City Manager's status uncertain pending HR investigation

By Doug Spoon, Editor

The status of Menifee City Manager Armando Villa remains uncertain during the investigation of a complaint to the City’s HR office that may or may not directly involve Villa.

Mayor Bill Zimmerman, plus another source at City Hall, and Villa all denied knowing the nature of what Zimmerman said is an employee’s complaint that is being investigated by an outside attorney through the City’s insurance company. The issue is complicated by the vague nature of two agenda items listed under “closed session” for Wednesday night’s City Council meeting.

The first item is listed as “Public employee discipline / dismissal release”. That is followed by an item listed as “Public employee appointment. Title: Acting City Manager”. Although no action will be taken on these items before Wednesday, the fact they are listed in a public document could lead to rampant speculation over the next two days.

“The optics of this looks terrible,” Zimmerman said Monday. “But the outside counsel conducting the investigation said that even though he knows that, that is not his issue. This must go on the agenda and we have no say in the matter.”

Zimmerman said that, according to the investigator, the complaint was made by an employee “farther down the line” and that Villa (left) is not the one being investigated. It is unclear why an acting city manager item would be on the agenda if Villa is not involved.

Villa was not at City Hall on Monday, but in a phone interview he said he didn’t know the nature of the agenda item.

“Typically, when a complaint is made, it goes on the [closed session] agenda,” Villa said. “At this point, I really don’t know what this is about. I’ll be at work tomorrow and Wednesday to see what happens. Apparently someone who made a complaint is going to state their case.”

The city manager reports directly to the City Council, but Zimmerman said the complaint did not come from there. And because it’s a personnel issue, the Council is required only to report to the public if any action is taken – not any details surrounding the action or lack of it.