In October of 2012, we reported that then Brea City Council Candidate Steve Vargas’ lawsuit against the City of Brea had cost taxpayers over $80K. The lawsuit was over the validity of City Council-authored rebuttals to two 2012 ballot measures, according to the O.C. Register.
On September 22, 2015, Vargas, who is now a Brea City Council Member, won a motion for attorney fees in the amount of $393,514.50.
What this means is that the attorney fees we cited in 2012 have mushroomed to almost $400K for what many termed to be a trivial lawsuit. The local media has not reported what is likely a near a million dollar cost to Brea taxpayers when cost of city staff time is added to the final bill. Continue reading