HAWAIIAN GARDENS : Oliva’s Arrest Prompts Limits on City Car Usage

The City Council has moved to strip two top city employees of their taxpayer-furnished cars and has forbidden off-duty use of city vehicles by other staffers.

The council’s actions resulted from the Jan. 28 arrest of City Administrator Nelson Oliva in Victorville on drunk driving and cocaine-possession charges. Oliva was apparently driving his city car to Nevada at the time.

Oliva did not seek council approval for the trip. He is required under his employment contract to obtain council approval for all trips of more than 100 miles in the city car.

Both Oliva and Assistant City Administrator Leonard Chaidez are entitled to city cars under their employment contracts.

At a special closed-door meeting last week, Oliva agreed to turn in the city’s 1990 Ford LTD within 30 days and buy his own car. The council voted to provide him with a monthly car allowance but did not set an amount.

The council decided to renegotiate Chaidez’s contract to provide him with a car allowance instead of a car. Chaidez said he is not opposed to giving up his city car, a 1989 Chevrolet Caprice.

The council also ordered other employees to use city cars only when working. Some workers routinely use cars for commuting. The city has 38 police and civilian cars, vans, trucks, street sweepers and other vehicles.

“City cars should not be used for personal business at all,” said Councilman Domenic Ruggeri, who called for the crackdown.

Oliva, who was scheduled to be arraigned March 2 in Victorville Municipal Court, remains on the job.