Hermosa Beach city councilmembers Peter Tucker, Howard Fishman, and Jeff Duclos are drawing up a censure motion against Mayor Patrick "Kit" Bobko because he shared his views regarding Hermosa Beach's appointment for city police chief.
Bobko has been the focus of Hermosa Beach political controversies before. Following The LA County Grand Jury's report about Hermosa Beach's $14 million in unpaid pension liabilities, Bobko took his fight for pension reform to the public, more recently
Recently, Bobko issued an
independent press release to the public regarding his concerns over the newly appointed chief of police. Last year, Hermosa Beach public sector unions issued flyers about the dangers of pension reforms, which would cause quality staff to seek employment elsewhere. Bobko publishes his views on a city appointment, and he gets a scolding. Really?
Still, Councilmembers Jeffrey Duclos, Howard Fishman, and Peter Tucker, along with a nudge from former councilmember George Schmeltzer, have moved for Bobko's censure because of his breach of city protocol.
Last year, Former Treasurer David Cohn was caught up in an embarrassing extortion scheme from a masseuse who possessed the former Treasurer's Ipad containing confidential city information. The Daily Breeze reprimanded councilmembers Duclos, Fisher, and Tucker for not censuring Cohn. The same members are now moving to censure Bobko.
The mayor wants to make public to the public his concerns about the appointment of the city’s chief public safety officer. Certainly the residents of Hermosa Beach should know the selection process, and they should know that the previous selection process was so flawed, that the previous appointee had black marks on his record. They might also want to know why Duclos, Tucker, and Fishman are picking their battles so arbitrarily.
Instead of castigating a mayor for informing the voters about their processes of hiring, Hermosa Beach residents should rebuke those councilmembers Duclos, Fishman, and Tucker who refuse to lead and deal with real issues. Voters should applaud Bobko for refusing to play political games, and instead informing voters, going out of his way to make known the goings-on in Hermosa Beach.