Residents press council on city‑manager, city‑attorney changes and recent litigation

Several residents used the council’s public‑comment period to criticize National City’s leadership and to press for transparent hiring and accountability after a recent jury verdict and ongoing litigation.

Kim told the council that the city‑attorney role should be an independent legal advisor to the council rather than a political subordinate and urged the council to fill executive vacancies — including city manager and city attorney — with independent candidates. “The city attorney is meant to provide a bedrock of objectivity for the council to rely upon,” Kim said. She cited recent litigation and a reported $10,000,000 verdict as evidence of systemic problems and urged the council to choose candidates not beholden to the mayor.

Multiple commenters referenced the April 2025 San Diego County jury award to former officer Ashley Cummings, which speakers described as holding the city accountable for harassment and discrimination. Mika Polanco said the verdict — and the alleged workplace culture it reflects — raised questions about promoting employees who served during the period in question. “Considering these facts, your elevation of mister Hernandez to city manager appears to be ratified of the bullying the jury found to exist,” Polanco said.

Several speakers asked the council to adopt an open hiring process for the next city attorney, to solicit candidates who would appear before the public, and to include contract terms that would prevent arbitrary override of legal advice. Polanco and others also alleged that the mayor and senior officials have attempted to stifle critics and cover up misconduct; those assertions were made in public comment and were not litigated or verified during the meeting.

The public‑comment period also included questions about pending public‑records requests and whether the referral of certain requests to the city attorney (and the city attorney’s announced departure) would affect access to records. Alicia Morrison asked what would happen to requests that had been pulled from multiple departments and referred to the city attorney.

The council then moved into closed session. The city attorney announced five closed‑session items, including conference with real‑property negotiator (property at 921–929), conference with legal counsel regarding existing litigation (case named CaliMalta v. City of National), labor negotiations with the police officers’ association, and two public‑employment matters: the city‑manager and city‑attorney positions. No formal public action or vote on those personnel or litigation items was recorded in the public portion of the meeting.