Study session turns heated

Costa Mesa City Council members argue about discretionary funds.A simmering feud over charitable donations exploded at a Costa Mesa City Council study session Tuesday. A policy change is likely to result, but that may not be enough to clear the air.

The issue was raised when Councilman Eric Bever requested an investigation of Councilwoman Katrina Foley’s use of city money for donations to local organizations, including Little League. Each council member gets $2,000 a year in discretionary funds, which have typically been used to pay for conferences, training, cellphones and computers used for council business.

But other than state laws and the municipal code, no specific policies govern how the money can be spent. That may change, because the council will be considering new regulations on discretionary spending at a future meeting.

City Attorney Kimberly Hall Barlow told council members her legal opinion is that Foley’s expenditures were lawful, but that didn’t head off an argument that escalated into Bever calling Foley “arrogant” and Foley accusing Bever of defaming her character.

Bever repeatedly said at Tuesday’s meeting that Foley’s spending may have violated state law. Foley took issue with that, calling it a “politically motivated attack.”

When asked Thursday, Bever said he doesn’t know whether Foley actually broke the law, but “a perception of an ethical breach is not a good thing for the individual or the body they serve on.”

Foley said she followed the correct procedures in making the donations and didn’t do anything wrong. She said she hopes the council can move past Tuesday’s argument, but she wondered why Bever, just a day or so before the meeting, had requested her cellphone records from the city.

Foley gets wireless Internet service for her computer through the city, but she doesn’t have a city-issued cellphone, so her phone records aren’t public.

“You still have the question of why does he want that; what is he trying to find?” she said.

Bever said he requested the records because the reports council members are given on discretionary spending aren’t very clear, and “I was just curious as to what the expense was.”

Tuesday’s spat was not the first heated exchange City Manager Allan Roeder has seen at a council meeting, but that didn’t make it less tense.

“I don’t think it was comfortable for anyone,” Roeder said.

The discretionary spending issue will likely resurface at a council meeting in November. But it’s unclear which way council members will lean on a new policy -- or what the tenor of the meeting will be -- since only Bever, Foley and Mayor Allan Mansoor attended Tuesday’s study session. Councilwoman Linda Dixon and Councilman Gary Monahan were absent.

And though Foley wants council members to improve their relations -- she’s even suggesting a retreat -- for now things don’t seem to her to be getting better.

“I think that’s quite obvious that they’re getting worse,” Foley said.

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers government and politics. She may be reached at (714) 966-4626 or by e-mail at alicia.robinson@latimes.com.