Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ethics And Legal topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public commenters urge council to reimburse Council Member Leslie Ruhl’s legal fees
Summary
Two public commenters urged Ojai City council to approve indemnification for Council Member Leslie Ruhl, arguing prior refusals to reimburse increased taxpayer costs and deterred council transparency. Commenters asked the council to waive privilege to allow public discussion of the underlying matters.
Two members of the public addressed the council before closed session to urge that the city reimburse Council Member Leslie Ruhl for legal defense costs related to prior proceedings.
"I'm speaking in support of Council Member Ruhl's request for reimbursement of her legal defense costs," said Susan Francina, noting she reviewed a June 27, 2023 open-session discussion in which some council members expressed concern about using taxpayer funds for Ruhl's legal fees. Francina said that failing to reimburse at the outset had increased costs and diverted staff and council time.
"I think she acted in good faith, within the scope of her duty as a city council member," Starchild said, urging indemnification and suggesting the council waive privilege so the public can discuss what transpired.
Public commenters asked the council to remove any barriers to speaking about the underlying matter and to consider that unreimbursed legal exposure could deter council members from transparency. No formal vote or action on indemnification was taken during the public-comment period recorded in the transcript; the council proceeded to closed session to consider the item.
The public record at this meeting did not include a staff recommendation or a council vote on indemnification. Commenters referenced prior public discussion and court records but did not provide the specific dollar amounts of Ruhl's legal expenses during the public-comment period.
