Like Dan Cort calling people ‘morons”, Harvey’s actions show disregard for the citizens that pay his salary.
Tag Archives: Ben Harvey
Having Ben Harvey On Staff Is Expensive!
So who/what could be the root cause of all the litigation?
The city attorney’s office currently operates with an annual budget of $688,800 — of which it has expended $403,000 through Jan. 13 of this year. In fiscal year 2023-24, the city attorney’s budget was $398,180. In 2024-25, it was raised to $625,000 and again increased in April of that year by an additional $520,000.
Ojai City Manager Benjamin Harvey clarified at a Jan. 29 meeting of the city’s Finance & Budget Committee that rising legal costs were largely related to a number of pending litigation proceedings and that the city was presently working with as many as six law firms on a litany of unspecified issues.
Having Ben Harvey On Staff Is Expensive!
- Ojai Valley News
Ben Harvey Ruined A Hometown Activity In Ojai, Too
Harvey managed to turn Ojai’s crown jewel — Libbey Bowl — into a ghost stage. He signed a contract that gave the city zero rights, let a promoter run one overpriced show for LA hipsters, and then… nothing. No concert series, no summer nights under the stars, just pissed off residents. Classic Harvey!
Libbey Bowl has been silenced, the people have not
I miss…The sounds. The joy. The sight of people swaying together under the Ojai sky at the Libbey Bowl.Our city manager has been called “the Grinch Who Stole Our Music,” and it’s hard to disagree when the stage sits silent. I miss — we miss — Michael McDonald’s velvet voice, the Gin Blossoms’ jangling guitars, Ben Harper’s soul, Vampire Weekend’s energy, Toad the Wet Sprocket’s harmonies, Dionne Warwick’s elegance, Oingo Boingo’s wildness, The English Beat’s ska rhythms, Lyle Lovett’s storytelling, Los Lobos’ fire, Jon Anderson from Yes (who brought 12 musicians from six countries, ages 23 to 73), Belinda Carlisle’s sparkle, Dave Mason and Eric Burton’s legends, Jacob Scesney’s sax with Postmodern Jukebox and much more.
And I miss the families — neighbors’ arm in arm — singing along to Queen Nation and countless other bands that turned the Bowl into a living, breathing heartbeat of Ojai.
Now, instead of music, I hear about a bumper sticker: “Honk if you’re suing the City Manager or the City of Ojai.” That says something about where we are — we have been referred to as “the best citizens with the worst (city) management” — and it stings because it feels true. I think we had more lawsuits filed last month than concerts.
Ben Harvey Ruined A Hometown Activity In Ojai, Too
Ojai Valley News
Squids Got Ties To Ojai
Another day, another Weakly hit piece on Luke Coletti for having held ex–City Manager Ben Harvey accountable. Here’s what Squid (Pam Marino) won’t mention: multiple Ojai employees—many of them women—have filed complaints against Harvey for workplace harassment and discrimination.
The record is damning:
Three complaints already filed
A fourth complaint pending
All involve harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and other unlawful conduct
Instead of attacking oversight, maybe ask why Ben Harvey keeps generating complaints from Ojai city staff.
See for yourself:
Complaint #1
Complaint #2
Complaint #3
Ben Harvey Keeps On Racking Up Complaints At New Job
Charming, just charming. Sorry not sorry Ojai.
Ben Harvey resigned from his Pacific Grove post in July 2023 after the city council voted 6-0 to 0K a separation agreement with him. Harvey later took on the same
role with the City of Ojai. However, in the past month or so, three former Ojai workers filed complaints against the Ventura County city.In a July 15 government claim, former
finance director Pamela Greer said that in early 2024, about a month after Harvey began working for the city, he requested to be reimbursed for unspecified expenses.
When Greer asked to see his employment agreement to confirm the expenses were authorized, she claims Harvey said, “Why can’t you just process the reimbursement?”
Greer, who is seeking at least $ I million in damages, accuses Harvey of disrespecting “basic financial procedures from the start,” and says he and others engaged in illegal activity, including paying vendors based on estimates rather than invoices, carrying over unspent funds from one fiscal year to the next, misusing grant funds, and requesting that she advise Harvey on his personal taxes.
Greer claims Harvey and other city offcials fired her in March for reporting the alleged wrongdoing. She said Harvey also informed the city council that he found $8 million missing in the city’s budget, “casting aspersions of financial fraud and lack of transparency on Greer and the previous city administration.”
How Ben Harvey “Finds $8 Million Dollars” Sure.
Click the picture for the pdf of the claim filed
A few months after he started, Harvey told City Councilmembers that he had “found $8 million” that had been missing in the City’s budget, thereby casting aspersions of financial fraud and lack of transparency on Claimant and the previous City administration. He would periodically repeat this falsehood over the next months. Harvey’s allegation was a complete fabrication, without any foundation whatsoever, as there was no way to just “find $8 million” in the City coffers. Even if a mayor, City manager, finance director or someone else had, somehow—for some reason, concealed the funds, outside auditors regularly audited City accounts and would have certainly noticed $8 million of unaccounted-for City funds.Harvey would also often mention his “$8 million of found money” in City Management meetings (with all department heads). Claimant was surprised to hear that and asked Harvey where he found the money so she could correct any classification errors per GASB 54 reporting of fund balance requirements.In response, Harvey would ignore her request—and he would remain silent—until someone would break the awkwardness caused by his silence. Soon, when the issue came up again and Claimant asked about it, Harvey and the Public Works director, Lindy Palmer (“Palmer”), noticeably exchanged smirks and rolled their eyes. Soon, other senior City staff, to curry favor with them, joined in the mockery.
Ojai’s Ben Harvey Is In Legal Trouble Already
over ordering a “hush money” severance package deal.
And possible unprofessionalism for expense reimbursements.
In February 2024, in response to Harvey’s request for reimbursement of expenses, Claimant asked to see his signed employment agreement to confirm that the expenses were authorized by his contract. Harvey asked Claimant, “Why can’t you just process the reimbursement?” At first, Claimant thought Harvey was joking and explained that City policy required supporting documentation to justify any payment to employees beyond their regular paycheck. She soon realized, however, that she was dealing with a different kind of city manager,
Ojai’s Ben Harvey Is In Legal Trouble Already
Ojai Valley News
Ben Harvey Takes Job In Ojai
Sounds like a demotion but hey, it’s closer to Long Beach.
Young & Sick
Harvey’s base salary will be $250,000 a year. If Harvey moves to Ojai or within a 10- mile radius, the city will reimburse his moving and relocation expenses. If he requires temporary rental housing before purchasing a home, he will receive a housing allowance of up to $5,000 per month for up to six months beginning Feb. 1.
Ben Harvey Will Be Spending Even Less Time In P.G.
Farewell to the work-from-Long Beach kid. Overpaid and uneducated about P.G.
Under mysterious circumstances. Like he stomped on a Monarch or something.
Council appointees and department heads are precluded from making disparaging statements about Ben Harvey,” Pierik said. “You should not make any statements [verbal or written] about Ben Harvey or his resignation.
Following a 5 p_m. closed session city council meet-
ing Wednesday, PG. city attorney Brian Pierik reported
in open session that the council voted 6-0 to approve the
so-called separation agreement, which allows city man-
ager Ben Harvey to resign from the job he’s held since
2016.
While Pierik didn’t specify why the council wanted
Harvey gone — and those specifics will probably kept
confidential — councilmembers were likely not pleased
with Harvey’s job performance and had lost confidence
in him.
Fight The City, Get A Lein With No Notice
City Council did drop the fines.
But when they tried to sell the house, they were shocked to discover that the City of Pacific Grove — way back in August 2017 — had placed a lien on the property because of the unpaid fines. The fines, which they admit to not paying at the time, had accrued to $14,667.50 during the six years.
While PG city manager Ben Harvey in early October suggested they would be on the hook for the nearly $15,000, the couple recently addressed the city council twice, arguing the city never told them about the lien. “We were not properly noticed of the lien or the council resolution that approved of the filing of the lien,” Mark Hanes told the city council in hopes of getting the lien rescinded.