Yorba Linda Still Split Over Simonian

Yorba Linda’s City Council deadlocked again this week on whether to fire Arthur C. Simonian, all but assuring that the longtime city manager will keep his job at least into the fall.

The council ousted Simonian in September, but an Orange County Superior Court judge reinstated him, ruling that he was fired improperly. Since then, the four-person council has been bitterly divided over that and a number of other issues.

Tuesday night’s meeting was the last before the March election, when a council vacancy will be filled and the 2-2 deadlock broken. According to Yorba Linda code, a city manager cannot be fired within four months of a council election. Simonian’s contract requires a 90-day notice of termination, which means that he could not be fired before October.

Councilman Mark Schwing, a Simonian supporter, proposed trying to resolve the situation before the election. “If the matter is settled, everything goes away and things are going to happen faster,” he said. “Some lawsuits may be dropped as part of the agreement, and we won’t have to worry about a four-month delay and 90-day notice.”

His motion failed.

The city has sued Simonian, who is on paid leave, to recover as much as $300,000 in bonuses that Simonian is accused of paying himself without authorization. Simonian, who denies any wrongdoing, sued the city to get his job back and filed an invasion-of-privacy lawsuit against Mayor John M. Gullixson.

The council also failed to agree on whether to release documents pertaining to the city’s investigation of Simonian, some of which Gullixson made public in December, prompting Simonian’s suit against him.

Yorba Linda voters will elect a fifth council member March 7 to fill the seat vacated by Gene Wisner, who resigned in September. Seven people are running for the office.