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Desert Local News - Desert Local News Print at Home Edition 11 March 26 - Index

16 SHOP LOCAL
More Drama Cooks
Up At CVMVCD:
Baker Considers Legal
Action Against Bug Board
By Leslie Andrews
Coachella Valley Mosquito
and Vector
Control District trustee Karl
Baker, Junior, also a city
council member for Desert
Hot Springs, is suggesting
that legal action be brought
against the district for what he
describes are “brown-act violations.”
“I felt that the closed session
meeting held on Monday
(March 17th) was illegal
because 80% of the material
discussed was irrelevant to
the subjects of the closed session,”
said Baker. “I will file
a formal complaint with the
district attorney.”
Baker accused the board
of violating the state’s open
meeting law Monday because
it made a decision after a
closed session without allowing
the public to comment. He
felt that this action was unfair
and un-called for.
A special meeting once
again took place at the CVM-
VCD Headquarters in Indio
to discuss more issues, including
the decision to keep Indio
representative Mike Duran on
board, despite the city of Indio’s
decision to oust him and
replace him with City Council
member Gene Gilbert.
Baker was the only opposing
vote, while the rest of the
board voted in favor of Duran.
“In my opinion, Mike Duran
treated me with extreme prejudice,”
Baker remarked. “He
never appointed me to a single
committee and when we had
an opportunity to serve, I was
not chosen. I volunteered for
two committees and I was not
allowed to serve. If my city
council said that they don’t
want me on there, I would resign.
I don’t want to be where
I’m not wanted.”
Previously, the CVMVCD
has tried to have Baker removed
from the panel, due to
allegations of sexual misconduct
and retaliation, in which
Baker has denied. The court
ruled in favor of Baker twice
and has ordered the district
to reimburse the city of Desert
Hot Springs the legal fees
they spent on this matter. “If
you’re elected, the public has
a right to recall,” Baker said.
“There is no provision to end
the law to recall an appointed
trustee. The majority of the
board chose to go with the
opinion of supplemental legal
counsel. Are we now paying
for two legal counsels for the
district?”
The relationship between
Donald Gomsi, the General
Manager of the CVMVCD
currently put on paid administrative
leave, and Mike Duran,
president of the district
has been described by Baker
as being “close-knit.” He describes,
“They were buddies,
close together. I had a conversation
with one of Duran’s
supporters from COD last
night. I asked him, ‘If they
reported to you that a faculty
member viewing porn or reported
a sexual harassment
going on, what would you
do?’ and he said, ‘I would support
an investigation.’ They
say that they have launched an
investigation and that the district
have given Gomsi a week
to sanitize his office before
the investigation begins. This
is a basic problem I had with
my colleagues on the board.”
Baker added that Duran has
reportedly witnessed the office
computers being replaced.
“That could be a criminal act,
obstruction of justice,” he remarked.
“I believe that more
will be revealed. Justice is my
only agenda.”
Indio Police, as reports
say, have now upgraded their
investigation into the Gomsi
matter as a criminal investigation.
Three detectives
in plain-clothes were at the
district meeting Thursday to
observe. Calls to the Indio Police
Department have not been
returned to the Desert Local
News office.
In the meantime, the
CVMVCD will temporarily
be led by assistant General
Manager Diane Glanz, as
voted on during the meeting.
Search for an interim general
manager has begun. Baker
had suggested former Desert
Hot Springs City Manger
Ann Marie Gallant as a possible
candidate. He also suggested
Frank Priore, who once
worked for the district.
Baker recalls, “Frank was
a gentleman, retired, with 37
years of experience.”
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