The City of Healdsburg has reached a settlement in two lawsuits brought by resident and retired attorney Jon Eisenberg. Eisenberg alleged that the city council and staff violated California’s government transparency and open-meeting laws.
The Press Democrat reports the settlement requires Eisenberg to drop the lawsuits and the city to reimburse him for nearly $70,000 in attorney’s fees. The city also spent more than $93,000 of taxpayer money on its own legal fees, bringing the total cost of the cases to more than $163,000.
In the lawsuits, Eisenberg claimed that city officials held private discussions about two major city initiatives last year: Measure O, which proposed changes to affordable housing, and the implementation of district-based elections.
Despite initially denying any wrongdoing, city officials agreed to a number of changes as part of the settlement. These include new policies and training for city staff and council members on transparency laws. The city will also work to make a backlog of meeting minutes public and create new policies to ensure more timely access to public records and meeting agendas.