Two Jobs at the Same Time Work Against Legal Aide

An administrator in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles who may have secretly worked two full-time jobs--one with the court and another with the Huntington Beach city attorney’s office--has resigned from his Orange County position and is the subject of a police investigation there.

Huntington Beach City Administrator Paul Cook said Walter F. Burk, a 15-year city employee who had spent the last four or five years as an analyst in the 16-member city attorney’s office, quit March 31 after being confronted with information that he was working dual day jobs. Cook said he immediately requested a police investigation.

In Los Angeles, Burk was chief deputy to the district court administrator, earning an annual salary of $43,452, his supervisor said. In Huntington Beach, Burk earned about $40,000 a year compiling city attorney’s office budgets and paying bills.

Assistant Huntington Beach City Atty. William S. Amsbary said Burk told “heart-wrenching stories” about his “86-year-old mother dying and other personal tragedies.” He said Burk never mentioned his second full-time job in Los Angeles.

Burk worked in federal court weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., said his boss, George Ryker, court executive for the Central District. However, he said, “there were four rather lengthy periods where I granted him leave without pay . . . based on the alleged illness of his mother and her alleged subsequent death.”

Ryker said that between Oct. 19--Burk’s first day on that job--and April 1, he allowed Burk to take off 34 days--nearly seven weeks--without pay.

During the same period, Burk was absent from his Huntington Beach job 40% of the time, a city source said. Burk, 49, was absent six days for which he received sick pay, 19 1/2 days for which he received vacation pay and 27 days for which he was absent without pay, the source said.

Although he is still on the federal payroll, Burk has not shown up at work since April 1, Ryker said. He said Burk is “under a doctor’s care” and could not be reached for comment.

Burk lives in La Crescenta, near Glendale.

Huntington Beach City Atty. Gail C. Hutton was said to be on vacation and could not be reached for comment.