Buena Park Councilman Jose Trinidad Castaneda was removed last night as the city’s representative on the Orange County Power Authority Board of Directors during a special council meeting.
The council voted 4-1 to replace Castaneda with Mayor Pro Tem Susan Sonne, with Castaneda voting against his replacement. The OCPA Board of Directors page on the agency website has already been updated to reflect the change.
Sonne was the city’s first representative to the OCPA Board. Castaneda, a “climate action” activist, became the city’s representative in January 2023, following his election to the city council in November 2022. Castaneda worked for the “Climate Action Campaign” from 2019 to 2021.
The special council meeting had been called to hear a revocation appeal hearing that arose as a result of a Planning Commission decision on June 28, according to City Manager Aaron France.
Video of the council meeting has not yet been posted, so it is unknown at this time what, if any, council discussion took place regarding Castaneda’s ouster from the OCPA Board of Director.
Castaneda could be an inflammatory presence on the OCPA Board, using the board meetings to attack his fellow directors.
For example, in March he tangled with fellow board member and “climate action” activist Kathleen Treseder, a member of the Irvine City Council. Treseder complained Castaneda’s criticisms might lead to Irvine withdrawing from the OCPA, which could have precipitated the agency’s collapse.
This weekend, netizens witnessed a Twitter feud spin out of control between OCPA Vice Chair Dr. Kathleen Treseder, who also sits on Irvine’s City Council, and Castaneda. The subject of the clash was over Castaneda’s unrelenting critique of Treseder during OCPA public meetings. On Twitter, Treseder indicated that Irvine expects to leave OCPA in response to Castaneda’s attacks. He further alleged that Treseder “flip-flops” on OCPA and engaged in a “racially charged tirade” against him in private, concluding he “will not speak with her without a mediator or neutral witness to her abusive approach.” Treseder denies any racially charged discussion ever took place.
A few days earlier, during the OCPA Board’s March 15 meeting, Castaneda accused Treseder and others of knocking on residents doors and urging them to withdraw from the OCPA.
“I haven’t done anything like that,” Treseder replied.
“I said candidates earlier, I said I had concerns and now I’m alleging it’s you. I alleged that there are others,” the Buena Park councilman maintained.
“Where’s your evidence?” said Treseder.
“I said it’s an allegation,” Castaneda said. “I actually used the word allegation.”
Buena Park Adopts Code of Conduct That Appears Directed At Castaneda
At yesterday’s special meeting, the Buena Park City Council also adopted a councilmember code of conduct, that included rules about how councilmembers representing the city on regional bodies should comport themselves. It includes admonitions such as:
- “When representing the City on official business, Council Members shall behave responsibly, professionally and in a manner reflecting positively on the City”
- “Council Members do not have the right and shall not make belligerent, personal,
impertinent, slanderous, threatening, abusive, or disparaging comments, to disrupt the orderly
process of public meetings, or engage in conduct that could be construed as threatening.”
- “No personal attacks of any kind, are appropriate under any circumstance.”
The code also contains provisions requiring councilmembers to route media inquiries to the city manager, not exerting undue influence on city commissioners and not bypassing the city manager in an attempt to direct city staff.
The council voted 4-1 to approve the Code of Conduct, with Castaneda voting “no.”
