Healdsburg Will Pay $163K To Settle Lawsuits

HEALDSBURG, CA — City officials this week settled a pair of lawsuits claiming that Healdsburg council members and officials violated California government transparency and open-meetings laws.

The settlement requires the city to reimburse retired attorney Jon Eisenberg $69,432 for legal fees. The city will spend an additional $93,726 for legal fees, according to press reports.

The terms of the settlement include training and policies for staff and council members in how they go about deciding city business, The Press Democrat reported, which Eisenberg said had demonstrated a "pattern of misbehavior embedded in the culture of Healdsburg's city government."

In particular, he claimed meetings and communications between city officials during the campaign to pass Measure O violated the Brown Act. The 2024 measure ultimately failed. The settlement requires Eisenberg to dismiss the lawsuits. Under the terms of the agreement, he cannot ask a court to reconsider them.