The Anaheim City Council postponed a vote for its next permanent city attorney last week without public comment. It’s unclear when the council will take up the appointment again.
Chino Assistant City Attorney Arturo N. Fierro was expected to assume the position last week at an annual salary of $210,500. The Harvard Law grad had beat out 25 other applicants following a national recruitment effort, but his selection elicited some controversy and pushback from Mayor Tom Tait.
Fierro is no stranger to Anaheim politics. He’s the father of City Councilman Jordan Brandman’s campaign manager and policy aide, Daniel Fierro. His daughter-in-law is also a policy aide. Despite the family connections, Anaheim spokesman Mike Lyster said the city saw no reason for Brandman to recuse himself from the vote to appoint Fierro.
That’s not all. Fierro’s firm is currently suing the city on behalf of a client in a personal injury case. Mayor Tait, who opposed the appointment, said Fierro failed to disclose that to the council. They seemed to be ramming the appointment through before the upcoming election changed the makeup of the dais, Tait added.
The mayor was also unhappy with the severance pay agreement included in Fierro’s contract. If he were to be terminated, the city would have to pay him a lump sum worth half his annual salary.
“They’re trying to lock-in the decision by giving him an excessive severance – it would make it very hard to get rid of him,” Tait said.
Whether Tait's concerns spurred the decision to delay the vote is unclear.
Anaheim hasn’t had the best of luck with its city attorneys. It just agreed to a $1.45 million settlement with former top counsel Cristina L. Talley, who sued the city for discrimination and harassment. That settlement was finalized at the meeting Tuesday, although the city still denies the allegations.
Arturo Fierro is currently a partner at Gutierrez, Fierro & Erickson. He previously worked for the cities of Coachella and Cudahy.