The Santa Ana City Council meeting agenda for next week is out and on page 13, you’ll find an interesting item on the agenda relating to last week’s caustic council meeting — action on a possible violation of the city’s code of ethics.
From the agenda:
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
Pursuant to Santa Ana Charter Section 411, any member of the City Council may place items on the City Council Agenda to be considered by the City Council.
85A CONSIDER POTENTIAL VIOLATION OF THE SANTA ANA CODE OF ETHICS AND CONDUCT BY COUNCILMEMBER AND TAKE REMEDIAL ACTIONS RELATED THERETO (COUNCILMEMBERS BENAVIDES AND BUSTAMANTE)
The following actions may be considered on the floor and include:
1. Ask for resignation from the City Council.
2. Remove from the Mayor Pro Tem position.
3. Remove from the Public Safety Committee.
4. Remove from the Orange County Water Board.
5. Condemnation of comment made by Councilmember.
The Council has been largely silent on this issue since a news release was issued last Friday night offering an apology to the Chase family for anti-Semetic comments made by Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez. On Monday, Acting City Manager Paul Walters asked the OC Human Relations Commission to mediate the situation and they told us they have been in contact with those involved in the situation; those discussions remain private.
The agenda item is going to force a vote from those members of the council who have been largely silent. And for Alvarez, its the reality of what many consider a weak and insincere apology. It’s going to be interesting to see how those members of the council who walked out on Councilman Benavides last year respond to this agenda item — consistency or hypocrisy?
Would the rest of the Council have the ability to force her to recuse herself from future matters relating to the PBID, since she’s proven herself to be emotionally vested and unbiased? If so, I think that would be an appropriate action.
Per the Brown Act, Public Comments on agenda items must come before or during council consideration of the item. Don’t let Pulido try to consider the Alvarez item before Public Comments on that item.
This was expected
Benavides and Bustamante stepping up and doing what Pulido should have done. How ironic that Pulido bends over backwards to create “unity” on the Council, but sits back and lets someone on the Council put this on the agenda. What a weasel this guy is.