Mailbag: Columnist let city of Newport Beach off the hook

Re. Barbara Venezia’s Feb. 12 column, “Taxpayers are the real losers in this case,” (Feb. 10) having to do with the action by resident Mr. Kent Moore to obtain public records from the city of Newport Beach: I agree with Ms. Venezia, however, for a very different reason.

Taxpayers are losers because the checks and balances of city government to serve the public are not working, and no citizen should have to resort to court action to obtain public records. This has long been established by court precedence and is why there are laws in place to protect the public’s right to know and government transparency.

As a reporter, it would be more encouraging to the profession, and us readers, if the facts were presented, not Venezia’s opinion about what the city did or did not do. If the city, as stewards for the people, had readily responded, Moore would not have had cause to file a writ.

Reference to the judge’s statement that the attorney, Melinda Luthin, demands of the city “appears to border on harassment” is out of context. I was at that hearing. The judge made that statement, due to Moore’s effort to file subpoenas, which the judge said a writ is not a trial to hear testimony, but is a legal procedure one uses to obtain a judge’s order (in this case) for the city to respond to the public records request.

When Luthin pointed out that case precedence shows subpoenas have been used to have city staff authenticate documents in person since they refused to provide written declarations authenticating documents, the judge had no reply and began to admonish the city for being so difficult.

Furthermore, it is immaterial to imply Luthin of impropriety when Venezia says, “She’ll see a payday for her services,” or writes, “Selich calls her ‘delusional,’ and Curry accuses her of using the lawsuit “to shake down the taxpayers for personal financial gain.”

Does she also doubt the judge’s decision, which means something because, “the judge told the city to come to agreement on her fees”?

I am dumbfounded that her article’s summary of the matter is that an attorney who provided a service gets paid, and not the fact that our city has misappropriated my tax dollars by violating the Public Records Act. This is not a labor issue, but a civic example that too many persons and entities these days seem to believe they are above the law, including our city.

For the record, I was the treasurer of Newport Beach Sister City Assn. during the time of the Antibes, France, exchange, and the unfortunate events that Moore describes did happen. When the city began to investigate and discovered this was a toxic matter, it appears the city stopped the investigation.

Moore’s effort to obtain records was initially to confirm if the city continued to give grant money to an organization that means well, but perhaps went awry. In the end, the taxpayers lose because we spent tax dollars and did not get to the heart of the matter, and the message of Venezia’s column lets our city off the hook.

Ruth Klein

Newport Beach

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Columnist redirected the blame

In her column, Barbara Venezia conveniently shifts the blame from the city to resident Kent Moore, who had every right to sue due to the city’s foot-dragging on producing public records.

Sonja Doder

Newport Beach