The San Benito County Board of Supervisors voted to fire County
Counsel Karen Forcum in closed session yesterday
– reversing an offer they made in February to extend her
contract as the county’s top attorney for another six months.
Hollister – The San Benito County Board of Supervisors voted to fire County Counsel Karen Forcum in closed session yesterday – reversing an offer they made in February to extend her contract as the county’s top attorney for another six months.
“The board wants to acknowledge that this action… is not based on concerns with Ms. Forcum’s performance as county counsel,” a statement released out of the closed session read.
Forcum said she will continue her duties until April 8 while the board searches for an interim county counsel. The board voted to dismiss Forcum in closed session Tuesday, but provided little detail on why Forcum was fired or why the board changed its mind about the contract extension. Forcum and board members wouldn’t comment further on the decision.
“The board is in the process of looking for someone, and hopefully we’ll find someone fairly soon,” Supervisor Reb Monaco said.
However, Forcum will continue to work for the county as a deputy county counsel for at least two months after her last day as the county’s lead legal counsel on April 8.
“I can tell you that I’m going to be continuing on in the capacity of deputy counsel because one of the deputies is going on an unexpected leave,” Forcum said Tuesday. She will be covering for the absent deputy on a juvenile dependency assignment that she said she has some experience with.
Forcum replaced Steve Sanders as the county’s legal counsel in 2000 for a four-year term. In August, the Board of Supervisors voted to extend her contract for another four years. After three new supervisors were seated in January, however, the Board voted in February to only extend Forcum’s contract for an additional six months after her first term ended on Feb. 15. Supervisors said they wanted to keep their options open to choose a new county counsel.
Jessica Quandt covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at jq*****@fr***********.com.
