The City of Newport Beach failed to keep the Orange County Register from publishing a story about alleged corruption involving spending by an assistant city manager. The city claimed a Register reporter had obtained a closed session memorandum from the city attorney for a March 17 meeting that was privileged attorney-client communication and successfully petitioned the Superior Court for a restraining order. The Register said they did not hear about the order until after their story appeared online. (Courthouse News Service, April 15, 2015)
The district attorney is reviewing the charges that the assistant city manager at different times received 41 gifts from companies that were rewarded no-bid contracts from the city. Using the California Public Records Act, the Daily Pilot obtained receipts showing that Steve Badum, the assistant manager, paid for meals with companies over a dozen times, but the city attorney began an investigation of his spending after Badum told a staff member he may not have reported all gifts. (Daily Pilot, April 15, 2015, by Hannah Fry)