Something Fishy in Fullerton
On last Tuesday’s City Council closed session agenda, an item popped up that surely bears close examination.
This is about an appeal regarding a decision involving “post retirement employment.” That means it involves CalPERS the massive pension program for public employees in California. Obviously CalPERS came down on these four individuals listed for violating terms of retirement, terms meant to make retirement a serious decision. I’m moderately familiar with the rules. The basic ones are that if you are officially retired you can’t go back to work for any CalPERS agency for more than 960 hours a year, and you can’t take on the responsibilities of a full-time employee.
Friends may remember Jeff Collier, former City Manager of Whittier, who was the “Interim” City Manager after Steve Danley (an OCERS retiree and therefore eligible), for a while in 2021-22. Did Collier work more than 960 hours? Can an “Interim” qualify to get around CalPERS restrictions? I don’t know.
I don’t remember a Cindy Collins, but a do recall Gregory Pfost, retired head planner from Laguna Beach who washed up on Fullerton’s shore.
Finally, there’s Eddie Manfro, retired City Manager from dysfunctional Westminster who hired on a few years back as an HR consultant, I think, and became the de facto HR Director. He is now the Interim City Manager.
The one thing all these individuals have in common is that they were and are, well-aware of the limitations placed on CalPERS retirees, so whatever the violations are that are being appealed, should have been avoidable.
I would like to know how Fullerton got stuck with this embarrassment and who is paying the legal costs for the waiver process and the appeal. I get the feeling we are paying.
He did we get stuck with it? Someone hired them and didn’t pay attention to the CalPERS violations, it would seem. I think we really need a directly elected mayor at this point so we can actually hold someone accountable for expensive messes like this one promises to be.
Good question.
A directly elected mayor will offer no added accountability whatsoever. Don’t believe me, look at Anaheim.
Sadly true.
Stealing this from the Fullerton Observer and Fullerton Transparency then marketing it as your own discovery is so on brand for this blog
The Fullerton Observer doesn’t have anything worth stealing.
What about Sanka’s paperclip jewelry or her used protest signs?
Fullerton Transparency? What is that? Please link to the website.
There is no such thing. It’s a figment of young Elijah’s febrile noggin.
He back wrong horse.
The regulations also require the position to be actively being recruited for while the interim is in the seat. No attempt has been made to initiate a new recruitment for city manager since the hapless and ever squishy Eric Leavitt decamped for that toilet bowl in San Berdoo. Not only is the city on the hook for penalties and fines so are the interim appointees as well. Their pensions could actually get pinched for this. As a former city manager and HR guy Mangro should have known better. But then again he came from that shithole Westminster so what the fuck does he know anyway? If any of the former or current interim jokers get their pensions pinched you can be sure they’ll be looking to the city to cover the loss.
Screw you, bub. I’m not waking up Dick Jones. He has a smile on his face.
Interesting that Manfro was CM of Westminster at same time (around 2016) as last CalPers problem with its city attorney Dick Jones trying for pension from that city – though he wasn’t an employee.
I don’t understand how these “retired” high-level municipal executive types weren’t intimately familiar with the rules. Maybe they are so regularly broken that nobody thought there would be pushback from CalPERS.
The smart ones do. The jackasses and imbeciles Fullerton always seems to attract don’t.
I don’t think jackassery or imbecility is an excuse. Even the lowliest retirees are told the rules.
I wonder how Zahra & Co. will try to frame this as the fault of the “council majority.”
Just a guess, but sounds like these “employees” were technically following the rules but actually weren’t. Wonder who blew the whistle.
Good question I suspect CalPERS auditors, but you never know. If not that then my money would be on “Dr.” Zahra who will spend the next 12 months trying to scuttle the whole ship.
The Kennedy sisters are already turning this into “if only “they” hadn’t fired the incredibly wonderful Ken Domer. That started all the subsequent chaos! Jung, Dunlap, and Whitaker!
Cindy Collins was pretending to be the Parks and Rec Director for a short time. During that time Alice Loya and Daisy Perez handled the park directing while Cindy did the confused looks and head scratching.
Couldn’t tell you why she had to be there at all, so it’s extra crappy the city would get fined for it now.
Alice Loya was responsible for the cargo ship of lies that started the trail to Nowhere fiasco. In 10 months Charles is going to regret that waste of 2.5 million bucks.
That was me.
Charles “regretting” something would require wisdom and shame, which she has little of either. I predict she doubles down and says it is a community treasure. She is just that stupid.
A treasure. If only we had spent more it would have worked.
Manfro came from Westminster. Wasn’t Dick Jones City Attorney there? Hmm.
We need a policy of NOT hiring these “retirees”. They only stay around long enough to fuck things up.
Domer was a worthless piece of crap.
We are well rid of him. Sounds like half of city hall needs to go too.
Banjo Boy was brought in to grease Fitzgerald’s skids.
I wonder what that stuck pig is up to now?
Something dishonest, no doubt.
Source: Facebook https://share.google/xDYzMt9OU5Ibai8nF
Argyle. Completely soulless. A perfect destination for the greedy Mayor-for-Hire.
You can bet every single one of these CalPERS retirees were aware of the rules. Even low-level employees with CalPERS retirements know about the 980 rule. The bigger question is who knowingly allowed this to happen, because someone high up knew. Certainly the former CM from Westminster/Interim HR guy knew.
980 employees are a smart way to go….as long as you stick to 980 hours.
Don’t ask the City Attorney to give an unbiased opinion on pension issues;
https://voiceofoc.org/2015/12/dick-jones-sweet-deal-in-westminster/
Yeah. City Manager? Eddie Manfro.