Westminster council appoints Scott Porter city attorney after closed-session discussion

The Westminster City Council voted 5–0 on Feb. 26 to appoint Scott Porter as the city attorney following a closed-session discussion on a public-employee appointment.

The action came after oral communications before the closed session in which resident Terry Raines urged the council to open the selection to competitive proposals and to avoid appointing attorneys from the Jones & Mayer firm. Raines said the council had earlier voted to issue a request for proposals and asked for a public forum for finalist candidates so residents could weigh in. “When we have bad legal representation, everyone is harmed,” Raines told the council.

City Clerk read the closed-session item into the record as “public employee appointment pursuant to Government Code section 54957(b)(1), title City Attorney.” The city recessed for a closed session and reconvened later in the evening. City Manager reported out that, on a motion by Council Member Mark Nguyen, seconded by Council Member Fan West, the council appointed Scott Porter by a 5–0 vote.

The council did not discuss the terms of Porter’s appointment in open session. Raines had also told the council he had found invoices the city attorney’s previous firm sent to Jones & Mayer that, in his view, suggested an improper selection process. Those assertions were made during public comment and were not resolved in the open meeting record.

The council’s vote followed instructions read into the record and the closed-session authority cited under the California Government Code. The city manager provided the formal report of the closed-session outcome when the council returned to open session.

The appointment is effective immediately as reported; the council did not state additional implementation steps or an effective date in open session.

Ending: The council adjourned the meeting after reporting the closed-session appointment. The next regular meeting is scheduled for March 12, 2025, at 6 p.m.