Yousefian resigns

The ongoing saga of Councilman Bob Yousefian went through another chapter this week with his resignation from the Bob Hope Airport commission.

Yousefian, who went through a vote of no confidence from his colleagues the week before, would likely have been replaced on the commission by the end of the year.

He forestalled that action by telling his colleagues he was quitting his post on the three-city regulatory body immediately. He resigned as president of the commission the day before.

For good measure, he announced he was stepping down as chair of the Community Redevelopment Agency, and was declining an appointment to the board of the Southern California Association of Governments.

He said he took the action to insulate the airport and the commission “from the politics of the city.”

“You are not my customers,” he told his colleagues. “They are,” indicating the public members in the audience. “I will spend the next year and a half working for them.”

City attorney Scott Howard said the council can agendize the matter of selecting a new commissioner to take on the $200 a meeting post. It will be up to the Redevelopment Agency, made up of the council, to choose a new chair.

The council action came after incidents involving Yousefian and his decorum during meetings. No council members reacted to Yousefian’s action. Mayor Ara Najarian earlier in the meeting asked the city attorney to bring in a code of conduct for the council.