Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Closed Session topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Manhattan Beach council reports 5-0 direction to city attorney after closed session on firefighters and litigation
Summary
After approving its agenda, the Manhattan Beach City Council recessed into closed session Feb. 23 to discuss firefighter labor negotiations and an existing litigation matter. The council later reported it voted 5-0 to give direction to the city attorney; no further public details were announced.
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. — The Manhattan Beach City Council met on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, and recessed into closed session to discuss firefighterslabor negotiations and an existing litigation matter. The city attorney later reported the council voted 5-0 to give direction to the city attorney on the litigation matter; the council did not disclose further particulars in open session.
The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and a roll call that established a quorum. A motion to approve the agenda was made and seconded; the transcript records inconsistent statements about that motion (it is first described as having "failed" and later recorded as passing with a five-vote result). After confirming there were no public commenters in the chambers or online, the council entered closed session under state law.
Mr. City Attorney announced two items would be discussed in closed session: a conference with labor negotiators regarding the firefighters association under government code section 54957.6, and a matter of existing litigation referenced in the transcript as government code section 54956.9 (the record also names the case State of California v. Douglas Cameron Aziz). "Tonight, we have two separate matters pursuant to government code section 54957.6," the city attorney stated when announcing the items.
After the closed session recess, the council returned to open session. The city attorney reported that "with respect to item FB, the piece of existing litigation by a 5 to zero vote, the city council gave direction to the city attorney." The report did not identify the substance of the direction or any instructions about settlement, litigation strategy, or related action.
Mayor Leser announced the meetingadjournment and said the council would hold a work plan meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at 6 p.m. in the city council chambers. The council did not take any further public votes or make additional disclosures in the open meeting record.
Because state law restricts public reporting on the substance of many closed-session deliberations, the council's statement that it "gave direction to the city attorney" is the only public outcome recorded in the meeting transcript for the litigation item; the transcript does not record additional votes or details about the labor-negotiation discussions.
