Cloverdale Council Warns Morgenstern, Stops Short of Censure Before Election

Cloverdale's City Council declined to censure Councilmember Marjorie Morgenstern at a special meeting Oct. 21, 2026, and issued her a formal warning over her treatment of city staff instead. The motion passed 4-0 with one abstention after hours of testimony, with no independent investigation and the Nov. 3 election close at hand.

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• Warning, not censure: Council votes 4-0-1 to warn Councilmember Marjorie Morgenstern
• Process objection: Councilmember Andres Marquez abstains because no independent investigation occurred
• Vice Mayor sought censure, citing an assistant city manager's departure
• About a dozen residents spoke, split between accountability and ending costly infighting
• City clerk denies Morgenstern's strip club account and asks her to stop spreading rumors

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Council Picks the Middle Path on Discipline

The basics: Under Cloverdale's governance manual, the council alone decides whether a member violated its standards. A city staff presenter laid out the options: "If the council determines that a violation has occurred, you have 4 options ranging from least to most severe: a dismissal, admonishment, warning, or a censure." Only censure requires a written finding. Staff attached a draft censure to the staff report.

Why it matters: The council closed the matter with a recorded sanction but without written findings or a fact-finding process. The staff allegations of hostile conduct, and Morgenstern's counter-allegations, remain unadjudicated.

Where things stand: Staff alleged that Morgenstern engaged in increasingly hostile and unprofessional behavior toward city employees. Vice Mayor Todd Lands pushed for the maximum penalty: "I am going to be recommending censure as the severest discipline tonight." Lands tied his position to the departure of an assistant city manager, who he said left partly because of council member behavior.

The other side: Other members wanted an independent review first. One councilmember noted that the manual provides for an investigation by a qualified neutral party and reserves a warning or censure for cases decided on that investigation's findings. Another argued that a he-said-she-said record does not support a fair process and could lead to grand juries and more attorneys.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Mayor Brian Wheeler steered the council away from censure, saying it was too extreme with an election imminent. "I would like to just make a motion to issue a warning to Councilmember Morgenstern and have this issue done," said Wheeler. His motion acknowledged that the warning standard assumes an investigation, conceded that none had been done, and treated the meeting materials and public comment as the record. Councilmember Mark Laskey seconded.

The vote: For: 4, Against: 0, Abstain: 1 (Marquez), Absent: 0. Councilmember Andres Marquez said he would "abstain on this vote for the reason that there has not been an investigation."

City staff got a formal, on-record rebuke of the conduct they described, though not the censure the Vice Mayor sought. Morgenstern avoided the harshest sanction and a written finding. The council avoided a drawn-out investigation in the campaign's final stretch, but it left open the process questions several members raised.

What's next: The council ordered no investigation. Officials discussed reviewing personnel policies, employee manuals and the governance manual at a future regular meeting. That review was not on the special meeting agenda.

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Residents Split, but Most Want the Feud Over

Why it matters: About a dozen residents spoke, more than on any other part of the meeting. Their testimony shaped the council's lighter sanction. Across every viewpoint, speakers urged the council to stop spending time and money on infighting.

Where things stand: Several speakers backed accountability. "I'm here tonight to express my support for the proposed censure of Councilmember Morgenstern," said public commenter Terry Kelder. Kelder cited Morgenstern's reported comment that she was too tired to review Esmeralda documents, the cost of the bed bug dispute, and alleged disrespect toward staff.

Planning Commissioner Craig Kearney, speaking as a resident, said Morgenstern crossed a line with staff and that the council must enforce its own standards. He stressed that "an individual council member does not supervise staff." Public commenter Leanne Fabian said officials owe a duty of conduct in public. She described alleged unbecoming behavior by a councilmember toward a young woman who feared retaliation.

The other side: Public commenter Marianne Brigo opposed censure and recounted her own experiences of mistreatment on the council, which she said went unsanctioned. "You haven't reached anything even close to censure," said Brigo. Public commenter James Regino, known as Walker, said Morgenstern is not wrong to raise questions about where private and political lines cross. He criticized what he called a "good old boys club" culture.

Public commenter Rob Kozlowski disputed Morgenstern's account of a budget meeting and questioned the cost to taxpayers. He also called her bed bug claims at Kings Valley Senior Apartments invisible. Public commenter Dana Starr, who lives in the complex, rebutted him. Starr said the bed bug problem is real and that management took four months to notify tenants.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Many speakers sat in neither camp. Public commenter Angela Cordova called the dispute a public embarrassment and urged leaders to focus on issues like Esmeralda and public funds. One resident said the truth likely lies between the two accounts and urged both sides to stop spending money on the fight. A former councilmember of 14 years praised staff and urged unity. That speaker noted that no single member directs staff because it takes three votes.

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Morgenstern Alleges Bullying; Clerk Pushes Back

Where things stand: Morgenstern used her 10 minutes to reframe the case. "This whole issue is not about a strip club," said Councilmember Marjorie Morgenstern. She said the matter is about bullying and slander. She accused the city manager, Vice Mayor Lands and the city attorney of misconduct and said she wants the grand jury involved. She also described the Kings Valley Senior Apartments bed bug dispute and a visit by an assistant city manager.

Later in the meeting, Morgenstern said her remark about being too tired to vote had been mischaracterized. "I'm legally disabled, so your comment was like attacking the fact that I'm disabled," she said. She also called her "beneath me" remark poorly worded.

The other side: City Clerk Mike Maloney identified himself as the person Morgenstern alluded to in a Sacramento strip club account. He denied going and said others she named had not gone either. He asked the council to read the seven pages he submitted and to act fairly. "No matter what you believe to be true, please stop spreading rumors until they can be substantiated," said Maloney. Vice Mayor Lands and Mayor Wheeler also denied the account.

Why it matters: These are competing allegations, and none was adjudicated. They touch the city clerk's reputation and staff retention, and Morgenstern's stated plan to involve the grand jury leaves room for escalation beyond City Hall.

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Minor Items

• Policy review floated: Officials discussed revisiting personnel policies, employee manuals and the governance manual at a future regular meeting.
• Off-agenda contamination question: Public commenter Colleen Shields asked why the city would sign an agreement on a property publicly known to have contaminants without preemptive testing. She cited lawsuit risk. The mayor said comments must stay on the agenda and pointed to upcoming project comment dates.
• Senior services context: Public commenter Sandra Huberts described a 2025 email exchange over a senior advisory council and the county Master Plan for Aging action team. She highlighted a digital literacy program serving more than 70 older adults.

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Looking Ahead

The warning closes the censure item, but the questions behind it remain open. The council has not ordered an independent investigation, and any review of the governance manual and personnel policies would need to be placed on a future regular meeting agenda. Watch for whether that review comes forward after the Nov. 3 election, and whether Morgenstern follows through on her plan to bring the matter to the grand jury.