San Bernardino blames Kimberly Calvin for council leaks in new report – San Bernardino Sun

Kimberly Calvin listens to a staff report at the San Bernardino City Council meeting on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (Photo by David Allen, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

A newly released report blames San Bernardino City Council member Kimberly Calvin for leaks in the recruiting process for city managers.

The city released the previously commissioned report on Tuesday evening, April 16, ahead of a meeting this evening where the council is expected to discuss whether to censure Calvin.

“The amount of credible evidence uncovered during the investigation suggests that Calvin intentionally disclosed information in private meetings to numerous individuals with whom she is known to have contact in public and at work,” it said in a summary of the 18-page document The report reads, in part.

According to the report prepared by Laguna Niguel-based JL Group LLC, “predominantly credible evidence overwhelmingly points to Calvin as the originator of the insider leaks,” particularly related to San Bernardino's search for a new city manager in late 2023.

Calvin declined to comment on the report Wednesday afternoon, noting she would comment at a later date.

A former candidate for city manager, Steve Carrigan, is laying the groundwork for legal action against San Bernardino by claiming that city officials passed his participation in the hiring process on to his former employer, costing him his job.

The newly released report sheds more light on the council's decision to discuss whether to censure Calvin. A previous report noted that the discussion was sparked by Calvin's “alleged misconduct involving violations of policies, laws and fiduciary duties,” but did not go into specifics.

The council is expected to consider the matter at its meeting on Wednesday at 5 p.m. A censure is a public reprimand that does not involve a fine or suspension.

According to the report released Tuesday, the problems began when the city began looking for someone to replace former city manager Rob Field, who resigned in January 2023.

According to the report, the City Council interviewed four candidates via Zoom in August.

“However, some council members expressed concerns that (one candidate) appeared to be 'coached' prior to his second interview as he brought up previously mentioned deficiencies that were only discussed in a closed session,” the report reads in part.

Despite these concerns, this candidate emerged as the council favorite by a vote of 5-3.

But “Councilman (Ben) Reynoso sensed sabotage when a list of 'demands' presented by (a second candidate), including a surprisingly large financial figure, caused concern even among his supporters,” the report reads in part.

The council made job offers to two finalists, with one candidate receiving a higher contract offer.

However, the candidate who received the higher offer withdrew, citing a leak regarding his candidacy for the position, although that claim could not be substantiated, according to the report.

“Councilmember Calvin informed the (council) that she had spoken to (the top candidate) and attributed his withdrawal to (external communications), which indicated a possible leak,” the report said. “She, along with Councilman (Damon) Alexander, advocated for an investigation even though this particular leak could not be verified.”

The other candidate — apparently former Salinas City Manager Steve Carrigan — was enthusiastic about his job offer and the council voted 5-3 to move forward with him instead, with Calvin, Alexander and Reynoso dissenting, according to the report.

That's when Calvin's “protégés” in the community began sharing private information on social media platforms and with news outlets, the report said.

According to the report, Calvin's alleged decision to use surrogates may have been due to their “involvement in another investigation,” possibly the one that led to a human resources investigation that the city made public in December. That report examined allegations that she violated city rules and created an “unpleasant” work environment at San Bernardino City Hall.

According to the investigation, an Aug. 25 article in another news outlet was “part of an organized effort to prevent the election of (Carrigan)” as city manager.

The report also linked Treasure Ortiz, a candidate for the 7th District seat in the November election, to this “organized effort,” noting that she said in an unnamed podcast on Aug. 27 that she could “confirm ” that Carrigan was the candidate for city manager. The majority of the board voted in favor, but “there was a far better candidate who was ousted.”

Someone using a pseudonym – who the report claims without explanation is a San Bernardino resident – sent “a demeaning email” to the city of Salinas, Carrigan's employer at the time, revealing him as a candidate for the position of city manager in San Bernardino. Someone using the same pseudonym then allegedly posted in a Facebook group “moderated by three people associated with Kim Calvin.” “Most notable is witness (Schatz) Ortiz,” the report says, urging San Bernardino residents to attend the Aug. 28 closed council meeting to demand action after the “most qualified candidate was sabotaged.” .

That's exactly what happened – at both the August 28th meeting and again at the September 6th meeting, residents spoke out against the city manager selection process.

Carrigan withdrew his name from consideration in late September. But the Salinas City Council fired him anyway. In November, he filed a lawsuit against the city — traditionally the first step in a process that could lead to a lawsuit — alleging that leaks from San Bernardino City Council members cost him both the job in Salinas and another in Pacific Grove would have cost. He is seeking $2.2 million in damages.

Ortiz led the field for the Ward 7 City Council seat in the March 5 primary election and will face former city attorney Jim Penman in a runoff election this November.

At a candidate forum on February 7 attended by Calvin and Ortiz, according to the city's investigation, Calvin discussed staff meetings held during the closed session that were held under California's public meetings law, the Ralph M. Brown Act. should remain confidential.

“I have asked that we take a step back and reassess at least four times, in closed session and in front of the public,” Calvin is quoted as saying in the report.

She and Ortiz reportedly discussed the first candidate for city manager who dropped out, the report states in part.

“He was sabotaged. They went to his workplace and told him he was an applicant,” Ortiz is quoted as saying in the report. “He wasn’t even told he would be a candidate.”

On Wednesday afternoon, Ortiz denied the allegations made in the report.

“As I told the city investigator I met with in (December 2023), Councilwoman Calvin never disclosed information about closed meetings to me; which was conveniently left out of the “select declassified portion” of this investigation,” Ortiz wrote in an email.

Ortiz wrote that she was “astonished to see that the city falsified its report and set false timelines to lie to the community and implicate me and to ensure that my name was the only one known publicly.” is given.”

At its April 10 meeting, the San Bernardino City Council voted to refer the leak to the district attorney's office and the civil grand jury.

Calvin's time on the council is almost over. She did not collect enough signatures in time to appear on the March 5 ballot and ran as a write-in candidate. She, like Reynoso and Alexander, lost in the 5th and 7th districts, respectively.