City Manager

Huntington Beach City Manager Fred Wilson stood by his tenure at the city of San Bernardino following allegations that, for more than a decade, administrators there presented falsified records to hide budget problems. "I think the allegations are really baseless, and I'm confident that my record will stand," he said in a phone interview last week. Wilson worked for San Bernardino for 21 years, 12 as city manager. He left in 2008 to take the top administrative post in Huntington Beach.

City Council members did not discuss plans to replace Huntington Beach’s city administrator at their meeting this week, but are expected to do so later this month. City Administrator Penny Culbreth-Graft said Friday she had just accepted a job offer as city manager of Colorado Springs, Colo. She was one of three finalists for the position, including the city’s interim city manager. Culbreth-Graft must give 60 days notice to leave, making her last day of work Jan. 2. Her new job begins Jan. 7. City Council members have said they knew for quite some time that she was looking to move on. Culbreth-Graft’s move to the bigger city isn’t for a bigger salary, which will actually drop $16,000 to $210,000 a year in the new position.

City Atty. Jennifer McGrath said the City Council has no authority to outsource her office, and even if it could, contracting with outside counsel would end up costing the city at least $1 million more each year. McGrath issued an analysis and an opinion last week after the city compiled a list of firms that offered to take on the city attorney's office work. She also urged the council to hold a meeting to address and clarify the direction it wants for the city. The majority of the council voted in July to issue what's called a request for qualification from outside firms after Mayor Don Hansen said the city should entertain cost-saving measures.

Dave Brooks Two cups of hot chocolate in Surf City have cost one Northern California town nearly $50,000. That's how much officials from the city of Morgan Hill have spent trying to uncover who was spying on their city manager while he was attending a February conference in Huntington Beach. Morgan Hill city officials in August wrapped up a six-month investigation that uncovered an espionage drama that plays out more like the Pink Panther than 007. A key piece of evidence in the case, the investigation report says, rests on two cups of hot chocolate that were mysteriously found in Morgan Hill City Manager Edward Tewes' room while he was staying at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa during a League of Cities conference in February.

The Huntington Beach City Council held a strategic planning session Friday at the Central Library to address the city's current financial standing and future goals. The city is expected to maintain the status quo for the 2011-12 budget. There will be no service enhancement, and vacant positions will remain frozen unless otherwise approved by the city manager, according to a city staff report. The city, however, is expecting slim improvements in its revenue because of hints of improvement in the economy, the report stated.

Disputes between Huntington Beach and its employees over workers' compensation can now be resolved through independent medical examiners rather than by the state. The City Council on Monday voted to enter into an alternative form of dispute resolution, which lets police officers and firefighters in the middle of disputes with the city to opt out of the state compensation program's medical review process. The agreement allows independent medical examiners to review the case and make a decision that the city and the employee would have to accept, said Human Resources Director Michele Carr.

Huntington Beach has created an easy-to-read list of top city officials' salaries online, including benefits and two forgivable loans given to the city administrator and police chief for housing costs to move to Huntington Beach. The city has long posted city officials' base salaries online, but after a Los Angeles Times investigation revealed top city officials in Bell were making exorbitant salaries, including nearly $800,000 a year for the city manager , Surf City, along with others, has made the information easier to access than ever, said Laurie Payne, city spokeswoman.

Huntington Beach’s top managerial official has just accepted a new job. City Administrator Penny Culbreth-Graft said Friday she had just accepted a job offer as city manager of Colorado Springs. She was one of three finalists for the position, including the city’s interim city manager. Culbreth-Graft must give 60 days notice to leave, making her last day of work Jan. 2. Her new job begins Jan. 7. Council members have said they knew for quite some time that she was looking to move on. Culbreth-Graft has said she was looking for a new job for some personal family reasons as well as because she felt she had accomplished her major goals in Huntington Beach.

The Huntington Beach City Council on Tuesday voted to enter into an agreement with Pacific Shoreline Marathon, LLC to help expand the annual Huntington Beach Distance Derby into a premier Southern California running event, according to a city staff report. The city is looking to open the derby for more runners this year and change the venue from Beach Service Road to Pacific Coast Highway, the report said. PCH is expected to accommodate a minimum of 3,600 runners. Pacific Shoreline Marathon, which owns the Surf City Marathon, will promote the event and help expand it for the city.

Huntington Beach City Council members voted unanimously to hire the city manager of San Bernardino as their new city administrator. Without discussing the matter at their meeting, council members voted 7-0 Tuesday to hire Fred Wilson, 49, as the city’s top administrative official. He will replace Interim City Administrator Paul Emery on Sept. 22. Huntington Beach’s top pick for city administrator, still working as city manager in San Bernardino, faced accusations online and in print this week about his behavior in the wake of a scandal in the Inland Empire city.

Fountain Valley's slogan is "A Nice Place to Live," and Cheryl Brothers agrees. After living here for 37 years, though, she can tell when it's in need of improvement. She sees shopping centers needing upgrades and suffering vacancies. She thinks the city needs to work on embracing its multicultural population, be being more inclusive, reach out and make sure different groups are welcomed. Brothers, who served two terms on the Fountain Valley City Council from 2002 to 2010 and as mayor in 2006, is running again after a reelection loss two years ago. She said she was disappointed by losing but has been encouraged to run again by many people, including John Moorlach, chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

City Atty. Jennifer McGrath said the City Council has no authority to outsource her office, and even if it could, contracting with outside counsel would end up costing the city at least $1 million more each year. McGrath issued an analysis and an opinion last week after the city compiled a list of firms that offered to take on the city attorney's office work. She also urged the council to hold a meeting to address and clarify the direction it wants for the city. The majority of the council voted in July to issue what's called a request for qualification from outside firms after Mayor Don Hansen said the city should entertain cost-saving measures.

Huntington Beach City Manager Fred Wilson stood by his tenure at the city of San Bernardino following allegations that, for more than a decade, administrators there presented falsified records to hide budget problems. "I think the allegations are really baseless, and I'm confident that my record will stand," he said in a phone interview last week. Wilson worked for San Bernardino for 21 years, 12 as city manager. He left in 2008 to take the top administrative post in Huntington Beach.

After opting to keep its own Fire Department intact, the loss of redevelopment funds has led Fountain Valley to reconsider sharing fire services with neighboring Huntington Beach. The potential loss of up to $1.4 million in redevelopment funds from the general budget is forcing Fountain Valley to reexamine its options of sharing services, said Fountain Valley City Manager Ray Kromer. "With us losing redevelopment money, we're just kind of making sure we're reexamining everything," he said.

The Huntington Beach home of Robert Rizzo, the embattled former manager of the city of Bell, is no longer for sale. The house at 1935 Lake St. dropped from the Multiple Listing Service on Tuesday, according to Torelli Realty in Costa Mesa. Bill Cuppy, Rizzo's listing agent, confirmed that the house was withdrawn from the market, but would not say why or whether Rizzo had changed his mind. The house was staged for the sale. "If the status changes, the Multiple Listing Service will reflect that," he said.

Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach may soon share a fire chief. Huntington Beach City Manager Fred Wilson said he's had preliminary discussions with his counterpart in Fountain Valley about giving Huntington's fire chief, Patrick McIntosh, the task of managing both departments. Fountain Valley Fire Chief Bill Walker left recently to serve in Alhambra. Former Laguna Beach Fire Chief Mike Macey replaced Walker in the interim. "It will be a challenge for our fire chief to manage both organizations," Wilson said.

Disputes between Huntington Beach and its employees over workers' compensation can now be resolved through independent medical examiners rather than by the state. The City Council on Monday voted to enter into an alternative form of dispute resolution, which lets police officers and firefighters in the middle of disputes with the city to opt out of the state compensation program's medical review process. The agreement allows independent medical examiners to review the case and make a decision that the city and the employee would have to accept, said Human Resources Director Michele Carr.

The Huntington Beach City Council on Tuesday voted to enter into an agreement with Pacific Shoreline Marathon, LLC to help expand the annual Huntington Beach Distance Derby into a premier Southern California running event, according to a city staff report. The city is looking to open the derby for more runners this year and change the venue from Beach Service Road to Pacific Coast Highway, the report said. PCH is expected to accommodate a minimum of 3,600 runners. Pacific Shoreline Marathon, which owns the Surf City Marathon, will promote the event and help expand it for the city.

Independent photographer Scott Smeltzer has been named a finalist in the California Newspaper Publishers Assn.'s Better Newspapers Contest for his photo of ex-Bell City Manager Robert Rizzo being arrested at his home in Huntington Beach. Smeltzer captured the image Sept. 21 as Rizzo, who is charged with misappropriating $5.5 million in city funds from Bell, was led away from his Surf City home by police. The association named Smeltzer's image a finalist in the Breaking News Photo category, meaning it will place either first or second when the winners are announced April 16. Smeltzer, a photographer for Times Community News since 2009, previously worked for the Press-Telegram in Long Beach and the Daily Press in Victorville.