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The Santa Ana City Council will vote Monday whether to approve a three-year, renewable contract with David Cavazos to lead city government, according to the O.C. Register.

Under terms of the contract, which includes automatic renewals, Cavazos would receive $315,000 in an annual base salary the first year, plus benefits, including moving expenses and a housing allowance. According to a city report, the estimated first-year cost of the agreement is $558,625, $515,395 in the second year and $515,895 in the third.

Cavazos is being offered an evergreen, renewable contract – just like the one former City Manager Dave Ream had.  The Council will only be able to fire Cavazos one day a year, and then only with a super-majority vote.  But if they don’t then his contract will automatically renew for THREE YEARS.  So if they do opt to fire him later they will have to pay him over one million dollars in severance pay!  This is why it was so damn hard to fire Ream!  This is awful news.  Why would they do this?  You won’t find another city in Orange County who offers a deal like this to their City Manager!

And when City Council members decided in closed session to hire David Cavazos, city manager of Phoenix, the decision wasn’t announced immediately after the closed-door meeting, a violation of the state’s open government law known as the Ralph M. Brown Act, according to Terry Francke, general counsel with for group Californians Aware and Voice of OC’s open government consultant, according to the Voice of OC.

A city news release last week announced that the council is “unanimously poised” to hire Cavazos.

The Brown Act requires that such a consensus be announced after the closed session meeting during which council members arrived at that conclusion, Francke said.

“Came to a consensus to hire means they’ve decided to hire. They made a decision, and they should have announced it,” Francke said.

Cavazos has only worked for one major employer – the City of Phoenix.  He is being offered a huge contract by a city that is broke.  He claims to be a supporter of transparency but he wants a renewable contract which will not allow for public discource or council review of his performance.  Ridiculous!

Of course what would you expect from a Council saddled with the likes of David Benavides, Michele Martinez and Roman Reyna?  This has to be the most ignorant Council in Southern California!

What say you?  Is the Council giving up too much to this guy?  Does he deserve a moving expense and a housing allowance?  You know he will end up living in South Orange County or in Newport Beach!

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