| ► Attorney Mark Werksman of Los Angeles; apologist for unethical public officials |
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Attorney Mark Werksman of Los Angeles; apologist for unethical public officials 
Los Angeles attorney Mark Werksman is presently representing ex-City Administrator, Donal O’Callaghan of Vernon for engaging in a conflict of interest.
While Mr. O’Callaghan was the Vernon City Administrator, a consulting contract for $235,000 was awarded to a company headed by his wife. Most folks with an I.Q. equal to or higher than the legal speed limit in a school zone would immediately recognize this as a “conflict of interest.”
At the time this $235,000 consulting contract was gifted to O’Callaghan’s wife, he was being paid an annual salary of $785,000 compliments of the taxpayers in Vernon, California as city administrator and director of Vernon’s city-owned utility. Within the past year, O’Callaghan gave up his job as director of Vernon’s city-owned utility; however, he retained his job as City Administrator at and receives an annual salary of $385,000.
In defending O’Callaghan, attorney Mark Werksman had the chutzpah to tell the LA Times that his client had done nothing wrong and that his total compensation was “well within the salary range that one would expect for someone required to manage a utility.” Mr. Werksman then went on to say, “His [O’Callaghan’s] pay was absolutely appropriate and reasonable.”
In an inept attempt at levity, Werksman said, “It’s hard to imagine that the district attorney [David Demerjian] would pursue criminal charges in a situation where a city official did so much of such great value for the community that he served.” Seemingly, Mr. Werksman missed his calling as a standup comedian!
Let’s take a minute and see if Werksman’s statement to the LA Times that Mr. O’Callaghan’s pay was ‘well within the salary range for someone required to manage a utility” is true or just hyperbole (BS). On September 12, 2010, Sacramento Bee reporters Loretta Kalb and Ed Fletcher wrote a story titled: “Public now eyes pay of special districts’ executives.” See: http://tinyurl.com/27kfu3k)
The Bee reported the following salaries:
It appears that O’Callaghan was paid $400,000 a year as chief executive of Vernon’s public utility. For Mr. Werksman to argue that O’Callaghan’s salary was reasonable in comparison to lesser amounts paid to the chief executives of the 5th and 6th largest publicly owned utilities in the country doesn’t pass the involuntary laugh test.
The truth of the matter is that Mr. O’Callaghan has engaged in the same type of conduct that Bell, California City Manager Rizzo did in ripping-off the taxpayers.
Hopefully, LA County DA David Demerjian will succeed in exposing O’Callaghan for what he truly is despite Mr. Werksman’s hyperbolic comments.
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