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Resident urges release of private-investigator report into ex‑city administrator; treasurer defends prior oversight
Summary
A resident told council she obtained invoices showing the city paid a private investigator $28,324.30 to probe former City Administrator Damien Arula's expenses and asked that the investigator's report be released. Treasurer Kevin Larson said credit-card statements were reviewed by the mayor at the time and stood by his earlier comments.
Julie Souchard, a long-time Placentia resident, told the council she filed public-records requests and obtained two invoices from a private investigator the city hired to examine former City Administrator Damien Arula’s expenses. Souchard said the invoices total $28,324.30: one redacted invoice for $2,814.78 and a $25,509.52 invoice described as involving Arula, covering investigative work from May 13 through Oct. 1, 2024, with 57.15 hours of investigation and an additional 28 hours producing a report. She asked the council to release the investigator's report to restore taxpayer confidence.
Treasurer Kevin Larson responded during the same public-comment period, saying he had independently reviewed Arula’s credit-card statements and concluded they were routed through the warrant register and placed on consent calendars, and that, in his view, the statements show mayoral review. "Every one of those credit card statements was reviewed and approved by the mayor at the time," Larson said, adding his comments were based on the documents he examined. The exchange highlights a dispute between a resident seeking broader disclosure and the treasurer's view that existing records show oversight.
