Oxnard—After two closed sessions on Tuesday, Dec. 31, Council Member Aaron Starr recused himself from discussions and votes about the lawsuit, the City of Oxnard vs Moving Oxnard Forward, in which Starr is an officer.
The unscheduled special meeting brought a large crowd to City Hall to make comments, and after another closed session, City Attorney Stephen Fischer said the Council would be en banc. (on bonk) “French for “in the bench” signifies a decision by the full court of all appeals judges in jurisdictions where there is more than one three-or-four-judge panel.”
Starr’s lawsuit blocked the City’s ability to finance major projects and affected its ability to issue bonds without a taxpayer’s vote.
Starr said he’s in the “odd position” of being a Moving Oxnard Forward Officer and an officer of the defendant, the City of Oxnard.
“My first reaction was, wouldn’t this cause a conflict of interest,” he said. “I looked at the statutes and contacted Stephen Fischer, and we’re trying to figure this out. Out of an abundance of caution, he suggested that we put this on the agenda, which makes a lot of sense.”
He reviewed the issue over the weekend and said the Political Reform…
