BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The City of Arvin could file a formal complaint against its former city attorney with the state bar, stemming from allegations of overbilling that led the city to fire him.
In March 2025, the Arvin City Council voted 3-1 to fire then-interim city attorney Nathan Hodges amid allegations his office overcharged taxpayers.
The controversy erupted a month earlier, when a grand jury report flagged discrepancies in Hodges' billing and raised questions about why city officials failed to challenge those charges.
The city then brought in KPC Legal Audit Services to dig deeper. After scrutinizing all 47 invoices, auditors flagged four major issues:
- Incorrect service classifications and hourly rates, meaning some services may not have been billed properly.
- Failure to apply the city's monthly retainer, a fee the city paid whether or not legal services were used.
- Limited use of lower-cost associates and paralegals, which auditors say drove up fees.
- Invoices that were difficult to track and verify because matters were combined and lacked clear timekeeper summaries and service designations.
The audit also identified what it says was more than $78,000 in overbilling during Hodges' tenure.
But the grand jury also put some of the responsibility on City Hall. It found the bills required the mayor's signature before payment, raising questions about why the charges weren't caught sooner.
Now, the issue is back before the city council. At a previous meeting, council members directed the current city attorney to prepare a state bar complaint for a vote Tuesday and to pursue recovery of the money the city says it was overcharged.
23ABC reached out to Arvin Mayor Olivia Calderon, who declined to comment, citing pending litigation. 23ABC also reached out to Hodges for comment late Tuesday, but did not receive a response by the end of business hours.
The city council is scheduled to meet Tuesday, October 27th, at 6 p.m.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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