Costa Mesa to pay city administrator $170,225 in settlement

A Costa Mesa city administrator who was put on paid leave after a financially disastrous City Hall anniversary celebration will receive more than $170,000 in a settlement agreement.

Dan Joyce will receive $170,225 from the city to settle a lawsuit he filed alleging wrongful termination, according to a city attorney.

Joyce’s settlement agreement, a copy of which was obtained by the Daily Pilot, prohibits his future employment with the city and withdraws the appeal he had been pursuing after his May 16 termination.

Neither Joyce nor his attorney could be reached for comment.

After Costa Mesa’s three-day “60 & Fabulous” kickoff party in 2013, Joyce, the event’s lead organizer, was one of two employees placed on paid administrative leave. A city official later confirmed that the leaves were related to the anniversary party.

The second employee, Christine Cordon, an assistant recreation supervisor and special events coordinator, was reinstated.

Details surrounding Joyce’s and Cordon’s leaves have never been disclosed, with city officials citing the confidentiality of personnel matters.

Joyce, 50, began his city hall employment as an interim employee in early 2011 and was made full-time later that year, earning an annual salary of about $136,000.

Costa Mesa’s 60th anniversary kickoff party went far over budget, costing about $518,000, compared with an initial $315,000 estimate for an entire year’s worth of festivities.

After an investigation, city officials blamed such things as poor cash control, escalating costs and violations of the city’s purchasing policies. Still, officials said that all the money connected to the event was accounted for.

“The multiple investigations have found no evidence to date that public funds were used for personal gain or were unaccounted [for],” the investigation’s executive summary reported.

Some 60th anniversary committee members, however, have repeatedly called for a more comprehensive audit of the event.

Earlier this year, city officials forwarded their investigation to the Orange County district attorney’s office.

bradley.zint@latimes.com