Coachella votes to place City Manager on paid leave after heated 10-hour meeting
Update 8:15 PM:
The city council voted 3-2 to place its City Manager Dr. Gabriel Martin on paid administrative leave effective immediately.
The vote came after a closed session meeting that lasted five hours, which followed a nearly five-hour public comment session. Many attendees, who had been in attendance since 10 a.m., were still in attendance when the decision was made.
Attendees shamed some of the councilmembers, demanding to know why the vote was made. A reason for the decision was not given.
Martin spoke after the decision, thanking attendees for their support and reaffirming that he believed he did a good job.
Councilmembers unanimously voted to appoint Maritza Martinez as acting city manager effective immediately
The council is set to vote on an acting city manager next Wednesday.
Original Report
It was a packed house at the Coachella council chambers as residents and staff spent nearly five hours defending its city manager before councilmembers debated his future.
The Coachella city council has still yet to vote on whether or not to fire City Manager Dr. Gabriel Martin.
Tuesday's meeting started at 10 a.m., which included a more than four-hour public comment session.
It was an emotional, and at times heated, meeting as a majority of attendees voiced their support for Martin — and questioned the council majority’s decision.
Last week, the council held a special meeting — here they voted three to two in favor of moving forward with removing Martin.
It remains unclear why this vote was taken.
Supporters are also criticizing the timing of the meeting — being changed to 10 a-m today on short notice.
“I was really upset first that they hadn’t given a reason and secondly that they were holding this special meeting at 10 a.m.,” said Beatriz Hernandez, a Coachella resident.
Hernandez continued, “They ran this whole campaign about transparency and speaking on behalf of the community but yet they’re holding a last-minute special meeting at ten in the morning when a majority of their constituents work.”
The council went into closed session at around 3:00 p.m. and that continues passed 8:00 p.m.
We'll have updates on a possible decision as soon as we get it. Stay with News Channel 3 for the latest developments.
