Yorba Linda Mayor Urges the Recall of Two Councilmen

Yorba Linda’s ongoing political brawl turned even uglier Wednesday when the mayor demanded the recall of two City Council members he said are pushing the city toward financial ruin.

Mayor John M. Gullixson accused councilmen Henry W. Wedaa and Mark Schwing of holding the city hostage after they succeeded in temporarily halting payments from the city till.

“They are both guilty of obstruction of justice and malfeasance in office,” Gullixson said Wednesday.

The spending freeze will cause no great hardships in the short term, but if it lasts beyond the two weeks until the next council meeting, the implications are more dire, said Daniel Miller, interim city manager. City employees will continue to be paid, he said, but utility bills, expense reimbursements and contractors’ costs will have to wait.

The action by Wedaa and Schwing is the latest development in a long-running feud over the firing of City Manager Arthur C. Simonian, who was dismissed after an investigation found that he had awarded himself bonuses and other perks without the council’s approval.

Wedaa and Schwing contend that the inquiry, led by Gullixson and supported by Councilwoman Barbara Kiley, was biased and motivated by a political vendetta against Simonian. They achieved the spending freeze by voting at Tuesday night’s council meeting not to pay $52,393 owed to the law firm hired to investigate Simonian. When that failed on a 2-2 vote, Wedaa and Schwing then refused to endorse a routine spending measure to pay bills, an issue that is on the agenda at every regular council meeting.

“The net result is we had $546,442.76 worth of warrants not paid,” Gullixson said Wednesday. “The public needs to recall them both.”

The council has been at an impasse since Sept. 8, when Councilman Gene Wisner resigned because he was moving to Michigan. At his final council meeting, he cast the crucial vote in the 3-2 decision to fire Simonian.

The conflict has grown increasingly acrimonious. A month ago, signs were posted near City Hall calling for the recall of Gullixson and Kiley. No one has claimed responsibility for those posters.

Wedaa, who has called the mayor a “school-yard bully,” said Tuesday night’s action was justified because the City Council has changed since it voted in August to hire law firm Parker, Covert & Chidester of Tustin as special counsel in the Simonian investigation.

“This council did not authorize those services,” Wedaa said.

Schwing would not elaborate Wednesday on his reasons for his vote on the spending issue except to say that he is not trying to block the city from conducting business.

As for Gullixson’s support for a recall vote, Schwing had a one-word response: “Balderdash.”

The feud and Wisner’s departure do not relieve the city of its obligation to pay its bills, said Dan Slater, assistant city attorney. That includes legal fees involved in the Simonian investigation, he said: “It’s a binding contract.”

The law firm also is defending the city in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by Simonian, who denies wrongdoing and says the City Council approved his compensation.

The stalemate could have other repercussions, interim city manager Miller said. The city’s bond rating could suffer, which could affect $21 million approved to build a championship golf course.