Activist Says Councilman Broke Rules

The city attorney is looking into charges by a community activist that Councilman Dave Garofalo violated conflict-of-interest rules by accepting an advertisement from the city’s police union in the local newspaper he publishes.

Sally Graham, a member of the Bolsa Chica Land Trust, has asked city officials to determine whether Garofalo should be disqualified from city contract talks with the police union. Graham also indicated she intends to file a complaint with the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission.

Garofalo said the accusation is retaliation for his Aug. 5 vote to consider providing city water to the Koll Co. for the hotly contested Bolsa Chica residential development.

“This is all politically motivated,” Garofalo said.

The council rejected a staff proposal to begin negotiations with the Koll Real Estate Group, but directed the city administrator to “develop a process” for possible negotiations. Opponents of the planned Bolsa Chica development say the city should refuse to supply water to the project’s planned 3,300 homes.

Councilman Tom Harman, who voted against considering negotiations with the Koll Co. for city water, said the conflict-of-interest accusations should be investigated.

“I would like to have an answer too,” Harman said at Monday night’s council meeting. “If it is a conflict, I would be very concerned, because that could potentially disrupt the actions that the council takes.”

The full-page advertisement in question ran in the June 6 edition of Garofalo’s weekly newspaper, the Local News. The police union ad was headlined, “Huntington Beach City Council reduces police protection.”

Garofalo said he will not bill the association for the $500 cost of the ad unless it is cleared by the political practices commission.