New Oxnard Clerk Comes Under Fire : City Hall: Daniel Martinez is criticized for not submitting council minutes. He says it takes time to learn the job.

New Oxnard City Clerk Daniel Martinez, who has criticized the performances of other political figures in the city, has come under fire himself for failing to submit any minutes of City Council meetings since he took office last November.

Keni Hays, a chairman of the Wilson Neighborhood Council, said he questions whether Martinez has been doing his job and has called on the City Council to look into the matter.

“The clerk’s basic job is to produce the minutes,” Hays said. “What bothers me is he has not been able to do that since he has been there.

“I’ve never had this problem in 20 years. You may not get the minutes every week but they are not two months behind.”

But Martinez, who ousted longtime City Clerk Mabi Covarrubias Plisky during a bitter election, said Friday that it has taken him time to learn the job.

“I’ve only been here two months and I’m getting up to speed,” Martinez said. “You can’t know everything right away. There’s a transition period here.”

Besides, he said, there were times when Plisky was also two months late with the council minutes. He said he hopes to produce the documents within the next two weeks.

“I’m not too far off from where (Plisky) was at,” Martinez said. “And I’m new.”

Plisky could not be reached for comment.

Hays, a Plisky supporter, accused Martinez of misleading voters by claiming during the campaign that he had the experience to perform the work.

“This gentleman came before the citizens and presented himself as a man who was qualified,” Hays said.

“You don’t go to work at St. John’s Hospital and tell them you’re a doctor and then expect to learn while you’re on the operating table. It really does bother me.”

Hays, who serves as the chairman of the homeowners’ group, said he depends on the council minutes to keep him informed.

“The minutes are important to me because I can’t go to every City Council meeting,” he said. “Maybe we will get them next Christmas as a Christmas package.”

Previously, Martinez was the one launching the attacks.

During the race, he took issue with the fact that Plisky is married to City Councilman Michael Plisky, saying there was “at least the appearance” of a conflict of interest.

Once elected, Martinez said he would refuse to accept about $2,600 in perks each year--a move that departed from the position of other top Oxnard officials. He also was critical of the city’s decision to hire Mabi Plisky to head the Police Department’s crime-prevention unit. Plisky was later removed from the position amid controversy.

“They say what goes around usually comes around,” Michael Plisky said Friday. “That’s maybe what he’s going to find out.”

Councilman Plisky said the council will take into consideration the problems with the minutes when it sets Martinez’s salary--normally about $50,000 annually--in two weeks.

“We certainly don’t want to pay for something we are not getting,” he said.

But longtime city resident Oscar Karrin, who attends the council meetings, defended Martinez.

“The man is new on the job,” Karrin said. “He’s doing it slowly and I can understand why. He is feeling his way.”