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Residents and commenters urge investigation after public comments accuse Councilmember Hernandez of interfering in police hiring
Summary
Multiple public commenters presented records-based allegations that Councilmember Laura Hernandez improperly attempted to influence a police chief hiring, leaked confidential information, and created a hostile work environment; callers urged the council to direct the city attorney to obtain records and investigate.
At the start of public comment, several residents urged the Port Hueneme City Council to investigate alleged misconduct by Councilmember Laura Hernandez.
David Scribner told the council that public-records requests show “a disturbing series of actions by council member Hernandez,” including “multiple unethical and possible illegal attempts to interfere with the hiring process of Michael Federico as chief of police,” and alleged she obtained confidential information about an ongoing criminal investigation and refused to cooperate with a subsequent review. Scribner concluded: “I strongly urge the council to take these matters seriously and to ask the city attorney to obtain the records in question and investigate these allegations.” (public comment)
Another commenter described similar allegations and accused Hernandez of a conflict of interest tied to personal relationships with acquaintances of the chief’s family; that speaker said some claims are recorded and available as public records. Council members did not take immediate action on the floor; Mayor Perez reminded the public that council members should not respond during public comment.
Councilmember Hernandez later addressed the meeting in council comments, saying she had been the subject of numerous public-records requests and that past requests “have not panned out.” Hernandez said she was concerned about the cost and workload of any formal investigation and urged the council to consider the implications before directing staff to open an inquiry.
The council did not adopt a motion to open an investigation during the meeting. Several council members acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations and the potential staff burdens of a formal probe; one councilmember said an investigation could be costly and would require widespread review of emails and records. Members urged that if an investigation is requested it should seek to determine the truth and be prepared for the workload such a process would create.
The matter was left for potential future agenda consideration; no formal direction, vote, or investigatory assignment was recorded in the meeting minutes.
