San Bernardino council authorizes initiation of receivership action after closed session

The San Bernardino mayor and city council voted unanimously in closed session to initiate a receivership action related to an agenda item city staff identified as Item B, the city attorney said.

City Attorney (reporting to the council) said the motion was made by Council Member Ortiz, seconded by Council Member Charette, and that the vote was unanimous. The attorney said the matter concerns a letter from Mandeville about invoices the city sent; he added that the “details and circumstances of that case will be available to the public once the case is actually filed.”

The action was taken during a closed session that began at 4:01 p.m.; the council later opened the meeting at 5:03 p.m. The city attorney described the closed-session item as “anticipate[d] litigation, significant exposure,” and identified the outcome as approval to initiate receivership proceedings. No further factual details about the potential receivership were provided at the meeting.

Because the action was taken in closed session and the attorney said a case must be filed before more information is public, the council did not release documents or supporting evidence at the meeting. The city attorney said he would provide the public record once the case is filed in court.

The council did not vote on any related ordinances or spending at the open meeting; the closed-session report was the only reportable action announced publicly by the city attorney.