By Brett Callwood
After an external investigation concluded that Council Member Wanda Love acted inappropriately towards two unnamed staff members, she was formally censured at the City Council meeting on the evening of Tuesday, January 28.
Love responded by writing to the GVN, stating in her letter that, “The accusations against me rely on an investigative report by Attorney Jeffrey Love, which lacks publicly verifiable evidence and transparency. The vague allegations of ‘unfounded criticisms and targeting’ are unsupported by specific examples, making them impossible to meaningfully dispute.”
Mayor Tasha Cerda spoke to the GVN this past week, to offer her own response. In regards to the council members minus Love voting 3-1 in favor of reading out the findings from Closed Session during the public part of the meeting (Council Member Paulette Francis being the one nay vote), Mayor Cerda said that, “I’m not saying that this is something that the council normally does, as far as taking a vote to read the comments out, but legally, we are given that option by the attorney. Is this something that is to be read out or not? We actually have to take a vote, and because this kind of behavior has been going on for some time now, and because of the fact that we had to spend $20,000 of taxpayers money, I thought it was important that they understand. So this is part of just being fair and transparent.”
“At the same time, later in that meeting, I made a directive that we have put on the agenda, the censure of Council Member Love, because it’s important again for our employees as well as the community to know that as elected officials, we need to be accountable for our actions,” Cerda continued. “And this is just what it costs for the investigator. That’s not including the legal fees, that’s not including the three training classes that have to be taken. And because this was found to be true, the City is open, potentially, to be sued by these employees if they choose to. So there’s still more money that could be spent as a result of this here. So when we decided to move forward with the censure, it was three training classes [teaching] how to handle situations better.”
The censure also states that, temporarily, Love would no longer be able to attend her regular conferences.
“The City won’t pay for it as it relates to the registration, the travel or the lodging,” Cerda said. “And the third thing was, and this was probably the most important thing as elected officials: If we have any issues or concerns, it is never our job to go to any staff member or director and try to chastise them or question them. All of our communication should be directed to the City Manager or the City Attorney, and then they deal with it, because that’s just not what our role is. Well, the last part of the censure states that that she is not to talk to any director or staff member, with the exception of the City Manager, City Attorney, and then I’ve made an exception and said HR and our secretary, so that they she could get whatever information she needed, because she still is an elected official. This is just to protect our employees.”
Cerda said that, had any other Council Member behaved the same way, they too would have been censured.
“Oh, absolutely,” Cerda said. “And here’s the other side of it–if we have any employees or directors that say that they feel that something’s been done wrong, and they bring it to our attention right away, my first phone call is to the City Attorney and the City Manager. I mean, this is California state law–it’s for their protection as well as ours.”
We put it to Mayor Cerda that there has been tension between Love and the other sitting members of the council (with the exception of Francis) from the moment that Love was sworn in. Cerda agreed.
“Prior to Council Member Love joining the City Council, there were a lot of awkward situations that she caused as a President or the head person of the Chamber of Commerce,” Cerda said. “We tried to partner, but her actions were so rude to our staff members that we just couldn’t have that, so we separated. I had hoped that when she came on our council, it was a fresh opportunity to start new with the council members. Council Member Love made it very clear in the very beginning, ‘as far as I know, I’m not well liked,’ and that’s not true. Everybody on this council is fair, and she’s the one that, when we get ready to take pictures, she refuses to stand next to us. Also, from the very beginning, her social media postings have been making wild accusations. I don’t know anything about her personal business. So it’s a weird thing of trying to play the victim.”
That said, Love was democratically chosen for the council, and the council members will have to continue to work together for the good of the City of Gardena. For now though, it’s unlikely that Love will be voted Mayor Pro Tem any time soon.
“In the past, there’s not been an order for every member of the Council to have that position,” Cerda said. “Generally, what happens is, you’re nominated by a council member, and if you get the majority vote, which would be three of the five, then you know that would be the position.
The other side of it is, we’re five different people with our own individual ideas and aspirations and experiences, but when we come to a council meeting, we should at least be able to be cordial with each other and just have basic conversation. From the time that [Love’s] come on, she made it very clear, ‘I’m not on this council to make friends.’ That’s not a prerequisite to be voted as Mayor Pro Tem. But her actions are so ugly towards the rest of us that I don’t think anybody, maybe with the exception of Council Member Francis, has even considered that. When you’re the Mayor Pro Tem, you’re representing the city. If I’m not around you fill in for me, and some of the actions that she’s done, where she’s tried to tear the city apart, the way she’s talked about other elected officials and staff, it’s kind of concerning. I don’t see right now that I would feel comfortable with her representing me when I’m not around.”
At the City Council meeting on Tuesday, February 11, the council organized assignments to redistribute those that Love would now no longer be able attend.
