote …
As we reported Friday … there was an extra ordinary City Council meeting for more than two hours behind closed doors.
The only official report was made by city attorney John Cotti.
NEWSCART 75083 COTTI FRIDAY
“The council did convene in closed session today at 12:30 to discuss the two items listed on the closed session agenda.
“At the conclusion of that … the council motioned to direct me to provide a letter which constitutes a [response to the] demand from Therese Cannata on behalf of City Manager Reva Feldman to our insurance … to the Joint Powers Insurance Agency.
“I will endeavor to do that today.
“Other than that the council took no reportable acts.”
But over the weekend … in another extraordinary occurrence … city spokesman Matt Myerhoff put out a statement that the city would fight any lawsuit vigorously in court.
He said the city wants its legal insurance company to determination the city’s extent of coverage …. and he said the city “intends to vigorously defend the allegations contained in the letter.”
That statement was not attributed to anyone … such as the city attorney.
And the city attorney was making no comments outside what you just heard on Friday.
Silverstein and fellow slate member Steve Uhring make up a minority of the city council … and it is not clear if the other council members agree.
Attorneys who live in Malibu commented at the last city council meeting that Silverstein was clearly putting the city and its taxpayers in the position of legal liability … on the hook for a massive payout to Feldman if she files and wins a lawsuit.
Complicating matters is that the city is insured by an association of many southern California cities … which may pick up part of the cost of any settlement with Feldman.
But that Association may dramatically increase coverage costs for Malibu increase their rates CHARGED T MALIBU …. given the unstable and unsustainable turmoil at City Hall.
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City council meeting tonight on the zoom platform Will include another attempt to get to the Silverstein and Uhring proposal to … as they put it … instill ethics and transparency at city hall.
It would require among other things that all conversations between the City manager at any city council member be tape recorded and transcribed.
Same story for any conversations between any City council member and the city attorney.
Former city council members say such rules are guaranteed to drive away any qualified person for the city manager’s job.77
