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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-10-2025_Closed Session_Item A and General Comments_Brown, Hardy_rec'd too late for 04-02-25_links sanitizedVOICE � q Home » Archive » OpEd: Here We Go Again — City of San Bernardino Recruiting for a City Manager, Part 3 IN Lff OPINION OpEd: Here We Go Again -City of San Bernardino Recruiting for a City Manager 4, Part 3 ®by HARDY BROWN, SR. APRIL 8, 2025 A legal complaint filed by former San Bernardino Acting City Manager Rochelle Clayton alleges widespread corruption at San Bernardino City Hall including concerns that Councilmember Theodore Sanchez has continuously violated the rule against interacting with staff without going through the City Manager as well as potential Brown Act violations. (Graphic: Chris Allen, BVN) Overview: The City of San Bernardino is once again recruiting for a City Manager, with two items on the April 2, 2025, City Council Closed Session Agenda. The items include the Recruiting Process for City Manager and the Performance Evaluation Process of the City Attorney and City Clerk. The City Clerk Genoveva Rocha has recently resigned, and the current City Council has a history of botched recruitment processes and corrupt practices. The City Attorney, Sonia Carvalho, is also under scrutiny for her controversial legal advice and half-truths. The author urges the council to take action to restore trust in the city's leadership. Hardy Brown Sr. On the April 2, 2025, San Bernardino City Council Closed Session Agenda, two items caught my attention. Item A, having to do with the Recruiting Process for City Manager and Item C, the Performance Evaluation Process for the City Attorney and City Clerk. It is my understanding the City Clerk, Genoveva Rocha, just resigned and left the city. If so, this is another great loss to our city at the hands of a disruptive and misguided City Council. From my observation of the council currently led by Ted Sanchez and followed by Fred Shorett, Sandra Ibarra, Juan Figuroa and Mayor Helen Tran, snafus of the past will happen in the current recruiting process. The mayor should know how to do a recruiting and selection process with her experience as a Human Resource Director but somehow does not have the gravitas to influence the council. The council has gone through, Rochelle Clayton, Charles Montoya, Charles McNeely, Rob Field, and several other city managers and on the advice of City Attorney Sonia Carvalho, paid Steve Carrigan, a candidate, $800,000.00 just for applying for the job, without him ever working for the city. 1 Left to Right: Fred Shorett, Sonia Carvalho, Sandra Ibarra, Ted Sanchez, Mayor Helen Tran, Juan Figueroa In the Summary of Facts portion of his claim against the City of San Bernardino, filed on Nov. 30, 2023, Carrigan asserted the city damaged his reputation and intentionally inflicted severe emotional distress on him with malice. He further claimed the city engaged in unprivileged conduct due to his race —white. This will happen again because the same councilmembers who botched that recruitment process and city attorney who gave the council legal advice regarding it, are still in charge. They cannot help themselves because they are corrupt and deserve to be recalled like the citizens of the First Ward are trying to do to Ted Sanchez. This brings me to item (C) regarding City Attorney Sonia Carvalho's annual performance evaluation. In my opinion, she and the BBK law firm should be rated Unsatisfactory to Unacceptable, and she should be let go as soon as possible. Why do I say this? It was at the February 21, 2024, 5:00 pm Special Council Meeting when the council was discussing agenda item 21., the Downtown San Bernardino Property Based Improvement District (PBID) Feasibility Study and Formation Process, to see if the council wanted the item placed on the Regular Council Meeting at 7:00 pm which was scheduled for later that evening. As the discussion went on, it did not bring clarity to the issue of who and how items would be placed on the council meetings agenda. Councilmember Ted Sanchez sought a legal opinion from City Attorney, Sonia Carvalho of Best Best & Krieger LLP (BBK). Attorney Carvalho responded to the council with these words, "First you must remember the voters voted in a City Charter, `City Manager,' form of government that gives the City Manager control over the agenda and it is up to him what goes on agenda," end of quote. I knew that was wrong, so I double checked the City Charter for proper wording, and this is what it states, according to the New City Charter it is called a "Council -Manager" form of government. What Attorney Carvalho told the council was not true at all. It still put the final authority in the hands of the Council. Now, while the statement by Attorney Carvalho was partially true; it is a "Half -truth". And the dictionary defines Half-truth as "a statement that mingles truth and falsehood with deliberate intent to deceive". This is what she was doing to please, at that time, City Manager Charles Montoya, while deceiving the council and the public. On the streets and the real world that statement is called a lie. So, I called her out on that explanation at the next meeting, while quoting the City Charter and to clear up the statement. The City Manager Charles Montoya was later FIRED by the Council. The community has lost trust in Carvalho from this fiasco and the advice that resulted in the city giving Steve Carrigan, a non -employee, $800,000 dollars to settle a case without investigating his allegation of racial discrimination —his being white —was the reason he was not hired as the City Manager. A small investigation into Carrigan's allegation would have revealed that ALL prior City Managers hired in the history of the city were white and mostly males, except for one, Charles McNeely —a Black male. I urge the council to do the right thing for the citizens living in the City of San Bernardino. More to come .. . Related San Bernardino City In My Opinion: Half- OpEd: Was Racism Council Faces truths, Is City Involved in the Backlash Over Manager Charles Selection Process Resignation of Montoya Creating A that Eventually Led Acting City Manager Den of Smiling Face to Hiring Charles and Claims of Liars? (Part 2) Montoya as City Corruption April 2, 2024 Manager? March 25, 2025 In "Community" April 16, 2024 In "Community' In "In My Opinion" TAGGED: City Attorney Sonia Carvalho City Clerk Genoveva Rocha City Manager position San Bernardino City council Ted Sanchez HARDY BROWN, SR. Hardy L. Brown, Sr. was publisher of the Black Voice News from 198o - 2012. An active community member, Mr. Brown periodically writes opinions for the newspaper on matters or interest to the broader community. 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