Costa Mesa council recesses into closed session to discuss labor negotiations, pending litigation

The Costa Mesa City Council recessed into closed session on May 5 to discuss labor negotiations with multiple employee organizations and several pending or potential lawsuits, the clerk announced.

The meeting’s clerk read Items 1 through 4 as conferences with labor negotiators under California Government Code section 54957.6A and identified the agency-designated representative as Cecilia Gallardo. The clerk also listed the employee organizations named in the agenda: the City of Costa Mesa City Employees Association, the Costa Mesa Confidential Unit, the Costa Mesa Police Association and the Costa Mesa Police Management Associations.

Items 5 through 7 were listed as conferences with legal counsel concerning existing litigation under California Government Code section 54956.9D1. The agenda named three matters involving Ohio House, including actions in Orange County Superior Court (City of Costa Mesa v. Ohio House; City of Costa Mesa v. Ohio House et al.) and a related case filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (Ohio House v. City of Costa Mesa).

The clerk read Item 8 as initiation of one case under Government Code section 54956.9D4 and Item 9 as anticipation of litigation for one case under section 54956.9D2. After the agenda was read, the council recessed to the community room for the closed-session discussions; no public deliberations or votes were taken in the public meeting while the council was in closed session.

The closed session items listed on the agenda indicate the city planned to confer privately with negotiators and legal counsel on both labor and litigation matters; formal actions, if any, were not announced on the public record at the time the meeting recessed.