3 Newport Meter Minders Accused of Red-Flag Coffee Breaks at Cafe

Newport Beach City Manager Robert L. Wynn said Monday that three city workers may have violated city personnel rules by taking excessively long coffee breaks at a waterfront cafe instead of maintaining and emptying the city’s parking meters.

The three--Mike Small, Kevin Collins and Bill McCartney, who service the city’s 2,250 parking meters--have until Friday to respond to allegations that they spent two hours of their eight-hour shift at the cafe on eight of 10 workdays during one two-week period.

“We believe they abused their coffee break,” Wynn said. “Now, to what extent (they did so) is still in dispute. I’m not saying they’re guilty or not guilty, but we believe some wrongdoing on their part has occurred, and some disciplinary action has been proposed.”

Possible Punishments

Wynn would not say what action is being contemplated, but city Personnel Director Duane Munson said possible punishment could range from a written reprimand to firing.

McCartney, a 13-year city worker, said he and his fellow workers will not comment until the investigation is complete. “I hope you can understand that,” he said Monday when contacted by telephone at city offices.

Wynn said a preliminary investigation took place after the Orange County Register brought to the attention of city officials that the men, responsible for collecting about $1.5 million a year in city revenue, worked fewer hours than their time sheets indicated.

Under city regulations, workers are allowed to take one 15-minute break in the morning and one in the afternoon. But according to a Register article, the men were spotted taking breaks of more than an hour at the Coffee Peddler in Lido Marina Village.

An employee at the cafe in Newport Harbor said the workers are “nice, easygoing people” who often talk to other customers, but she said they did not spend that much time on breaks.

“It’s not as bad as it was reported,” said the woman, who asked not to be identified.

Based on a preliminary investigation, Wynn said the city notified the men that some action could be taken and that they have until Friday to respond.

Deserve Equal Time

But he also said they deserve equal time before disciplinary action is carried out.

The men are not contesting that they took breaks but are appealing “the extent of the abuse of the coffee breaks,” Wynn said.

The workers have appealed their case to Ben Nolan, the city’s public works director. Asked whether they are appealing their abuse of breaks or the proposed disciplinary action, Wynn said, “The latter.”

“We’re very concerned about the image of the city,” he said. “We also want to give the employees their right to give their side. We don’t want to underreact or overreact.”

Four of Newport Beach’s seven City Council members said they want eventually to hear from the workers and let the appeal process run its course.

Stan Peterson, the workers’ immediate supervisor, said Monday that the three do their jobs well and that he does not believe that they took breaks as lengthy as were reported.

‘Good at Their Jobs’

“They’re very good people, and they’re good at their jobs,” he said.

Peterson, who also maintains meters and makes collections, said the city’s parking-meter revenue has gone up annually, largely because the workers are efficient and repair meters promptly when they are broken.

“There is very little vandalism because meters are worked on every day,” he said.

Peterson made his own random check of business people near the Coffee Peddler and said he came up with no evidence that the workers took overlong breaks.

“I didn’t believe it, and I still don’t believe it,” he said.