The La Palma Record / Sources & Records
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Sources & Records

Material factual claims on this site are supported by cited public records, court filings, sworn testimony, campaign disclosures, City documents, or published reporting.

⧖ Term Limits: Who Wrote, Paid for, and Benefited from Measure W?

Certified Council Meeting Minutes

  • City of La Palma Agenda Item, Term Limits Study Session, referencing Measure O (1996), passed by nearly 80% of voters, establishing two four-year terms with a four-year waiting period before returning to the ballot
  • Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the La Palma City Council, August 20, 2019 (Item 8, "CONTINUED: Study Session: Council Member Request – Term Limits"; motion to direct staff to prepare a March 2020 ballot measure carried 3-0, Kim and Patel abstaining)
  • Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the La Palma City Council, September 3, 2019 (Item 7, Resolution No. 2019-40; eleven public speakers, nearly all opposed; motion to table indefinitely carried unanimously, 5-0)

Agenda Items, Ordinances, and Resolutions

  • Ordinance amending Chapter 44 pertaining to signs, adopted December 7, 2021 (signed by Mayor Nitesh Patel). Current codified text: La Palma Municipal Code, Chapter 44 (Municode)
  • Purchase Order #22959, June 12, 2024 (Tripepi Smith, "Ballot Measure Services," General Fund account 001-120-6000)
  • Ordinance No. 2024-04, first reading November 5, 2024, adopted December 10, 2024 (small-sign permit exemption). Current codified text: La Palma Municipal Code, Chapter 44 (Municode)

City Website Pages

Campaign Finance Filings (FPPC, on file with the La Palma City Clerk)

  • Yes on Measure W (FPPC ID #1474110), Form 460 Recipient Committee Campaign Statement, period 7/1/2024-9/21/2024, filed 9/24/2024. View filing (PDF)
  • Yes on Measure W (FPPC ID #1474110), Form 460 Recipient Committee Campaign Statement, period 9/22/2024-10/19/2024, filed 10/24/2024. View filing (PDF)
  • Yes on Measure W, Form 497 Contribution Reports, September-October 2024 (contributions received from Nitesh Patel, the Debbie S. Baker and Vikesh Patel candidate committees, and Niti Patel). View filings (PDF)
  • Debbie S. Baker for La Palma City Council District 1 2024 (FPPC ID #1466502), Form 460, filed 10/24/2024
  • Debbie S. Baker for La Palma City Council District 1 2024 (FPPC ID #1466502), Form 497 Contribution Report, filed 9/13/2024 — reports a $5,500 contribution received from the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association, IAFF Local 3631, on 8/8/2024, then a $5,500 contribution made to Yes on Measure W the same reporting period. View filing (PDF)
  • Mark Waldman for La Palma City Council District 5 2024 (FPPC ID #1472715), Form 460, filed 10/24/2024
  • Vikesh Patel for La Palma City Council 2024 District 3 (FPPC ID #1470137), Form 470 Short Form, filed 10/21/2024
  • Vikesh Patel for La Palma City Council 2024 District 3 (FPPC ID #1470137), Form 497 Contribution Reports, filed 8/27/2024 and 9/17/2024 — reports a $5,500 contribution received from the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association, IAFF Local 3631, on 8/27/2024, then a $5,500 contribution made to Yes on Measure W on 9/17/2024. View filing (PDF)

2026 Election — Candidate Committee Filings

  • Nitesh Patel For La Palma City Council 2026 District 2 (FPPC ID #1490903), Form 460 Recipient Committee Campaign Statement, period 1/1/2026-6/30/2026, filed 7/28/2026 — Schedule A reports a single itemized contribution: $5,900 from the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association, IAFF Local 3631, received 5/29/2026 (the filing's Schedule A marks the contributor code "IND" rather than "OTH" or "COM" for this organizational contributor, as reflected on the document). The filing also reports $8,000 in loans paid or forgiven during the period and a $5,837.70 ending cash balance. View filing (PDF)

Vendor / Consultant Records (obtained via Public Records Act request)

  • Agreement for Consulting Services between the City of La Palma and Tripepi Smith, executed May 8, 2024
  • Tripepi Smith Invoices #12490 (May 2024, $4,893.75), #12654 (June 2024, $7,116.50), #12816 (July 2024, $3,345.00), #13013 (August 2024, $1,368.75), and #13241 (September 2024, $1,367.50)
  • Consultant work product: final ballot question text; June 2024 City news release; FAQ sheet (English, Spanish, Korean); utility bill insert; citywide mailer; and drafts of the ballot "Argument in Favor" (redacted) and "Rebuttal to Argument Against"
  • City/consultant calendar log showing recurring weekly check-in calls beginning May 2024
  • Full compilation of the above records, produced by the City in response to a Public Records Act request. View the records (PDF)

Form 700 Statements of Economic Interests (FPPC)

  • Mark Waldman, City of La Palma City/Town Council Member, Form 700 Annual Statement, period 1/1/2024-12/31/2024, filed 3/18/2025 — Schedule A-2 reports Waldman Tax & Financial Services, Inc. (Waldman: President, Corporation) with Shatford Law listed as a reportable single source of $10,001-$100,000 in gross income to the business. View filing (PDF)
  • Mark Waldman, City of La Palma City/Town Council Member, Form 700 Annual Statement, period 1/1/2025-12/31/2025, filed 3/23/2026 — Schedule A-2 again reports Waldman Tax & Financial Services, Inc. with Shatford Law listed as a reportable single source of $10,001-$100,000 in gross income to the business. View filing (PDF)

Secretary of State Business Entity Filings (Patel/Ibarra business ties)

  • American International School of Law, Inc. (Entity No. C3263361), Statement of Information, filed 2/3/2022 — lists Nitesh Patel as Chief Executive Officer, Secretary, Chief Financial Officer, sole Director, and Agent for Service of Process, at 17762 Cowan, 2nd Fl., Irvine. View filing (PDF)
  • Devi Construction, Inc. (Entity No. 4631216), Statement of Information, filed 8/4/2025 — lists Nitesh P. Patel as Chief Executive Officer, Secretary, Chief Financial Officer, sole Director, and Agent for Service of Process, at 17762 Cowan Street, Irvine. View filing (PDF)
  • ISP Holdings, LLC (Entity No. 202107010378), Statement of Information, filed 8/4/2025 — lists Nitesh Patel, Andy Szeto, and Adrian Ibarra as Managers/Members, with Patel as Agent for Service of Process, at 17762 Cowan, 2nd Fl., Irvine. View filing (PDF)
  • Allianz Capital Group, Inc. (Entity No. 4553211), Statement of Information, filed 8/4/2025 — lists Nitesh Patel as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and sole Director, and Andy Szeto as Secretary and Agent for Service of Process, at 17762 Cowan, 2nd Fl., Irvine. View filing (PDF)

La Palma Citizen's Academy

  • City of La Palma, Agenda Item No. 7, "2024 La Palma Citizen's Academy," submitted by Joseph Cisneros, Assistant to the City Manager, September 5, 2023 — describes the program as conducted "biennially, often preceding a City Council election." View filing (PDF)
  • City of La Palma news release, "Registration Open for 2020 La Palma Citizen Academy," February 20, 2020 (email/website notice)
  • City of La Palma news release, "Registration Open for 2022 La Palma Citizen's Academy," June 6, 2022, contact: Joseph Cisneros, Assistant to the City Manager
  • City of La Palma Instagram post, June 5, 2022, announcing the 2022 Academy
  • City of La Palma Facebook post, January 16, 2024, announcing the 2024 Academy (application deadline March 4, 2024)
  • City Council Minutes, "Item 2_City Council Minutes," May 2, 2024 — records then-Mayor Goodman issuing Certificates of Recognition to the 2024 Citizen's Academy attendees, confirming the cohort's completion. View minutes
  • Search of the City's own website (lapalmaca.gov site search for "citizen's academy," 267 results) plus its social media accounts and public news releases: the author reviewed a substantial number of these results, including all results containing the exact phrase "Citizen's Academy," and found no announcement or invitation for a 2026 Citizen's Academy as of the date of publication. The full result set was not reviewed exhaustively.

Yes on Measure W Direct-Mail Advertising

  • “La Palma's First Responders Urge You to Vote Yes on W” — direct-mail pieces (envelope, letter, and reply flyer) sent under the “Yes on W — Reform Government Now!” campaign brand, featuring the insignia of the La Palma Police Association and the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association (IAFF Local 3631) and the claim that Measure W would “maintain term limits for La Palma's elected officials.” Copies on file with La Palma Record, provided by a recipient. View the mailers

A note on this source: These mailers are distinct from the “Budget Watchdogs,” “California Voters Guide,” “Senior Advocate,” “Election Digest,” and “Voter Newsletter” slate-mail pieces documented in the Vendor / Consultant Records above, and distinct from the City's own taxpayer-funded outreach materials. Compare the mailers' claim that Measure W would “maintain term limits” against the ordinance text and City Attorney's impartial analysis discussed in the main narrative, which state the measure extended the limit from 8 to 12 years and reset the clock for sitting members.

Attorney Correspondence (sign-enforcement dispute)

  • Letter, Adam Sechooler (AEMS Trial Firm, APC) to City Manager Conal McNamara, October 1, 2024
  • Letter, City Attorney Ajit S. Thind (Colantuono, Highsmith & Whatley, PC, File No. 42034.0011) to Adam Sechooler, October 15, 2024
  • Letter, Adam Sechooler to Ajit S. Thind, October 22, 2024

Regional & County Records

  • Orange County Registrar of Voters, Measure W full text, impartial analysis, and arguments (November 2024)
  • Orange County Fire Authority, Board of Directors and Budget and Finance Committee agendas and minutes (2026) — ocfa.org/AboutUs/BoardOfDirectors.aspx

Legal Standards Cited

  • Cal. Gov. Code § 54964 (public funds and ballot advocacy)
  • Vargas v. City of Salinas (2009) 46 Cal.4th 1

News Coverage

$ What Happened to the Measure JJ Pension Payoff Promise?

City Records

  • Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports — lapalmaca.gov (Transparency / Budgets); source of the audited GASB-basis Net Pension Liability figures ($18.2M FY 2016-17 → $23.6M FY 2023-24)

Regional & County Records

  • Orange County Registrar of Voters, Measure JJ ballot materials, arguments and impartial analysis (November 2016) — ocvote.gov/.../8523.pdf
  • Orange County Elections Office, Measure JJ final results (60.34% Yes, 39.66% No), via Ballotpedia

City Council Records

CalPERS Actuarial Valuations & Campaign Financial Materials

News Coverage

Other Data Sources

♛ What's Happened to City Leadership?

City News Releases

Agenda Items & City Records

  • Agenda Item No. 6, City Manager Appointment and Employment Agreement, Conal McNamara, effective April 1, 2020 — lapalmaca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/9894
  • City Council agenda item, August 2022, renewing/amending the legal-services agreement with Rutan & Tucker, LLP

City Website Pages

Reader & Witness Correspondence

  • Email to lapalmarecord@gmail.com from two former La Palma Police Reserve Officers, March 2025, describing the discontinuation of the La Palma Police Reserve Program — senders' identities are known to the editor but withheld by their request. On file with La Palma Record.

A note on this source: This account has not been independently corroborated against a City record, and no public City statement on the Reserve Program's discontinuation has been identified. It is presented here as a firsthand account from participants in the program, consistent with this site's practice of ignoring anonymous or unverifiable submissions (see About) while withholding a source's name at their request when their identity is known to the editor.

News Coverage — Event-News Enterprise

News Coverage — Other Outlets

⚖ The Cases City Hall Can’t Ignore

Court Filings — Byer v. City of La Palma

  • Orange County Superior Court, Case No. 30-2024-01394359-CU-OE-CJC — case docket and pleadings, on file with La Palma Record
  • Signed jury verdict forms (VF-2500 Disparate Treatment, VF-2504 Retaliation, VF-2514 Failure to Prevent, and VF-5001 General Verdict), filed December 9, 2025 — $8.4 million total ($3.92M past noneconomic damages, $4.48M future noneconomic damages); City's appeal filed March 27, 2026, pending as of this writing. View verdict forms (PDF)

Deposition Transcripts — Byer v. City of La Palma (via OC Superior Court online case access)

  • Crystal L. Wilkerson, HR Analyst, City of La Palma — deposed March 18, 2025. View excerpt (PDF)
  • Jay Kyoo Choi, Officer, La Palma PD (Byer's former shift partner) — deposed August 4, 2025. View excerpt (PDF)
  • Jesse Amend, Captain, La Palma PD — deposed August 12, 2025 (Vol. I). View excerpt (PDF)
  • Zachary Goble, former Officer, La Palma PD — deposed June 30, 2025. View excerpt (PDF)
  • Won Il Koh, Sergeant, La Palma PD (accused supervisor) — deposed March 19, 2025. View excerpt (PDF)
  • Ross Byer, Plaintiff, former La Palma Police Officer — deposed February 20, 2025 (videotaped, via Zoom). View excerpt (PDF)
  • Ronald Lopino, former Officer, La Palma PD (Byer's field training officer); currently Orange County Sheriff's Department — deposed August 11, 2025 (remote videorecorded). View excerpt (PDF)

A note on this section: Deposition summaries on this site reflect only the transcript pages reviewed at the time of publication, which may be a partial excerpt. These transcripts were obtained through the Orange County Superior Court's online case access and record system. In some cases, the only records available through that system are excerpts, and complete transcripts — including deposition transcripts — may not be available to the public. Full transcripts are not reproduced here; readers should consult the court record directly for the complete testimony. See the Depositions page for witness-by-witness summaries.

Trial Testimony — Byer v. City of La Palma

  • James "Jim" Olson, retired Cypress PD Commander (third-party trial witness) — trial testimony transcript excerpt, pages 6-11 reviewed. Testimony date not specified in the excerpt; called as a witness by the plaintiff and examined before the court and jury. This is trial testimony rather than a deposition, despite being obtained from a court-reporting vendor whose name includes "Deposition Services." The trial concluded with a jury verdict on December 9, 2025. View excerpt (PDF)

Court Filings — Torres v. City of La Palma

  • Complaint for Monetary Damages, Orange County Superior Court Case No. 30-2026-01561451-CU-OE-NJC, filed April 8, 2026 (Gonzalez Weerasuriya, APC)
  • First Amended Complaint, filed June 8, 2026, adding a federal Fair Labor Standards Act overtime claim — the case is now pending in the U.S. District Court, Central District of California, Southern Division, as Case No. 8:26-cv-01754-FWS-KES
  • Defendant City of La Palma's Answer to First Amended Complaint, filed July 14, 2026 (Colantuono, Highsmith & Whatley, PC, on behalf of the City). View the Answer (PDF)

Court Filings — Casey et al. v. City of Buena Park, City of Fullerton, City of La Palma, Anthony Hanzal, and Caitlin Joy

  • Orange County Superior Court, Case No. 30-2025-01497184-CU-PA-NJC (Dept. N15, Judge Nathan N. Vu) — original Complaint for Wrongful Death, filed July 15, 2025, on file with La Palma Record
  • First Amended Complaint for Damages, filed March 13, 2026 (Bisnar | Chase LLP), on file with La Palma Record
  • Government Code § 910 et seq. claims and rejection letters (David Casey, Daniel White, and Sarah Miro v. City of La Palma, City of Fullerton, and City of Buena Park) — claims presented February-April 2025; rejected by La Palma March 4 and June 3, 2025; by Fullerton May 8-June 4, 2025; by Buena Park June 30, 2025

Legal Standards Cited

  • Cal. Vehicle Code § 17004.7 (conditional immunity for public agencies with a compliant written vehicular pursuit policy and required training)
  • Cal. Gov. Code § 815.2 (public entity vicarious liability for employee acts and omissions within the scope of employment)
  • Cal. Gov. Code § 910 et seq. and § 945.6 (government claims presentation requirements and statute of limitations following claim rejection)

News Coverage

⊞ Why Residents Couldn't Watch Council Meetings?

Certified Council Meeting Minutes

News Coverage — Event-News Enterprise

News Coverage — Voice of OC

§ Site-wide & Methodology

Records and standards below aren't tied to a single thread — they explain how this site was built, or apply across more than one thread.

City Website Pages

Legal Standards Cited

  • Cal. Gov. Code § 7920.000 et seq. (California Public Records Act)

Public Records Requests (CPRA)

Many of the documents referenced across this site — personnel records, disbursement data, investigation summaries, consultant records, and campaign finance filings — were obtained through California Public Records Act requests under Government Code § 7920.000 et seq.

  • City of La Palma — General Counsel / City Clerk's office (records request contact information available on the City's official website)

Filing your own request: Under California's Public Records Act, any resident can request most government records. An agency generally must determine within 10 days whether a request, in whole or in part, seeks disclosable public records in its possession and notify the requester of that determination. If records are disclosable, the agency must also provide an estimated date and time for availability; statutory extensions may apply. If you'd like a request template, reach out through the contact information on this site.

A note on sourcing: The Measure W campaign finance facts are drawn directly from the FPPC Form 460, 497, and 470 filings on file with the La Palma City Clerk; the Tripepi Smith facts are drawn directly from the executed consultant agreement, purchase order, invoices, calendar records, and work product produced by the City under the Public Records Act; the Torres allegations are drawn directly from the filed complaint; the Casey allegations are drawn directly from the First Amended Complaint filed March 13, 2026 and the underlying government claims and rejection letters; and the 2019 term-limit account is drawn directly from the City Council's own certified minutes of August 20 and September 3, 2019. Allegations in the Torres and Casey complaints are allegations in pending cases that have not been answered on the merits, and are labeled as such throughout this site.