In interviews with current and former staffers and reviews of district records, court documents and audio recordings, The Times found a pattern of complaints alleging harassment and bullying of women at the Metropolitan Water District.
Fullerton Settles Lawsuit with Bloggers Who Accessed Private Documents
The City of Fullerton ended a longstanding lawsuit May 12 against a local blog and two of its contributors.
The case dates back to 2019 when Joshua Ferguson and David Curlee of Friends for Fullerton’s Future blog reportedly posted confidential documents that showed the city engaging in questionable conduct.
In response, the city issued a cease-and-desist letter to have the documents taken down, and when the orders weren’t followed, the city sued to have all documents returned to city hall. It also obtained a restraining order to prevent more documents from being publicly posted, although it was overturned shortly after.
Orange County City Looks to Recoup Lost Revenue Through Cannabis Sales
Costa Mesa is moving forward with its cannabis retail plans as it tries to offset revenue lost amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
During a Feb. 23 special study session, city council will discuss a staffing plan for implementing Costa Mesa’s retail cannabis tax. The move comes after voters last November passed a ballot measure that will allow the city to permit storefront sales of the drug.
Measure Q is Costa Mesa’s retail cannabis tax and regulation measure. It allows for recreational cannabis dispensaries and deliveries to operate within the guidelines adopted by city council.
Fullerton Council Postpones Retail Cannabis Discussion
Retail cannabis is coming to Fullerton, California, but the timeline has become increasingly unclear.
Certain details about the ordinance, which officially went into effect on Dec. 17, were scheduled for discussion at the Jan. 19 Fullerton City Council meeting. However, the council narrowly voted to reschedule the conversation for Feb. 16.
Mayor Pro Tem Nick Dunlap raised the issue of postponing the item so city officials could have “a more robust discussion” regarding fees, applications, and amendments to the approved ordinance.
“This is something that the community has expressed a lot of concern with,” Dunlap said at the meeting. “They’re going to want to come in and … make comments. And I think we have the time to wait and do this the right way.”
Fullerton Will Not Join Sheriff Barnes’ Opposition to COVID-19 Inmate Release/Transfer Order
Fullerton City Council voted 3-2 at a special meeting on December 21 to not join an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief in support of OC Sheriff Barnes’s opposition to releasing or transferring jail inmates. Barnes is fighting a recent a court order requiring a 50% reduction of the inmate population in group living areas because of spiking inmate COVID-19 cases due to the vulnerability of inmates living in congregate settings.
This court order was prompted by both recommendations from the OC Health Care Agency and a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of Orange County inmates, alleging that inmates should be released because they are medically vulnerable and at imminent risk of serious illness and death from COVID-19.