Costa Mesa City Council votes to terminate city manager

The Costa Mesa City Council on Tuesday voted to terminate the contract of City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison, providing no reason for the decision.

City Atty. Kimberly Hall Barlow announced the news in a report out of a closed session. An agenda for that meeting included an employee evaluation of Farrell Harrison, who has helmed the city since 2019.

“By motion of Councilmember [Loren] Gameros, and seconded by Councilmember [Mike] Buley, the City Council voted to terminate the employment agreement of the city manager,” Barlow said of the vote. “Councilmembers [Arlis] Reynolds and [Andrea] Marr voted no, and Mayor [John] Stephens abstained.”

No further discussion on Farrell Harrison’s performance or departure was immediately available minutes after Barlow’s report, as the council continued its regular meeting. City spokesman Tony Dodero declined to comment Tuesday.

Farrell Harrison, who had joined council members in the closed session meeting, was not physically present during open session. Her seat on the dais was filled by Asst. City Manager Cecilia Gallardo-Daly.

News of the city manager’s termination comes almost five years to the date of her selection in a 6-1 vote by the Costa Mesa City Council on May 7, 2019, after a four-month search to replace her predecessor, Tom Hatch, who abruptly left the city the previous November.

This is a developing story.