Pismo Beach councilwoman leaked confidential city info: ‘I take full responsibility’
Pismo Beach City Council Member Marcia Guthrie has officially been censured by the city, after leaking information from a closed session meeting to a project applicant last month.
“I first want to apologize to this council, staff and the public,” Guthrie said during a somber meeting Tuesday night. “I take full responsibility for my actions. I’m not going to give any excuses. And I hope that this council will consider my previous four years of service and very hard work for this community.”
“Once again, I am very sorry,” she said.
Guthrie, who narrowly won re-election in November 2020, has sat on the Pismo Beach City Council since 2016.
In a city report, Mayor Ed Waage and Mayor Pro Tem Mary Ann Reiss said Guthrie divulged information to an applicant about a closed session meeting on Jan. 27 that the council had determined would be shared only by the city attorney.
According to the report, Guthrie “had at least one email exchange or other communications with the applicant’s representative concerning the project.” Guthrie also gave direct direction to staff regarding the project, bypassing the city manager, the report said.
The application in question is unclear.
The agenda for the closed session meeting on Jan. 27 said only that the council would discuss a threat of litigation, and the council did not specify on the circumstances at its meeting Tuesday other than to note the legal ramifications.
“The situation was particularly delicate as the purpose of the closed session was to receive confidential legal advice on potential litigation,” Weiss said during discussion.
According to the report, Guthrie’s actions “constitutes a serious transgression of the Code of Ethics and the Municipal Code and could have substantial consequences in the orderly conduct of council business.”
As a result, the council voted 4-to-1 to censure Guthrie, with Guthrie voting no. (A censure is essentially a formal reprimand from the council.)
“This item is far from what any of us feels good about, and it is not meant to demolish the reputation of one of our own,” Reiss said. “When we take out oath of office, we are put in a position of public trust and we keep this in mind to the best of our ability as we weigh each decision. This one I am finding most difficult.”
Guthrie has also been removed from her committee assignments and directed to refrain from contacting staff regarding the project in question, from giving “any direction to staff whatsoever,” and from representing the city in any capacity.
The length of her punishment is unclear.
Waage noted that council members could bring forward a proposal at a later date to reinstate Guthrie to her committee assignments though a decision on when that could be was not mentioned.
When reached for comment by The Tribune on Wednesday morning, Guthrie said there was “so much more to the story,” but declined to comment further.
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