City of San Bernardino
201 North E Street
San Bernardino, CA 92401
http://www.sbcity.org
DRAFT MINUTES
FOR THE
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO ACTING AS
THE SUCCESSOR AGENCY TO THE REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN
BERNARDINO ACTING AS THE SUCCESSOR HOUSING AGENCY TO THE REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY, MAYOR AND
CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO ACTING AS THE HOUSING AUTHORITY, AND MAYOR AND CITY
COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO ACTING AS THE SAN BERNARDINO JOINT POWERS FINANCING
AUTHORITY
TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 2021
12:00 PM
The Special Meeting of the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino was called to order at 12:00 PM by Mayor John Valdivia on Tuesday, June 15, 2021, via Web-Conference, San Bernardino, CA.
CALL TO ORDER
Attendee Name Title Status Arrived
Theodore Sanchez Council Member, Ward 1 Present
Sandra Ibarra Mayor Pro-Tem, Ward 2 Present
Juan Figueroa Council Member, Ward 3 Present
Fred Shorett Council Member, Ward 4 Present
Ben Reynoso Council Member, Ward 5 Present
Kimberly Calvin Council Member, Ward 6 Present
Damon L Alexander Council Member, Ward 7 Present
John Valdivia Mayor Present
Robert D. Field City Manager Present
Sonia Carvalho City Attorney Present
Genoveva Rocha City Clerk Present
Mayor John Valdivia
Council Members
Theodore Sanchez
Sandra Ibarra
Juan Figueroa
Fred Shorett
Ben Reynoso
Kimberly Calvin
Damon L. Alexander
Special Meeting Draft Minutes June 15, 2021
Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino Page 2 Printed 7/28/2021
CLOSED SESSION PUBLIC COMMENTS
The speaker, name unintelligible, expressed concerns about the Mayor’s alleged actions, public mistrust in city leadership, and the City Council’s perceived lack of accountability and representation.
Nancy Harmon expressed concerns regarding the Mayor’s alleged misuse of public funds and urged the City Council to take immediate action.
Jeanette McCaig urged the City Council to hold the Mayor accountable for alleged misuse of taxpayer funds for a private reception.
Azar raised concerns about the Mayor’s use of public funds for political purposes and urged the Council to review the event expenses and consider canceling or postponing the event pending verification.
Harry Hatch cited state ethics training requirements and warned the Council of potential legal consequences related to the alleged misuse of public funds.
Treasurer Ortiz urged the Council to pursue charges against the Mayor for alleged misuse of public funds and called for an independent investigation into the expenditures.
Robert Porter criticized the Mayor for allegedly using public funds to promote himself at a private event and urged him to follow established rules and use personal funds.
Leticia Garcia urged the Council to file formal charges against the Mayor for alleged misuse of public funds and warned that failure to act would undermine public confidence in the Council.
Linda Colli expressed concern about alleged misconduct by the Mayor and urged the City Council to hire an independent investigator.
Kathy Kimball urged the Council to pursue charges against the Mayor for alleged misuse of public funds and requested an investigation into City personnel involved.
Daniel urged the Council to pursue charges over the alleged misuse of public funds and questioned whether Measure S funds were used for the event.
Jim Penman stated that city attorneys elected can prosecute Political Reform Act violations and said the allegations against the Mayor should have been investigated.
CLOSED SESSION
1. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - ANTICIPATED LITIGATION Significant exposure to litigation (Pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(d)(2)): One Item - Discussion of potential misuse of public funds
Special Meeting Draft Minutes June 15, 2021
Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino Page 3 Printed 7/28/2021
CLOSED SESSION REPORT
City Attorney Carvalho reported that Council Member Alexander moved, and Council Member Shorett seconded, a motion to waive attorney-client privilege for the limited purpose of referring the Mayor’s VIP reception expenditures to the appropriate authorities. Council Member Sanchez moved, and Council Member Alexander seconded, a motion directing the City Manager to take reasonable steps to cancel the event and notify the venue, and directing the City Attorney to pursue recovery of any illegal expenditures if the Mayor failed to reimburse the City within 30 days. Additionally, Council Member Sanchez moved, and Mayor Pro Tem Ibarra seconded, a motion directing the City Attorney to work with the City Manager to engage an independent investigator to review or audit all Mayor’s Office expenditures and reimbursements from January 2019 to the present. All actions were approved unanimously.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at an unspecified time.
The next joint Special Closed Session meeting of the Mayor and City Council and the Mayor and City Council Acting as the Successor Agency to the Redevelopment Agency will be held on Wednesday, June 15, 2021 via Web-Conference, San Bernardino, CA. via tele-conference at 4:30 p.m.
Telicia Lopez, CMC
City Clerk