Carlsbad City Council moves into closed session to consider potential litigation and city manager review

The Carlsbad City Council directed the city attorney to take the council into closed session to consider two potential litigation matters, to conduct the public employee performance evaluation of the city manager, and, time permitting, to confer with labor negotiators.

All five council members were reported present during the roll call. A meeting official then asked whether there were any public speakers and stated there were none. The same official then asked the city attorney to begin the closed-session portion of the meeting.

The city attorney told the council the agenda included three closed-session items: two items to consider whether to initiate litigation authorized by California Government Code section 54956.9; a public employee performance evaluation, with “the title of the employee being evaluated is city manager,” authorized by section 54957; and, time permitting, a conference with labor negotiators under section 54957.6. The attorney said the city’s representatives for labor negotiations would be Mayor Keith Blackburn and Council member Carolyn Luna, and that outside counsel Lisonbee Alpert of Best Best & Krieger would assist the council in the closed session.

The transcript does not record a formal motion, second, or a roll-call vote to enter closed session; it records the council member roll call earlier in the meeting and the city attorney’s description of the closed-session topics. The public record in the transcript ends after the attorney outlined the items. No public comments were heard before the closed session.

Next steps: the record provided ends with the announcement and the city attorney’s outline of the closed-session items; the transcript does not record any outcomes or decisions taken in closed session.