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Council deadlocks on $176,516 in social services funding after split votes and recusals
Summary
The Whittier City Council failed to approve the Social Services Grant Funding distribution of $176,516 for FY 2025-26 after two motions failed; one to adopt the recommended allocations and a second to send the item back to staff. Mayor Pro Tem Octavio Martinez recused himself; one councilmember abstained on a follow-up motion.
The Whittier City Council failed to adopt the Social Services Commission's recommended distribution of $176,516 for fiscal year 2025-26 on May 27, leaving the allocations unresolved.
Council Member Mary Ann Pacheco moved to approve the recommended distribution and Mayor Joseph A. Vinatieri seconded. The motion failed 2-2-1, with Pacheco and Vinatieri voting yes and Council Members Fernando Dutra and Cathy Warner voting no; Mayor Pro Tem Octavio Martinez was absent after recusing himself because he is employed by an organization seeking grant funding.
Council Member Warner then moved, and Council Member Dutra seconded, to return the item to staff for further refinement of the application and scoring rubric while keeping the $176,516 amount in the budget. That motion also failed, 2-1-2: Warner and Dutra voted yes; Pacheco voted no; Vinatieri abstained; Martinez was absent.
Interim Parks and Community Services Director David Montgomery-Scott presented the Social Services Commission's recommendations and answered council questions about eligibility criteria, verification of the percentage of Whittier residents served by applicants, scoring ranges and averages, and the budget process for social services funding. Staff and council discussed agencies identified in the report, including Whittier Area First Day, Women & Children Crisis Shelter, Interfaith Food Center and Los Angeles Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse (LA CADA).
Council discussion focused on the eligibility verification process and whether objective criteria and documentation standards should be tightened before awards are finalized. City staff said the recommended $176,516 would remain in the budget pending further council direction.
The failure of both motions leaves the Commission's recommendations unapproved. Council did not adopt an alternate distribution or direct a final allocation at the May 27 meeting; next procedural steps were not specified.
