Laguna Beach City Council, City Manager Shohreh Dupuis part ways

The Laguna Beach City Council and City Manager Shohreh Dupuis have mutually agreed to part ways, executing a separation agreement Thursday to settle a workplace claim.

Dupuis had filed a complaint alleging that conduct of Councilman George Weiss constituted harassment and created a hostile work environment.

Council members discussed the anticipated litigation in a closed session meeting on Thursday morning. Weiss did not participate in the item due to a potential conflict of interest.

Mayor Bob Whalen was authorized to sign a separation agreement and general release with Dupuis, City Atty. Phil Kohn reported out of the closed session. The decision to do so carried 4-0 with the participating council members.

Dupuis will retire from her position as city manager effective Sept. 1, Kohn added. She will be on paid leave until then.

“I have truly appreciated and I’m grateful that I was able to serve my community for seven years, but I had to make a decision that was best for me and my family and my future,” Dupuis said in a phone interview Thursday.

Dupuis said she had been working under “a lot of criticism and constant attacks for over a year.” She said that led her to approach the City Council about a separation agreement.

Pursuant to the agreement, the city will pay Dupuis nine months of severance pay and $223,077 to settle all claims. She will retain her health insurance during those nine months. The city also plans to reimburse her for legal costs up to $10,000.

“This agreement represents the best path forward as we address the many issues facing our community,” Whalen said in a statement released following the meeting. “By following this course of action, we limit the potential legal and financial exposure to the city and can move forward with finding a new city manager and prioritizing the public’s business.”

In a separate interview, Whalen reaffirmed that Dupuis’ departure was a mutually agreed upon retirement. He said Dupuis was not removed from the position for cause.

Whalen added that the council had been working on the agreement for about a month and finalized the terms on Thursday.

Asst. City Manager Gavin Curran will serve as acting city manager while the City Council explores its long-term options to fill the position. Curran will receive a 10% bump in pay. The City Council will begin looking for candidates to fill the position on an interim basis.

Appointed as the city’s top executive in June 2021, Dupuis also served as assistant city manager for five years prior.

“Shohreh played a key role for our city during the COVID-19 pandemic and has helped deliver on wildfire safety, transportation and mobility programs, key property acquisitions and other important City Council priorities,” Whalen said in the statement. “We appreciate her dedication through some very challenging times and wish her well as she enters the next phase of her life.”

Dupuis’ tenure as city manager also was marked by turmoil. In February, her home was vandalized. Her traffic stop for driving while using a hand-held cellphone also became a point of contention for some residents, eventually leading to the release of a police officer’s body-cam footage.

The City Council hires the city manager and the city attorney. Laguna Beach will see new faces in both positions in September, as Megan Garibaldi will succeed Kohn as city attorney on Sept. 11.

Weiss, who has repeatedly called for increased transparency in city government, refuted the claim that he created a hostile work environment for Dupuis.

“I made attempts to work closely with the city manager, but I didn’t have a feeling of strong trust about her and about her decisions and her truthfulness,” Weiss said. “That was a problem for me. I think that created a certain distrust between the two of us that resulted in a lot of retaliation on her part, and certain members of the council, with regard to my ability to carry out my job.”