Voisey asked to leave GPAC
The Redondo Beach City Council will ask General Plan Advisory Committee member Chris Voisey to leave his appointed position, believing him unfit and potentially conflicted due to legal actions taken against elected officials. The discussion also weaved into a broader debate regarding the tone and tenor of the city’s political discourse.
Voisey was a plaintiff in a losing lawsuit that alleged election law violations by Mayor Bill Brand, Councilman Nils Nehrenheim and Rescue Our Waterfront president Wayne Craig. The officials were sued as individuals, and as such had to use their private funds for their defense, causing months of personal stress.
During the trial, it was uncovered that Redondo Beach Waterfront LLC, a subsidiary of CenterCal Properties and backing company of the Waterfront redevelopment project, was funding the suit behind the scenes.
“No one seeking public office, taking part in a community’s actions, should ever have to go through what I’ve gone through,” Nehrenheim said. “That person is tainting the very public process of what it is to be an American, what it is to be here in Redondo and give your input.”
Nehrenheim and Brand have argued that Voisey — who, along with co-plaintiff Arnett Travis, was labeled a “shill” for the developer by Judge Malcolm Mackey in his ruling — may have perjured himself during the trial by claiming he was unaware of how the suit was being funded. A later declaration, read by Brand, indicated Voisey and Travis aligned with RBW LLC when they found themselves unable to fund the lawsuit.
But rules for the General Plan Advisory Committee, a 27 member group tasked with generating ideas for Redondo’s foundational planning document, only lists two causes for removing a member: accruing too many absences, or moving out of the city. According to City Attorney Michael Webb, removing Voisey from the committee without adhering to those rules could lead to a lawsuit. Litigation had previously been threatened by Voisey’s lawyer Bradley Hertz, should he be removed. Further, he said, the actions could politicize the GPAC, which was intended as an apolitical advisory group.
Other city rules for other commissions allow for removal given a simple majority vote of the council. Historically, previous councils have debated removing officials convicted of “crimes of moral turpitude” such as perjury.
“I don’t know of a charge, let alone a conviction” against Voisey, Webb said. “If you were to choose this but not rely on conviction, you’re setting yourselves up as judge and jury.”
Resident Lezlie Campeggi agreed with Webb, saying that the Council cannot remove Voisey, and should plan to change rules for the GPAC at an upcoming meeting.
“You can later adopt a lengthier code of conduct, but right now, given the circumstances, I think it should be ‘at will,’” Campeggi said.
John Simpson, a fellow member of the GPAC, said that he found Voisey’s actions to be despicable, and was glad that Brand aired them. But he felt that removing Voisey would undercut the spirit of the GPAC, which was intended to bring disparate members of the community together to provide different perspectives on the city’s future.
“I think his voice will get all appropriate respect by fellow members of the GPAC — and I emphasize ‘appropriate’ because I think we all know what was done, we will act responsibly and accordingly in a civil way,” Simpson said.
Community civility at large was then addressed by the Council, almost unintentionally, when Councilwoman Laura Emdee withdrew a comment from the floor.
She had begun to compare the situation to when the Council opted to defend Nehrenheim in an action against a local bar owner, when Councilman Todd Loewenstein interrupted.
Emdee began to explain before Loewenstein asked if she was going to “womansplain” the subject. Frustrated, Emdee withdrew from the floor.
Loewenstein was calling back to a term Emdee used at a previous meeting, when she accused him of condescendingly “mansplaining” the size of a feature at the proposed Galleria mall.
He apologized in short order, calling his comment immature. But Emdee declined his apology, saying she would consider it later but was “too furious” to do so during the meeting. Loewenstein, she said, had developed a habit of interrupting her comments, and she was fed up.
“I don’t appreciate that [Voisey’s lawsuit] was basically a hidden SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) motion. It left an incredibly bad taste in my mouth on many levels,” Councilman Christian Horvath said. “But this city is so divided…I think we’re stronger when we have different points of view.”
Horvath then motioned for the Council to send a simple letter to Voisey, requesting his resignation. It was approved 4-0, with Emdee abstaining.