P.V. Estates City Manager Is Fired Without Warning

The Palos Verdes Estates City Council abruptly fired City Manager Gordon Siebert on Thursday, a week before his contract was due to expire. The council gave no reason for the decision, which was made at closed council personnel sessions before and after a morning budget meeting. Siebert, 38, who came to the city on July 1, 1985, was paid $63,000 a year.

The council named Finance Director Bill Yeomans, 45, as temporary acting city manager. “That means I’ll keep the boat moving,” said Yeomans, who joined the city staff in January.

Mayor Ruth Gralow said the vote to fire Siebert was 4 to 1, with Councilman James R. Nyman dissenting. She would not comment on what prompted Siebert’s firing, but some City Hall staffers and a person who spoke to Siebert said the action surprised Siebert and the staff.

Some other council members declined comment. Councilman Raymond D. Mattingly said attorneys for the city had advised them not to discuss the situation. Nyman could not be reached.

Siebert was said to be in meetings and preparing to leave City Hall Thursday afternoon and could not be reached for comment.

The council said in a statement that it “is actively seeking both an interim and permanent city manager to fill the position as soon as possible.”

Gralow said Siebert has been on a year-to-year contract and that the current agreement expires at the end of June. She said Siebert will be paid a financial settlement but said the amount had not been clarified.

She said the council, at its meeting Tuesday, will publicly confirm “action taken in closed session.”

Prior to coming to Palos Verdes Estates, Siebert was public works director in neighboring Rancho Palos Verdes. He also administered PV Transit, a transportation service in three Palos Verdes Peninsula cities.