ARVIN, Calif. (KERO) — Arvin City Council voted to file a formal complaint against its former interim city attorney, Nathan Hodges, over allegations that Hodges' law office overcharged the city during his tenure.
The vote, with four in favor and one council member abstaining, means the formal complaint will head to the state bar, the regulatory body for lawyers practicing in the state of California, to be looked over by the Office of Chief Trial Counsel.
Council member Donny Horton was the abstaining member of the council.
The complaint to be filed alleges that Hodges violated rules of professional conduct that govern lawyers during his time as the city's interim city attorney.
The issue stems from a Kern County Grand Jury report that noted discrepancies in attorney fees during Hodges’ tenure and advised the city to look deeper, while noting the city also holds responsibility in the matter given the Mayor signs off on all invoices submitted to the city. Soon after the grand jury report, the city hired an outside consulting firm, which says it found overbilling after examining all invoices during Hodges’ tenure.
Tuesday’s vote came after City Council convened during closed session previosuly and asked its current city attorney, Stephanie Gutierrez, to prepare a state bar complaint against former interim city attorney Nathan Hodges and attempt to recoup the alleged overbilling to the tune of nearly $79,000.
Following Tuesday night's meeting, Arvin Mayor Olivia Calderon said the reason this city brought this forward is to ensure they're being good stewards of the community and ensuring they're fiscally responsible with the city's tax dollars.
"What we have said loud and clear to the community, and this is what we've been hard at work doing — is making sure that as the city's — as the mayor, as the council, we have been doing our job. We have been doing our job to provide proper oversight, to do our due diligence, to ensure that there's accountability and that there's an accounting for every single tax dollar," said Calderon.
In an email to 23ABC prior to the vote, Hodges said, "I have not received any information from the city about any of their allegations. I would be happy to discuss this with them and if a mistake was made, find a way to resolve it in a timely manner."
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