From:Brad Anderson
To:Kristie Ramos, CMC
Cc:Isaiah Hagerman, CPA
Subject:Public Comment - November 13, 2024 Special Rancho Mirage City Council meeting Date:Wednesday, November 13, 2024 10:16:27 AM
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November 13, 2024
City of Rancho Mirage
City Council / City Hall
69825 Hwy 111
Rancho Mirage, CA. 92270
Attention: City Clerk (Kristin Ramos) - [email protected] Re: Written letter and attached email(s) to be entered in the Public record and made available for public Inspection for the November 13, 2024 Special Rancho Mirage City Council meeting - Agenda Item: Public Comment
Dear current City of Rancho Mirage Council members,
Please review the attached email(s) dated September 20, 2024 and October 4, 2024 along with my written statements listed below prior to the Council's consideration of the meeting topic (appointment of an elected official).
It's reasonable to consider that Rancho Mirage's current rotating Mayor has corrupted the spirit of a fair and honest elections with a blanted ambush on Rancho Mirage Resident's right to choose their "elected" official with nonsensical and extremely dangerous notions that City Council appointees serve a probationary period.
It's clear that the appointment aspects has allowed individuals to serve on the Rancho Mirage City Council that would have clearly have been unelectable if an election was an option. Mayor Downs has added a political opinion that shows his and potentially other City Council persons extreme bias towards individuals that have challenged his and other current City Council persons political position and or have threatened his current and future financial Incentives within the City and the region through special Interests.
It's very suspicious that staff reports were held back from public disclosure within minutes of the actual Public meetings of November 7, 2024. It's not reasonable and potentially unlawful to deny full disclosure of City held documents under 72 hours of the regular scheduled City Council meeting. It's also very questionable that two (2) special City Council meeting were scheduled to accommodate a very short time line to potentially gather interested candidates for City of Rancho Mirage Council interviews and potential appointment to Rancho Mirage City Council.
It's remarkably clear that the most common sense approached would be to call for a special election to select a desirable candidate for the current Rancho Mirage open City Council position.
Integrity and ethical standards are lacking among the current Rancho Mirage City Council - please consider reviewing how you could better serve the City of Rancho Mirage over your own desires to enrich yourselfs from city resources.
Please do not take any reprisal actions against my private property or person for reporting this true and accurate summary of our current situation.
Sincerely,
Brad Anderson | 37043 Ferber Dr. Rancho Mirage, CA. 92270
Cc:
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Brad Anderson
Date: Fri, Oct 4, 2024, 2:44 PM
Subject: Potential illegal City Council actions (City of Rancho Mirage Council meeting - October 3, 2024) Agenda Item: 5
To: , , ,
Cc: Isaiah Hagerman, CPA , Kristie Ramos, CMC
, , ,
,
October 4, 2024
City of Rancho Mirage
City Council members
69825 Hwy 111
Rancho Mirage, CA. 92270
760.324.4511
Attention: Clerk of the Board / Council
Re: concerns over rotating Mayor's dictatorial actions Dear current Elected and Appointed City Council members, Please accept this correspondence as an official complaint in regards to the City of Rancho Mirage Council blatant disregard to list or explain the legal ramifications and or the legal process for filling a vacate City Council position during the Rancho Mirage City Council meeting of October 3, 2024 (Agenda Item: 5).
No written Staff report was produced for the Rancho Mirage City Council meeting on October 3, 2024 - Agenda Item: 5 (Consider Options for Filling City Council Vacancy). Public Comments was demanded to be made prior to any City recommendations or of any proposed by the rotating Mayor. - and ONLY one decision to wait until the election cycle of November 2024 concluded was suggested by the rotating Mayor before choosing other avenues that were never listed or talked about during that meeting. And other city council members favored that decision in open verbal comment. No Votes were case for that Mayors decision or any action to continue or postpone deliberation.
It's reasonable to consider that the current rotating Mayor and other city council members decided to limit the public from any information of the procces to fill an empty Council position. And decided to push a political maneuvers to eliminate another City Council person from joining that small elite group of current City Council members for the time being.
Please rotating Mayor - discontinue speaking in such negtive and defamatory matter toward a prior City Council person (Meg Marker). It's extremely embarrassing for the Great City of Rancho Mirage to have one of it's representatives (Steve Downs) behave in such a childish manner.
Please don't take any reprisal actions against my private property or person for reporting this complaint.
Sincerely,
Brad Anderson | 37043 Ferber Dr. Rancho Mirage, CA. 92270 On Fri, Sep 20, 2024, 9:00 PM Brad Anderson wrote:
September 20, 2024
City of Rancho Mirage
City Hall - Council Chamber
69825 Hwy 111
Rancho Mirage, CA. 92270
Attention: Current City Council member(s)
Re: Written response to City of Rancho Mirage Mayor's Message: September 20, 2024 (email) Dear Current City Council members (rotating Mayor),
I'm very disappointed in the Mayor's behavior and inappropriate comments that took place at a recent Council meeting and continues to this day with media reports and the enclosed "Mayor's Message" in regards to City Council member Meg Marker resignation from the Rancho Mirage City Council.
Being the only person from the general public that spoke (Verbal Public testimony) on the agenda topic (Conflict of Interest policy) at the recent Council meeting. I was under the impression that new written conflict of interest policy would limit the influence of current City Council members: Steve Downs and Lynn Mallotto from financially profiting from the many developments (real estate) aspects that those city council members (including council member Ted Weill - development connections) would clearly benefit from through their professional careers (real estate agents and related business interests).
It's reasonable to consider that the construction and implementation to place that newly written conflict of interest policy on the City council meeting agenda was a blanted attempt to hinder counter business interests from interfering with what appears to be a status quo business as usual operations between past and current City Council members and their "special Interests".
Please consider stopping the slanderous allegations against a Rancho Mirage long established resident (Meg Marker). Her commitment to our region of California has been repeatedly demonstrated and clearly outshines the current rotating Mayor's self-proclaimed "love" for the City of Rancho Mirage.
It's highly recommended to stop using City resources to attack city Residents for yet to be fully determined motives.
Seek the truth -
Sincerely,
Brad Anderson | 37043 Ferber Dr. Rancho Mirage, CA.
[email protected] | 760.324.9637
Cc:
Cc
On Fri, Sep 20, 2024, 5:16 PM City of Rancho Mirage wrote:
Dear Residents and Businesses,
I’m sure by now some of you have seen the news regarding former Council Member Meg Marker’s abrupt resignation yesterday. I felt compelled to provide some context to the events that unfolded. First off, I love Rancho Mirage for all the same reasons you do. As a result of that love, I wanted to give back and have chosen to do so first, by serving on the City’s Planning Commission and now on City Council as your Mayor. I have willingly done so fully supportive and aware of my fiduciary commitment to make decisions that are in the best interest of the community.
The ethics policy adopted yesterday simply demonstrated to our community that when council members are making decisions for our community, we are doing so with their best interest, not for personal profit or gain. The ethics policy also reinforced that council members or their personal business shouldn’t benefit from City funds or contracts. These
concepts are longstanding rules, regulations and ethical principles in which public officials must adhere to when acting in our fiduciary capacity as elected officials.
I do want to address some of the reckless comments former Council Member Meg Marker made regarding the proposed ethics policy and how it, “…is designed to keep tired old men on the city council and prevent any successful businessperson from sitting on this council…”. In my opinion, that comment was incredibly dismissive and offensive to the hard work and contributions of Council Woman Lynn Mallotto and the many women who have served on this council in the City’s fifty-year history.
Another comment was, “No other city in the Coachella Valley has anything like this, or most likely, in the United States of America, and it's for good reason.” former Council Member Meg Marker went on to describe the policy as “vindictive” and “punitive”. Shockingly, former Council Member Meg Marker went on record and gave an example to justify her opposition that is quite clearly an illegal act under state law. Former Council Member Meg Markers example was of the city paying a city council member’s business directly because that council member would do it for “cost” and save the city “thousands possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars”. It is quite concerning that someone could be on city council for almost two years and still not grasp these simple concepts widely applied across California, but also the United States. Imagine if City Councils were able to award taxpayer funded contracts to each other’s businesses.
So, what did this ethics policy actually do that would cause former Council Member Meg Marker to say, “is designed to keep tired old men on the city council and prevent any successful businessperson from sitting on this council”. It reminded the City Council of our legal and ethical responsibilities and referenced the FPPC Quick Guide to Government Code Section 1090 (click here) and the League of California Cities 2022 publication: A Guide for Local Agency Counsel: Providing Conflict of Interest Advice (click here). The only actionable item under the approved ethics policy was for City staff to implement a vendor conflict of interest notice form. This form attached (click here) simply requires the vendor to self-attest that no current council member or their business has a reasonably foreseeable financial interest in the City contract or payment. The concept of elected officials not benefiting from taxpayer funded contracts they oversee is a longstanding principle and one that is typically widely accepted by the individuals that step into elected positions.
As I informed the media who reached out yesterday, former Council Member Meg Marker’s emotional response, baseless attacks, and immediate resignation underscores someone who simply didn’t understand their role as a Council Member.
I felt you deserve the respect of being provided access to the information as you form your opinions.
If you would like to view the introduction of the ethics and conflict-of- interest policy during the Thursday, September 19 City Council Meeting you can do so at the link below.
September 19, 2024 City Council Meeting
The California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) responded to Marker Broadcasting’s “Request for Advice” on two separate occasions. The FPPC’s submitted an opinion to former Council Member Meg Marker’s business regarding Government Code Section 1090 noting the prohibition of the City entering contracts where a council members business will benefit from a City contract. The full copy of both inquiries and the FPPC opinion can be found below.
Letter Dated January 30, 2023
Letter Dated February 27, 2023
Best regards,
Mayor Steve Downs
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